The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-22 00:00:00

brought up in the religious principles of their nearest,
relatives or protectors, and that they may, with the
consent of the Poor-law Board, be kept at school till
they aie eighteen years old. The bill also provides
lor the inspection of the institutions referred to
in it, and for grants of public money to them,
Altogether it is a very good and praiseworthy
measure, and ought to pass into law. The class it
proposes to legislate for is not a numerous one,
although the number of blind and deaf and dumb
people in the country is much greater than most
persons suppose. But it is just because, they are not
numerous that they ought to be properly protected,
more especially as the cost of the plan projected
would not be very great. It is estimated that between
3,000 and 4,000 ,children would have to be provided '
for under the Act, but these are scattered over the
whole kingdom, and the expense of their educatiOn
would not fall heavily on the ratepayer. We
cannot but think that Mr. WHEELHOUSE has
done a good and useful act in . endeavouring
to ameliorate the condition of these poor creatures,
and that his measure will be warmly supported by
the many benevolent men who sit in the house of
Commons, There are scores of bills for much less
praiseworthy objects which will occupy a great deal
Jf attention during the Session, but not many that
so much deserve attention as this simple plea on be-
) half of a class whose afflictions give them a peculiar
, claim on their fellow-men.

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1871.

THE Government measure for the Reform of
Parliamentary and Municipal Elections is, on the
whole, a broad and good measure, and will sustain the
great legislative reputation of the present Ministry.
So much have questions of this kind advanced during
late years that the Ballot has come to be regarded as
but a very small instalment of the needful changes. It
was once a panacea; now it is only an item. The
Reform Act of 1867 has revealed evils which the
Ballot is quite incompetent to reach; the example of
other states proves that the general system of con-
ducting elections in England is simply absurd ; and
thus has come the conviction that a radical change
is needful. The Government measure, therefore,
covers a wide extent of ground. In
addition to providing the Ballot both
for Parliamentary and municipal elections, it de-
clares illegal the use of public-houses as comniittee-
rooms, abolishes nomination days and declarations of
the poll, and throws the necessary expenses of elec-
tions upon the constituencies. The arguments in
favour of all these changes are pretty well worn.
Such measures have almost ceased to provoke party
battles. It is obvious enough that if the Ballot does
not effect any good result in the Way of diminishing
bribery or intimidation, it nevertheless secures order
on polling-day, which is in itself a great recommen-
dation, and one that all parties can value. A Con-
servative dislikes the "historical limestone" thrown
at his head just as ' much as a Liberal.
A ducking in a water-butt would be as little
relished by Mr. NEWDEGATE as by Mr.
BERNAL OSBORNE. Nowhere does political
excitement rage more furiously than among the
working men of the French towns, yet the business
of polling is got through in Paris itself with-
out the smallest disturbance. It is to be
hoped, however, that the Ballot will tend to
lessen bribery and intimidation ; indeei it
is impossible to divine how the latter evil, so
prevalent in the rural districts, is to be maintained.
No landlord would think of turning out all his
tenants because he had reason to believe that some of
them had not voted straight. Few landlords could
afford to do so. They preserve their influence
now because they are able to pounce upon
one or two offenders, and treat them as
examples. It would be impossible, however, for the
most powerful landlord to select examples at ran-
dom. The abolition of Nomination Da3 does not
require a word. The most frantic upholder of ex-
ploded superstitions has ceased to defend an institu-
tion which had no effect whatever beyond giving the
rabble an exceptionally good opportunity for riot. •
The defects of the bill are to be found in the pro-
visions touching public-looses and expenses. These
are inefficient. Tile Government propose that public.-
houses should not be used as committee rooms; but
refrain from closing them altogether on election day.
This is not even reforming by halves. Of what
avail is it to prohibit the establishment of committee-
rooms in public houses, if a room can be hired next
door, and some of the old evils still kept up ? It is
true that treating is an offence, which may now lead
to the dispossession from his seat of any candidate
who is guilty of it, but by far the best
and simplest plan is to render treating impos-
sible, at least on the day of election.
The general object of all these measures is to pre-
vent elections from becoming a source of profit and
corruption to constituencies. The total closing of
public houses on polling day is indispensable to this
end. The bill throws the necessary expenses of
elections upon the constituencies, but does
not forbid the employment of paid can-
vassers. This is a discrepancy which
we hope the Government will remove by
accepting Sir H. HoARE's amendment prohibit-
ing payment of canvassers. The justice of such a
provision was not contested by Mr. FORSTER him-
self. The needful expenses are transferred to
the constituencies in order to throw
seats in Parliament open to all classes.
But we are little nearer this end than ever, if the
rich candidate is at liberty to spend his money upon
a host of paid canvassers, he thereby gains an ad-
vantage just as tangible as that which he formerly
derived from the power of direct bribery.
Reform of this Rind should not be imperfect.
Nobody who carefully studies the details of our law-
making, especially those who watch the process,
personally can doubt that the intellectual average of
the House of Commons is low, much too low for the
requirements of the time. By just reforms we may
reasonably expect the admission, not only of working
men, but of other desirable recruits who are
excluded at present. Good legislation can both
purify the constituencies and improve the character
of the House. Experience has long ago proven the
statement of one M.P. that nothing could defeat
attorney ingenuity to be all nonsense. The
example of Norwich at the election just
held shows what can be done by pro-
per treatment. The last member was unseated
for bribery on the part of his agents to secure a show
of bands. On Monday no attempt was made to
get a majority of this kind. There is
no known abuse that cannot be reformed
by good laws, though it is quite true that it requires
no great ingenuity to baffle the bungling, ramshackle
measures so frequently issued from Parliament at

vice,

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

present.

AMONG the minor measures proposed for the pre-
sent session there is one that commends itself to all
humane persons. This is the bill introduced by Mr,
WHEELHOUSE, one of the members for Leeds—a
gentlemen who, we believe, is noted in his own
locality for the lively and active interest which he
takes in charitable instithtions—to provide for the
elementary education of the blind, and the deaf and
dumb poor. Special provision of this sort is ob-
viously much needed, and it has, rather strangely,
been wanting in the otherwise comprehensive
educational legislation of last session. There are
plenty of institutions for the blind and the deaf and
dumb, no doubt, and Boards of Guardians may, if
they like, have children of the poor thus afflicted
sent to such institutions at the public cost. But
there is no law which renders the education of these
unfortunates as imperative as it ought to be, and the
matter has hitherto been set about with very little
system. Such a law Mr. WitnnLuouses bill now
proposes to enact. It compels Guardians of the Poor
to send blind and deaf and dumb children to
suitable institutions whenever application is
made for them for that •object, and it
allows them to do the same when no
such application is made. They have also power to
make Agreements with the parents or friends of the
children fOr the part 'payment of the expenses of
education, and it is provided that the pupils shall be

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1871.

EDUCATION AT THE ANTIPODES.

It is satisfactory to find that the young communi-
ties in the Southern Seas are resolved not to repeat
the mistake of European nations by allowing ignorance
to get the start of education by two or three gene-
rations. In Victoria they are vigorously at work,
and an education bill has been prepared by the
Ministry. It abolishes the present Board of Educa-
tion, and places the national instruction under the
control of a responsible Minister of the Crown. All
education is to be exclusively secular, but the deno-
minations are all to be on equal terms and have the
use of the school rooms after school hours for the!
purpose of imparting religious instruction. Com-
pulsory education is provided for, and such schools
as refuse to be bound by the conditions of the Act
Iwill be deprived of Government aid. In the higher
branches of education the colony also spews active
life. The matriculation of the Melbourne Uni-
versity took place this year under new
conditions, the university examination being
combined with that for the Civil Ser-
The candidates were 167, of whom 61
passed the matriculation examination, and 54 that
'or the Civil Service, the successful candidates having

in most cases gone through the two tests. A course
of scientific lecturesgiven at the Melbourne Museum
has met with remarkable success. More than two
thousand persons attended, of whom 900 paid for
admission.

of the valiant party refused to attempt to'
rescue the plundered property. Her Majesty's
Oharg6 d'Affaires at Buenos Ayres represented the
matter to the Argentine Government, and asked that
a small body of regular troops should be sent for the
protection of the settlers. This was refused, and
the consequence is .that the settlers will have to
abilndon the country, whose natural a•lvantages offer
the best prospects.

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