The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-24 00:00:00

THE EDUCATIONAL TEST.

A sensible pamphlet has appeared, entitled, "A
Letter to W. Lovett, sometime resident in War-
wick Gaol, by a Non-Voter," which contains a
number of shrewd remarks on political topics,
which all political students should read. The
writer is very caustic on the Church, describing
it as "hostile to human progress and human
good," and counselling the people " ever to
cherish a lively sense of the injuries which the State
Church has inflicted upon the country." We must
content ourselves, howevier, by passing over his
out-spoken remarks on " this unswerving foe of
popular rights and popular happiness," and with
quoting his acute observations on the educational
test. This is a subject on which the popular
stream sets in a direction adverse to the writer,
but he knows this, and he breasts it and forces
his own way a-head in the following language:—

Whatever hollowness there is in finality, there is much appa-
rent plausibility
.in the educational test. Those who argue
that it is a rational safeguard against the voter's mal-exercise
of the trust reposed in him arc listened to with eagerness, and
too often with conviction. But who is to decide in what this
test consists, and by whom it is to be app'ied ? Mere intellec-
tual training is not education in anything like a complete
sense of that word. The educational institutions of this coun-
try, from the lofty university to the humble palish school, are
conceived in too narrow a spirit to send forth men able to un-
derstand rightly the richest or the poorest privileges of citi-
zer.ship. But they believe themselves educated, and the bulk
of society, especially the labouring classes, uneducated, and
hencet.h e
Theadoption
working ofth etnen educationalare, I test
know,it on
meansth eir guard
of ex-
clusionagainstnard this sophistry, and remembering what these self-styled
educated men have done, dread what they may do. "Educuted
men" have hitherto had the monopoly of the Government of
this great country, and from one end of the land to the other,
complaint, bitter, energetic complaint, is daily growing louder
and louder. It is " educated men " who have, in the course
of the last century, imposed upon us the enormous debt of
eight hundred millions of money, to pay the interest of which
every article of the poor man's food and the poor man's cloth-
ing is taxed to an extent unknown in the most despotic coun-
tries of Europe. It is "educated men" who by their restric-
tions have nearly ruined trade and commerce, and who now,
supporting the infamous Corn-law, are driviisncremttouhpueleroydymealard.aleynwuapiftaefher.ar--
turers, our artizans, and our capitalists abroad', whilst they air,
inflicting starvation upon us at home. It is "educated men
who have planted in Ireland a Protestant Church amid a Catahnod-
-1 moreoii
ncred population,
nearssoet pii,e)fer.r:ue,nt_i:iser
eedh. 1
:alsievvcdhehnu. who
o intercoursehavee a 2. upheldgera tiwithon t
ot
societyha t Church
eby
have force
acted
massacre, and who in doing this, believe
Christianity.
upon the pure and in
principles theyylt is '. edu-
cated,"simpletruthprofound
aye, "highly educated men,"°l:hCiv,chhirwiisnLhveerYbpl erisnseedi
pulessmainthd
a Protestant Church in England,
pretend
dth et
huants cAr utpe
lui:
PI
orui vs
rine
ltothwel:6( 'oljaueprrsertuoss sp and
nor
otdyrps that e thes, a rper et ah ceh de
er
s-
practice is the most Popish instiwtution in Christendom, de-
bisho bishops
s amonfednaßfoiesfhloontph,s:
tens and twenties of thousands,
religious teachers of a civilized
iavrtitildthibewthrhtkir
:I-
eof
ea
hebdomadal
roaring
ot sm theiroa of the
amitred
sermons
rntr
neoe
kfr,oanorti
is "educated men —but' why need I unroll
community. It
wrongs heaped upon the people of England by
the catalogue of
atd,
and who only arrogate the charac-
terwont to claim superior sanctity, in
icbetceunimpose upon the rest of mankind. The
is
NO account taken of that large class
duties supply. The character of a man is
assert
acquaintance
of ti
nbileui ne
"gcoe; :ur",
coiuseiththoelaselseitctivoer franchiseseiontifio
per-
formance
.ed upon by these than by the barren studies of his
is, estEsoditY.the term "educated"
eri criterion oton of the tihneterlilgehc!
fohrtn.ttinigf,.:yzrach'hlfiws'tueosnfiuttdlnda fitness
thisinlntioteblye thepreferable
(4flavAl°viluealkfitetaotNivon;lothing of the author, but his pam-
phlet indicates both an inquiring•
and a fearless
mind. It will do good by "defecating the stand-
ing-pool" of the public mind.

ABSENCE OF MIND.—A small fanner at Chew
Magna, finding a portion of his sheep in a different field
from the other part of his flock, impounded them, and did
not discover the mistake until celled on for the expenses.
—Bath Journal.
oft inst.,
sotw leinLxece7lles,
*editor
A vacancy is created in the list of Benchers of
Esq., who died on Friday, the
i
the Middle Temple, by the deatho
I was the
Ponte-
of
the
year of his age. Mr. 1, c
coonf
tseveral n
yotdbdc,r an'oerakre.
Libor Hammier,
the property of Mr. Lewis
Mr. Dodd, miller,
bitch, which whelped twenty-one
ypool, bas a I
p.9)9. A f.-","er, of Lianithe}, about three weeks since
Richards, gr which, with the mother, are doing well.
yenned fouriambsand, 1 ikeurt,ti nap:*
AFTER YOUR FORT '' 'A gi LoOK FORTUNES."—An .. n img"l3:tain nWer
in-
dustrious and reicoable working ra„, named Richard
Hardman,
in the employ of Messrs. Walton; Oates, and
Simpson at their extensive bleaching premises at Crimple,
P
year Kuaresborough, received a letter a few days, ago, re-
questing him to go and take posiession of landed estates,
&e., to the amount of 30,0001., left to him unexpectedly
by a relative in Lancashire.—Halifax Guardian.
It has been decided to open the Cheltenham and
Great Western Union Rail Mom, all gireliceoer On
April 26, —Cheltenham tiktiotte, 1_

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