The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-18 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING. JANUARY 18. 1856

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ADMINISTRATIVE 4ND ACADEMIC

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REFORM.

On Monday evening, James Heywood, esq., M.P.
for North Lancashire, delivered an address on Adminis-

trative and Academic Reform, to the members and
friends of the Athenaeum, in the library hall of the insti-
tution. Alderman Sir E. Armitage, president of the
Athenzum, took the chair, and most of the directors
were upon the platform ; but the attendance otherwise
was small.

The CHAIRMAN briefly introduced Mr. Heywood, re-
marking that that gentleman laid the foundation-stone
of the institution, and for many years took an active in-
terest in its prosperity, as a managing director. Only his
more important duties in the House of Commons pre-
vented his appearance more frequently amongst the
members. (Applause.)

Mr. HEY WOOD said he felt that he owed a debt of gra.
titude to the institution, in connection with which he
first had an opportunity of learning public business,
which had since been very useful to him. We were now
at a very important period of our history ; for the Go-
vernment of the country was gradually giving up the
old system of favouritism and patronage, and adopting
that of competition and merit as the test of fitness for
' public appointments. He had thought, therefore, that a
few remarks upon our transition state would not be un-
interesting. Last session he put upon the paper a notice
of motion for the adoption of asystem of open competition
for entrance into the Royal Engineers and Artillery at
Woolwich, and he was very much pleased silently-
to drop that motion, when he found that the govern-
ment were going to adopt the principle.
.This step, be
believed, was very much due to the exertions of Mr.
Mousey, clerk to the Board of Ordnance, who took the
responsibility of recommending the competitive system.
The first examination was to take place next Monday, at
Burlington House ; and the examination paper was
upon the whole satisfactory. The importance of this
weuld be seen when it was recollected that our engineers
at first thought that Sebastopol could be taken in three
days ; although the earthworks that they then slighted
cost the labour of the better part of 12 months, and were
only at last taken by a desperate act of valour. Great
military achievements were not generally the result of
accident •r bravery ; but of skill, gained by careful
training and matured by experience. In the line the
system had hitherto been one purely of favouritism and
patronage ; and Lieut.-Colonel Adams told the com-
mittee on promotions that the officers in the line had
generally not sufficient education to enable them to in-
terest themselves in things which could tend to promote
their efficiency. Mr. Layard had told him some time
ago, that while out in the East he dined one day with
the late Lord Raglan and his staff, and the next with
General Canrobert and the French staff. At the former,
the conversation amongst young men was upon Lon-
don parties, horses, and things of that sort ; at the
latter Mr. Layard said that all present were accom-
plished engineers, thoroughly acquainted with the pro-
gress of the siege, and conversing upon the prospects
before the allied armies. Mr. Sidney Herbert, while at
I the head of the Department of War, recommended that,
for the line, there should be local means of education for
regimental officers ; but it had not been adopted. He
(Mr. Heywood) thought that Mr. Herbert was in the
right. Our army was supported by the taxes, to fight
for our benefit ; and we had a right to insist that the
officers should be thoroughly skilled men. (Applause.)
It was a very bad investment, to pay a number of igno-
rant people merely that they might amuse themselves ;
especially as we knew that whenever called into active
service they would have to contend with officers who
were skilled as a result of training, and more efficient
fram the interested attention they paid to the practical
details of their profession. (Applause.) The appoint.
ments to the Indian civil service had been a complete
matter of patronage, of which the ministers of the day
had no doubt had their share ; and the places were good
ones, beginning with 6001. and increasing to 3,0001.
a year. But next July a competitive system was to be
introduced. Hindoos should be allowed to be examined
for appointment ; for we should never thoroughly gain
the affections of the people until we showed that they
might themselves rise by, the opening to them of the
civil service. A case had occurred of two young /lin-
doos who were admitted to bo qualified ; but new offices
were created for them, rather than, allow them to take
any position that had been before kept solely for Eng-
lishmen. This should not be ; it was of no importance
to this country whether there were five or six English-
I men more or less in the Indian service, but it was im-
portant how this country stood in the affections of the
millions of natives under our government. (Applause.) In
the new department of nurses, we had at the bead Miss
Nightingale—an excellent example of "the right lady in
the right place"—(applause)—but in that department
candidates were subjected to some examination, and to a
test as to whether they possessed the nerve which would
enable them to endure the hospital scenes through which
they must pass at Scutari and Balaklava. As to our
consuls, he was not aware that the competitive system
had ever been introduced. He thought that the exclu-
sive selection of men for that department, from the aris-
tocracy, was a mistake, especially when he saw hew
things could be managed in foreign countries, as to pecu-
lation, bribery, and corruption. There might be very
many cases in which it would be better to select as con-
suls men otherwise qualified, but also acquainted with
trade ; and who might know how to deal with those who
showed an inclination to cheat. Sir R. Peel took a step
in the right direction, as regarded the principal ministers
of state, when he 4ielected for appointments such men as
Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Sidney Herbert, Lord Lincoln (now
the Duke of Newcastle), and Mr. Cardwell. Those
gentlemen had distinguished themselves at Oxford. Al-
though that university was purely a Church institution,
still within those limits there was competition ; and Sir
Robt. Peel, when he selected for distinction in his minis-
try those who had distinguished themselves at college,
acknowledged the value of the competitive system.
Coining to the question of academic reform, Mr. Hey-
wood said that a change was needed, for although the
universities produced some good men, they also turned
out many very dull ones. Both clergy and laity suffered
from this ; but as a large number of the students be-
came clergymen, it was especially injurious to the coun-
try that the system of education was not adapted to
the times. He thought that the late act as to Oxford
would have introduced a better system ; but he was
afraid that it had not done so. In fact, while the
c )lieges had so much influence in the university, he
did not think that any important change could very
well be effected, unless the Government interferod
more directly than they had hitherto done. He be-
lieved that the commission, with Lord Ellesmere as
chairman, had exerted themselves very much. Next
session he expected a bill would be brought in as to
Cambridge, under the charge of the Lord Chancellor,
which he hoped would destroy the oligarchic government
of the heads of colleges, and substituting one approach-
ing somewhat to a municipal constitution. After read-
ing tho memorial to Prince Albert, as chancellor of Cam-
bridge, which was agreed to by the public meeting on
university reform held at Birmingham, on the 30th of
October, and some correspondence showing that his
Royal Highness had forwarded the doemment to the-Vice-
Chancellor, " for the consideration of the resident uni-
versity authorities," Mr. Heywood said that the object
of the movement was to open the universities to all sects.
Ile remarked that the agitation in favour of a reduction
of academical expenses had brought much support to the
movement ; and he described what was done in support
of it by the Parliamentary committee of the British
Association, and by the " Civil and Religious Liberty
Committee," consisting of members of Parliament.
Something was needed in the way of local education ;
and if there could not be an agreement as to what should
be taught in schools supported by local rates, the next
best thing would be a thorough investigation of old en-
dowments and charities connected with the city and
neighbourhood. With respect to the grammar school :
doubtless at, the time of its founda; ion by Bishop Old-
ham, in 1515, the vesting the appointment, of its head
master in the president of Corpus Christi College was
a good arrangement, but at the present day the school
had as good a body of trustees as any in the king-
dom, and who were perfectly competent to make a suit-
able appointment ; he should recommend that the presi-
dent of Corpus Christi should be constituted one of the
Trustees, and the appointment then be vested in that
body. Such an arrangement would not ignore the will
of the founder of the charity, but would yet adapt
the institution more to the requirements of the pre-
sent day. He (Mr. Heywood) was very much in-
clined to bring a bill into Parliament in relation to
such schools. (Hear, hear.) There was a great deal
that wanted reforming about them. Many of them
still continued to teach the' Catechism, and to force the
pupils to go to church on the Sunday, even when it was
quite at variance with their religious. professions or the
desires of their parents or friends. There was a trust
which many of them perhaps knew but little about, be-
longing to this locality—the Hulme Trust. It was ori-
ginally for the purpose of enabling poor bachelors of art
to study divinity at Oxford, but it could not now be ad-
vantageously employed in that way, and the money had
accumulated to the extent of from 40,0001. to 50,000/.,
till the trustees had obtained from Parliament permis-
sion to lay out the money in church livings. The
Oxford commission had recommended that no more
money should be laid out in the purchase of livings, and
be should say the trustees had better stop, and as the origi-
nal intention of the founder had died out, they had bet-
ter apply the money for the good of the neighbourhood
in which the property was situate. The only question
would be, perhaps, whom should they assist. He would
recommend that a local committee should be appointed,
with the mayor at its head, for the purpose of adminis-
tering such trusts. He should be very glad if some of
the residents in the town would take this matter of the
old trusts in hand. They did not have the first-rate
education in Manchester which they ought to have ; and
now, au there were many really valuable places thrown
open for competition, the cleverest young men ought to
be able to obtain them. The inhabitants of Manchester
ought to have the same chances as those in other places,
and as he fully believed the competition would be fair,
as well as open, he was sure they would take as good
a stand as any others, He should be very glad if the
public would take this matter up for consideration, awl
he would with pleasure attend another meeting, if one
could be called, although he understood there would be
a difficulty in fixing one to take place immediately.
Mr. EDWIN CHADWICK said he had been requested by
the directors to move a vote of thanks to Mr. Heywood,
for the highly instructive and interesting address they
had beard, which he (Mr. Chadwick) had great pleasure
in doing. They had also requested him to state his own
views upon it, which he would do as briefly, as shortly
as the time permitted. Undoubtedly Mr. Heywood had
acted wisely in connecting administrative reform with
academical reform ; because the first step in administra-
tive reform is the substitution of well-regulated, fair and
open competitive examinations, for mere pass examina-
tions would be the only trustworthy test of the success
of academic reform, and the best security for its pro-
gress, He (Mr, Chadwick) bad been asked to attend a .