The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-01 00:00:00

FRASER'S MAGAZINE.

In an article on National Education, which may
perhaps be considered as the manifesto of the more
enlightened portion of the Conservative party, it is
candidly admitted that it would be impossible to de-
fer longer the consideration of this subject, in com-
parison with which all others must be considered as
unimportant. The writer also admits that the oppo-
sition to the plans proposed by the two preceding
Governments was ill-judged and bigoted, and
agrees with Dr. Ilook as to the necessity of the
State undertaking to establish a system of education,
and as to thenecessity of mutual concessions being made
by the Church and by the Dissenting bodies ; but he
does not approve of the purely secular State education
proposed by Dr. Hook, and albeit he would give up
the Church Catechism, and consent not to use the
Bible as a school-book, he insists upon the Creed, the
Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer being
taught in the schools. He admits that the teaching
the Creed would exclude the Unitarians, but thinks
that a matter of no importance, because they are a
small body, exhibiting in this a little of the old Tory
leaven, which concedes a right, not because as a
matter of principle it is proper to do so, but
because those to whom the concession is made
are strong enough to wrest by force that which may
be refused to their entreaties. He, moreover, forgets,
that the Roman Catholics will probably protest
against the use of the Church of England
version of the Ten Commandments. It is,
however, gratifying to find that the Conserva-
tives are now disposed to consider this question rather
as a national than as a party one. The other articles
of this number, with the exception of a smartly-
written sketch of Mr. T. S. Duncombe, among the
contemporaiv orators, are of a purely literary cha-
racter. The first, entitled " The Life of a Strolling
Player," is an interesting sketch (interspersed with
original letters) of the career of John Cunningham,
the actor and pastoral poet, whose sweet song, " Kate
of Aberdeen," will live as long as the English lan •
guage shall last. Poor fellow ! he was the greater
part of his life a strolling player, and seems to have
made friends wherever he went. In justice to the me-
mory of a true-hearted man, we cannot omit giving the
following letter from Digges, the actor and manager of
the Edinburgh Theatre, to poor Cunningham. Digges
must have been one of nature's own gentlemen, for
he knew how to confer a favour with delicacy on a
man of genius, so as not to wound his sensitive
feelings :
" So much for business," he writes from Edinburgh in
August, 1762 ; " and now for your affairs. I am very
sincerely concerned at the disappointment you met in
London. I hope Dr. Hawkesworth will prove a sincere
friend. However, permit me to beg you will not be
chagrined, let what will happen. Mrs. Digges and my-
self shall think ourselves really happy if you will
imagine yourself related to us, and come and stay with
us as long as you please here. I have great want of a
companionable man like yourself. I have suffered much
sorrow and misfortune in this odd world, and, there-
, fore, can easily imagine what you must suffer under the
,oppressions you are daily exposed to. The life you
lead must be a life of anxiety. This invitation is not
the result of whim or a start of fancy ; we have talked
about you many and many evenings, and, at last, I am
set down to conjure you to write me word whether you