The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-14 00:00:00

EDUCATION

At the annual meeting of the Halifax Mechanics' Insti-
tute on Tuesday evening, Lord Halifax took the chair, and
delivered an interesting address on compulsory education.
He said that he believed that mechanics' institutes were
of the greatest benefit to the people of this country,
and that they were free from those difficulties
which beset many educational establishments. Coming
to the question of education on a larger scale, Lord
Halifax admitted that the subject was beset with
difficulties. It was not, he thought, more than thirty
years since any effort was made on the part of the public
even to aid national education. For many years after that
very little was done, and it was not much more than twenty
years since the first pupil-teachers were aided by the State.
Within the last year or two, however, those who had made
most exertions in behalf of thevoluntary system had admitted
that it was inadequate to the demands of the country. Lord
Halifax was quite ready to admit that a great deal had
been done, but there were two classes that had not yet
been reached—the lower classes in the towns, and the
agricultural population scattered over the thinly inhabited
districts. The questions of compulsory rating and com-
pulsory attendance must soon be decided. He bad been
much struck by Mr. Leatham's recent speech at Marsden
against both of these principles, but he was not prepared
to admit that his arguments were conclusive. The
objection to the unequal incidence of the rating
upon property, subject to the rates, had weight,
no doubt ; but Mr. Leatham and those who agreed with
him did not consider the fact that local rates were only a
portion of the general taxes, and it was impossible to con-
sider the question of local taxation without at the same time
devoting attention to the general taxation of the country.
Lord Halifax said that many years ago, when Chancellor
of the Exchequer, he had a conversation with Sir James
Kay-Shuttleworth, then Secretary of the Educational
Board, on the subject of national educational grants.
The sums then voted in aid of voluntary contributions
had never been spent, and it was suggested to Sir James
that the grants should be diminished, but he refused to
adopt that course, saying that the time was not far
distant when more would be demanded than had ever been
voted. He increased the votes, therefore, year by year,
not because the money was wanted, but because he believed
it would be wanted. Lord Halifax remembered that Sir
J.Kay Shuttleworth said, by the time the votes amounted
to a couple of hundred thousand, the people
of this country would be so well convinced of the benefits
of education that they would gladly pay rates for its
advancement, and the national exchequer would be relieved
from any charge beyond that amount. Lord Halifax, in
conclusion, said he was entirely in favour of a universal
system of education, based upon rates and aided by grants
from the Treasury. He was doubtful whether the whole
country would submit to a compulsory rate, but with all
those children who depended upon State support—criminal,
pauper, and vagrant children—we had a right to enforce
it. Whatever sum was expended in conferring education
would be amply repaid by the improvement that would
follow in the morals and intelligence of the population.