The Sun.
London, England, 1833-03-15 00:00:00

!SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

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The Lord Chancellor, in moving last night fur
certain returns respecting the education of the
people, entered at considerable length into the state
of education in this country, when he first took up
he subject, and its state at this time, and the dif-
ferent views he had at different times entertained
with respect to the best mode of promoting educe-
,ion. There can be no question that a very great
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Lordship
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first benefits eoncecfiu t
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eodf
educationirnoigsreeisf siasihn beencethteh eti
dine any attempts to establish education by the na-
tion would have encoun'ered resistance, and on that
subject. Perhaps, too, at that
account proved abortive. There must, we suspect,
be a general conviction in the minds of a people of
he benefits of any object, before it can be heartily
embraced. The history of education in the northern
part of the island seems to confirm this view. The
estbdadhhenefstdsof
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universally,
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only
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they had keen voluntarily established in most of the
parishes. But there is always a danger in trusting
to the permanence of what originates in a benevo-
lent enthusiasm, especially when a burden is borne
by one class for the benefit of another. We have
no doubt that, without the legislative enactment,
many of the parish schools of Scotland would have
long ago been closed. Arguing on this principle,
we should say, let us now avail ourselves of the
general feeling at present entertained in favour of
education, to establish throughout England schools
on a proper footing. It must be borne in mind,
that of the 32,000 day-schools in 1828, alluded to
by the Lord Chancellor as affording education to
one million and thirty thousand children, there are
few which do more than teach mere reading and
writing. We are by no means disposed to under-
value the mere ability to read and write; but it is
obvious that much more is required to form what
can deserve the name of education. In the most
remote of the parish schools of Scotland, the school-
master is required to teach, besides reading and writ-
ing, arithmetic, geometry, and practical mathematics ;
and so generally is this sort of knowledge diffussd in
Scotland as compared with England, that Middleton,
in his Surveyof Middlesex, says,you can hardly find an
artisan capable of working from a drawing, there is
hardly a dike mason in the most retired village in Scot-
land who cannot, without assisance, give you the
plan and sections of a building, and enter into the
minutest specifications. It is strange that the State
should deem it necessary to establish instructors in
every parish for grown people, and yet leave the
instruction of children to chance. Reason would
dictate to the old the necessity of providing in-
struction for themselves ; but youth cannot be sup-
posed under any such influence ; and if neglected by
their parents or without parents, the neglect of
education in youth can hardly ever be remedied,
His Lordship entered into the question of the influa
ence of education in preventing crime, and instis
tuted comparisons between Spain and England, and
Pennsylvania and France. On this his Lordship
was twitted with Ireland by Lord Ellenborough—
" As to the Noble and Learned Lord's remarks
about the connexion of crime with ignorance, he
should merely observe, that in Ireland, where there
was more reading and writing than in any country
in the world, there was also more of crime
and depravity." More crimes of a violent cha-
racter, perhaps, there are ; but certainly not more
mu;rdetrhefyorartehefonfudrtohfer:vnhcaet
Lord)lfepsroacßvi depravity.
.00nr Thec
lisvendssdh justice—revenge; but they do
not steal. They commit the crimes which are most
detrimental to society by producing alarm and ap-
prehension. Many circumstances besides education
determine the character of the crimes of any given
population. In Spain, education is at present al-
nost universal, and a better description of education
than that given to the lower orders in England, and
we believe Lord Brougham is labouring under miss
information on this subject ; but the Spaniards,
having no confidence in their tribunals, do justice to
themselves by murder and assassination. On the
other hand, it is confidently affirmed that in Turkey
in Europe, whatever violence may be committed by
authority of Government, homicide is hardly known,
The individual who kills another is instantly seized,
and has no hope of escaping punishment. Yet cers
teirily the Turks are more ignorant than the
Spaniards or Irish. The people who, in our
times, best illustrate the benefits of education, art
the German,. They are certainly the most or-
derly of all the European nations ; and in America
they are always received in preference to the nas
tives of any other country. There may be doubts
whether a Scotchman, an Englishman, a Welshman 4
or an Irishman, makes the best settler; but it is
never doubted that the German is better than any
of them. Now, education has long been the sub-
ject of particular attention in every State of Ger-
many. In Sir A. B. Faulkner's visit to Germany
and the Low Countries--a recent publication, in
%% tech a great deal of valuable information respecting
tile moral population of Germany is to be found—ho
alludes again and again to the universality of education,
Speaking of Electoral Hesse, for instance, he says,
"Education is strictly under the surveillance of the
State. Now if the inhabitants or meanest of the,
peasantry are exempt from the obligation of sending
their children to school ; and even were a parent in
circumstances to be able to provide instruction far
his children under his own roof, he is still a debtor
to the fund for public instruction—to the same extent
as if his family actually partook of its benefit. To in-
sure the full advantages of education, no appointment
is more severely looked into than the nomination cAI:
the schoolmaster, who must be subjected to a very
strict examination, both in point of moral and inter
lectual competency, under the authority of consist°.
rium similar to what has been already mentioned in
respect to Mentz. If approved of, his name and
qualifications are reported to the Elector; after
hich he receives his appointment as matter of
course. By a regulation of recent introduction, tire,
salary of the schoolmaster is made up partly by Go.
,ernment, and in part by the contributions of the
scholars. Great care is bestowed upon the selection
of books at the popular schools; and to facilitate
the business of learning, abridgments are put into
the hands of children of every author that is con-
sidered most fitted for their use. Matter the most
edifying is dressed up in an attractive style, to wits,
them to the task; such as apologues and entertarus,
ing fictions, epitomes of history, familiar; dia-
logues, light poetry, rec. For the mechanical
elesses, there are schools which teach the ma! hematioe,
4'rawing, and other branches that have a bearing
upon the mechanical arts, These schools are only
()pen on Sundays, after church service; and their
expense is defrayed by a trifling contrdertion from
the Members. # # * What constitutes the chief value
of this popular course of education, Is, that the
utmost pains are taken to ground the youth of both
sexes in the principles of religion, their ardour being
very essentially excited by exam:nations which tklek
open to the public, arid attended by the profea.ors
of the University, and generally by all the respecs
tability of the place." The account given by Mr.
Loudon of the state of education in Wurtemberg,
Baden, &c., coincides with the above, except that
Mr. Loudon represents the course of education for
the lowest peasant as equal to what a philosopher
would receive in this country. But the gratifying
part of the matter is, that all agree that the pains
taken on this worthy people are not thrown away.
Die industry, cheerfulness, strict honesty, and good
conduct of the Germans, strike all who visit their
country. So averse are they to shed blood, that
,when their country was overrun by the French,
,vito often oppressed them grievously, there was yet
hardly an instance of the assassination of stragglers.
Ili the mode of educating
the people, and providing
for the poor, administering justice, &c., we
helve
rho, many
anY
inferioravaiu to e
valuable
lessontheartsfr°n of production,
' the tie
though
are yet in a much higher state Of civilization.—
Morning Chronicle.