The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-05 00:00:00

IHE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 18%.

aid for Church teaching, and funds were to be subscribed
for the purpose.

THE EDUCATION ACT.

Last night, Mr. Hepworth Dixon, as a candidate for
Marylebone, addressed the ratepayers at St. George's
Hall, Dr. Richardson, M.A., in the chair.

THE' SOLICITOR-GENERAL AT EDINBURGH.

The Solicitor-General, Sir J. D. Coleridge, M.P.,
opened the lecture session of the Edinburgh Philosophical
Institution last night, with an address, in which he dwelt
upon the importance of the culture of the mind,
both to men busily engaged and to those possessed of
leisure. The chair was occupied by Principal Sir Alex-
ander Grant.

Mr. Dixon characterised the Education Act as most
ungrammatical and unreasonable ; in fact, it appeared to
be nothing more than a kind of order from the House of
Commons referring back the great question of education
to the people at large. After all, the main point for
their consideration was, how were the children of the
State to be reclaimed and saved ? He had heard of much
discussion on account of the additional burdens which
the education of children was likely to throw upon the
rates. At all times ho was in favour of economy, but lie
considered it unwise, looking to future advantages, to
adopt a system under which they might save a farthing
and spend a pound. If the Act was faulty, let them by
all means try to amend it. It was the law of the land,
and the country was bound to proceed at once to carry
out its provisions—dry and difficult though they might
be—in the most free and liberal sense, taking care to give
to those for whose benefit it was especially designed
every advantage that might arise from a literal interpreta-
tion of itsmeaning. It was said, in simple Saxon language,
that there should be schools enough. Well, that was
proper ; but he thought that, whilst every attention was
paid to the formation of new schools, these in existence
should not be overlooked—at all events there ought to be,
on the part of the London Board, a just and fair inquiry
with regard to their efficiency. Compulsion, he ad-
mitted, was an ugly word ; yet he was in favour of a
patient and wise compulsion. The work must be done ;
and, for the sake of society, idle and vicious
parents must not be allowed any longer to
neglect their children. Every law was compulsory,
and ought to be obeyed, and children must be sent
to school for the sake of the public benefit. The Act
stated, too, that there should be taught no catechisms or
formularies ; and, as in that respect it was peremptory, he
had but little to say about it. Conflicting opinions, how-
ever, said that there might be, not that there should not be
—religious observances in the schools. This, then, was the
bone of contention. Now, all men, with any knowledge
of nature, were religious; for religion meant living a true
and noble life, according to the laws of God; but there
was some fear lest persons should be elected on the School
Boards who might be pledged to put a particular con-
struction upon the term, and that it would be found that
the whole matter had been sent for determination to a
mere conclave of Kilkenny cats. For himself, he said,
let the Bible be open in the schools, and let it be read
pure and simple, 'without any man's annotation or inter-
pretation of it. In order to solve the religious difficulty.
he would propose to them to take the child and give
to it the key of knowledge by teaching it to read and
write, leaving religion a separate function, tobe conducted
in sacred edifices, where particular inferences might be
drawn from the glorious Book. There must be upon the
education boards, a certain number of " buffers "—men
who were ever ready to receive the thumps and bumps
that must arise in carrying out an Act that would natu-
rally give rise to vast sectarian differences. If the services
of a certain number of these men were secured, then the
Act might be made to work advantageously; otherwise it
would prove a practical failure.
On the motion of Professor Brewer, seconded by Mr
Morrell, a resolution expressive of the opinion that Mr
Dixon was a proper person to represent Marylebone was
carried unanimously.
Mr. G. Cruickshank said that he had always beenof opi-
nion that children should be taught their A B C during
five days of the week, and on the sixth should be
handed over to the clergy of the different denomina-
tions for religious instruction. Compulsory attendance
ought to be adopted so far as Sunday Schools were con-
cerned. Amongst the three millions of teetotallers there
was not a single neglected child, so far as education was
concerned.

A resolution for carrying out the election of Mr. Dixon
was unanimously adopted.

ME I'Z AF lER ITS SURRENDER.

Writing within Metz, under date October 31st, and
describing generally the state of the place, the correspon-
dent of the Telegraph says proceeded to make my
way through a crowd of all sorts into the Cathedral, the
spire of which had so long been a landmark. Of the
architecture I am not going to speak ; but in the long
and lofty aisles I could see no wounded or sick. "Had
the Cathedral been used as a hospital ? " I
inquired of a Frenchman. " No, sir, certainly
not," was the answer. Here I met a Prussian soldier
who had been wounded on the 7th of October, and had
been a prisoner in Metz ever since. He informed me that
his treatment had been of the best ; that whatever rations
the French soldiers had received, he had obtained an
equal share. In fact, he was hobbling along on the
arm of a wounded_ Frenchman. Leaving the Cathe-
dral, I wandered ' through the streets, and entered
into conversation with several shopkeepers and proprie-
tors ; but the same story was retailed everywere. They
had never wanted food. They had been rationed, of
course, because they anticipated a much longer resist-
ance ; and they had eaten horseflesh ; but anything like
starvation had never occurred. I had appointed to
meet some French officers in the evening, in order
to hand over to them some melancholy souvenirs
that had been given. to me by mortally wounded comrades
on the 16th and 18th of August ; and, from what these
gentlemen have told me, I am inclined to believe that
Bazaine's army outside the walls of the town did in the
last few days suffer from want of bread, and that the Im-
perial Guard was by far the best off as to quarters. It
appears that Bazaine was doubtful whether he could rely
upon his men, and it is believed that he depended upon
the Guard to enforce obedience if necessary; hence their
better condition. Under any circumstances, I was fully
impressed with the conviction that the French army had
not arrived at that point of starvation to which an army of
170,000 men should be reduced in order to warrant their capi-
tulation. All the charm, all the poetry of Bazaine's heroic
resistance has now vanished into the air. We have
hitherto been led to believe that the French
army round Metz has suffered inconceivable hard-
ships, and that thousands have died of starvation ;
that the inhabitants have led upon all sorts of curious
things; that want has filled the town with disease.
This turns out, however, not to be the case; had Bazaine
wished to hold Metz a few days longer, and to give his
soldiers a chance of marching to the assistance of their
comrades in arms in other parts of France, an• officer
and detachment despatched from each regiment
would have procured from the inhabitants the
subsistence necessary for such a movement, even if it
had been necessary to do so at the point of the bayonet.
The inhabitants might have rebelled, it is true--; but the
army should have been the first thought. .

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday in
Downing-street. The "Ministers present were—The Right
Hon. W. E. Gladstone, the Lord Chancellor, Earl de Grey
and Ripon, Viscount Halifax, the Right Hon. H. A. Bruce,
Earl Granville, the Earl of Kimberley, the Duke of
Argyll, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Right Hon.
Hugh Childers, the Right Hon. G. J. Goschen, the Mar-
quis of Hartington, the Right Hon. C. Fortoscue, and
the Right Hon. W. E. Forster. Last evening summonses
were issued for a Cabinet Council on Monday afternoon,
at 2.30 p.m., at the First Lord of the Treasury's official
residence in Downing-street.

HAYMARKET THEATRE.—IIer Royal Highness the
Princess of Wales, attended by her suite, honoured the
performances at this theatre with her presence last
evening, to witness Sheridan's comedy, "The Rivals."
CRYSTAL PALACE.—An extensive and beautiful
show of chrysanthemums will open this day in one of the
garden corridors of the Palace. Beethoven's Mass in C.
and the same composer's Overture in C, are the principal
orchestral pieces to be played in the Saturday Concert
to-day. The solo vocalists are Miss Edith Wynn; Mr.
Nelson Varley, and Mr. and Madame Patey.

LEGAL ITEMS.—The Law Times hears that two
circuits are about to lose a leader. At the last assizes
Mr. Manisty bade farewell to the Northern, as he intends
confining himself to London business. Mr. Overend will
not only quit the Midland, but professional life as
soon as he has disposed of the matters in which he is
already engaged.—The Solicitor's Journal complains that
no steps are being taken;pwards the erection of the Law
Courts, although the Carey-street site has long been
cleared. It hints that Mr. Lowe may have a new surprise
in store for the public and the profession, which he will
divulge on the meeting of Parliament.
THE WORKMEN'S INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.—
Amongst those exhibitors who have taken the prize medal
for their ingenious handiwork is Mr. Jefferys, of
Tottenham-court-road, whose glittering exhibition of
the patent crescent shirt studs, and solitaires in imitation
gold have been the theme of admiration of every visitor
to the exhibition, including the Prince of Wales and the
Prime Minister, each of whom now wear specimens of
Mr. Jeffery's workmanship. For taste, design, and:
excellence of workmanship, the supplementing jewellery
exhibited by Mr. Jeffery is quite equal to that made
of the precious metal, and as the former can be
purchased at about a quarter the cost of the latter, its use
is rapidly becoming gerieral. The ingenuity of the exhi-
bitor has not been confined to the production of an amal-
gam, having all the qualities of gold, but it has extended
to the production of fac-similies of diamonds, opals, and
other precious stones, and speaking from the beautiful
specimens that have attracted such attention for the last
three months, he has been quite as successful in the one
, case as la the other.