The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-15 00:00:00

them unclogged by any committee of council on
education. He took us into his school. No gothic
windows or gothic doorways there—the rafters of

he shed were visible instead of a ceiling, and every-

thing wore rather the appearance of an out-house
than of a school. Very plain forms and desks, and
the usual papers suspended to the wall were

almost the only things which indicated the object

of the place.

About forty children were collected there, and
.he teacher was evidently the very man for his

work; likely to be so, when his employer had no

" grants" to rely on. A little observation soon

showed that this school was doing a far more im-

portant work than the one in the same neighbour-
hood aided by Government, to which our friend
was also a liberal contributor. But what had
induced him to try this scheme of his own, at his
own sole expense, was his noticing in the Govern-
ment-aided school so many whose parents he knew,
and of whom he knew that they dare not

neflect having their children taught, even if they
were not taught at the public expense; while of
the more degraded classes none were present. It

was striking, however, to notice the effect of a very
short training on the " ragged ones." You hardly

needed to ask which had been longest at school

All having been equally filthy and ragged at first

and only required to wash and comb themselves,
yet, clean—cleaner—cleanest—was the almost in-
fallible test. The little urchins could not come,

but for a few weeks, to a school, to which the only
admission fee was soap and water, without soon im-

proving in every article of their dress. We do not
know that we were even more struck with the

essentially elevating effect of education—education
in the practical sense of the word, than by its visi-
ble results on these most hopeless of creatures.

Everything was purely voluntary—no parents

forced the children to the school; no pay or gifts
attracted them ; no Government inspectors certified

for grants ; yet here was a sensible young man
gathering these young Ishmaelites together, and
daily altering their habits for the better.
It is quite obvious that could this unpretending
effort be generalised, it would _be doing far more
for the real objects of national education than
all we are now doing through our costly
national system. If we want to dry up
the fountains of vice and crime, to save those whom
orphanhood, or the vices of their parents, throw on
the vicious training of the streets, it must be done
on the ragged school principle. We are still, to a
very great extent, educating those who would have
education whether the State provided it for them or
not ; while we do but little to educate those who
must be almost literally compelled to come in. A
very great improvement has doubtless been effected
in the style of the education of the lowest section of
the middle classes, and 'of the artizan class ;
but the grand desideratum, that of bringing the
outcasts of our streets under humanising influences,
has not yet been attained.

This it is which Sir JOHN PAKINGTON and his
seconder, Mr. BLACK, so strongly feel, and which
they pleaded so well last night: That their view
is substantially the right one it is impossible to
deny—the difficulty lies in rendering effective aid
to such schools. No one would grudge them the
larger share of the national grant, if it all went to
the object, but that is the perplexing point. It
is clear that in the case with which we started,
the success of the attempt resulted from such
adaptation and interest as voluntary energy
alone could supply. Routine will, sooner or
later, be the course of el Governmental
action; but routine effoltD uvula nevur gather to-
gether the young scapegraces of our alleys and
courts, and interest them in cleanliness, decent be-
haviour, and elementary education. You must have
the teacher of natural parts—ready mother wit—
and not too far above them—and, above, all fond
himself of his work ; and you must have the mana-
ger to encourage him, who is as interested in all as
the teacher is. But to think of securing all this
by any Government system is as reasonable as to
think of conferring the properties of mind on
matter.

Still, one thing may be done. The committee have
a large discretion, and they may take each case on its
merits. They have inspectors, well paid enough,
to report, and they may after inquiry take care
that no off'i'cial ragged or industrial school be
given up for absolute want of funds. We must
think that at present we are wasting an enormous
portion of our outlay on what brings little return
—£153,000, for instance, on pupil teachers, the
greater part of whom could well afford to educate
themselves, while the vast majority never think
of becoming afterwards teachers themselves. The
capitation payment, too, is a heavy charge, and
one which acts very unfairly and improvidently.
As, however, we are soon to have the report of the
Commissioners, it could hardly be expected that
Government should attempt any change this year.
One fact seemed to be admitted in the debate,
that the " exclusive system " was a very costly
one. No school which adopts it ought to be aided
from national funds. It seems that where one good
school would be sufficient, two must often be losilt
and supported, because the clergyman persists in
thrusting the Church Catechism on those who are
unwilling to swallow it. So we have to make
two grants instead of one, and there must be two
weak schools instead of one strong one. Not only
is this bigotry costly to the country, but, if any-
thing could bring 'religion itself into contempt, it
would be these odious contentions over the educa-
tion of the young.

THE YORKSHIRE MOORS.—The Sheffield Inde-
pendent says •—" We understand that the prospects of the
sportsmen this year upon the moors are very indifferent.
The storms which occurred late in the spring were most
disastrous to the young birds, and the wet and cold weather
has made those which have survived very wild. It is ap•
prehended, therefore, that the bags to-day will be light.
The prospects of the Ist of September are no better, and
very few young partridges have been reared this spring."
THE PENISTONE AND MIDHOPE MOORE.—MOII-
- being the opening day for grouse shouting there was a
goodly number of sportsmen out on the Penistone moors
at an early hour. The late wet weather had told severely
on the young birds ; but notwithstanding this, there was a
much better show than was generally anticipated. There
were several tolerably good bags made, but scarcely, taken
altogether, up to the average of the last two or three years.
On the Midhope grounds the sport was pretty good.—
Manchester Guardian.
SINGULAR PHENOMENON.—A curious pheno-
menon has for the last week attracted the attention of the
inhabitants near Liege. On the road from that place to
Ongree, on a property called the Belvedere, a stream of gas
has risen in the middle of a potatoe field, and having been
set fire to, it has kept burning in a steady flame about three
feet high, for the above -mentioned period. The gas pro-
ceeds from a vein of coal which exists under the field.
THE CITY OF PARIS.—Singe the late additions
made to the city of Paris it covers a space of 78,020,000
yards. Of these 15,000 consist of gardens or of waste
ground laid out for building. By the census taken in the
year 1856 the population is set down at 1,174,346 souls. At
present it is calculated that, in consequence of the limits
being extended to the fortifications, the population of Paris
amounts to 1,800,000. _

It is expected at Lyons that, in consequence of
the great importance which manufactures havo acquired in
that city, an English Consul will be shortly appointed. Of
360,000,000 f., at which the manufactures of France are esti-
mated, Lyons produces annually 200,000,000 f. worth, of
which the greater part is exported to England, the United
States, Russia, Germany, Spain, and Belgium.
A NEW GuN.—A letter from Josephstadt, in
Bohemia, states that a lieutenant in the Austrian regiment
of infantry, named Heimerle-Schindelka, has invented a
new cannon, which, in the opinion of connoisseurs, far
surpasses the Armstrong and the Whitworth.guns for pre-
cision, range, strength, and rapidity in loading. The ex-
periments made with this new piece have been very suc-
cessful, and the Archduke Albert having, during his late
inspection at Josephstadt, seen the new cannon, and also a
musket which the inventor was making on the same prin-
ciple,ns
encouraged him in the kindest manner to continue
his experiments.