The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-09 00:00:00

H.R. CHARLES DICKENS IN. LIVERPOOL.

On Wednesday afternoon a deputation, consisting of
the president and seYeral members of the Liverpool
Literary and Philosophical Society, waited upon Mr.
Dickens, at the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, and presented
him with a congratulatory address. Inreply, Mr. Dickens,
after cordially thanking the deputation for their kindness,
went on to say :—" In reference to the handsome tribute
you have paid to the usefulness of whatever work I have
done, I may at least claim that I have tried to do some
little social service in my generation, and that I have en•
deavoured not to squander away such opportunities as the
public have generally afforded me in this respect. I really
find it very hard to express my sense of the spontaneous man•
- ner in which you have paid me this great compliment, and
I assure you that I shall not easily, nay, I shall never,
forget it. I may say, further, that to respect my vocation,
and to cause my vocation to be respected, have been
the two great aims of my life ; and that I could not
possibly have forwarded those objects except I had been
honest in intention, at least, in my labours. In such
recognitions as yours I find my best and purest reward,
and I prize it highly."

PROFESSOR HUXLEY ON SCIENTIFIC

TRAINING.

Professor Huxley, at the annual dinner of the Liverpool
Philomathic Society, on 'Wednesday night, spoke on the
subject of the introduction of scientific training into the
general education of the country. Upon no subject had
the public mind been more educated, he was happy to say,
than upon this particular topic of the introduction of
science into education, and physical science was already
recognised as a part of the curriculum at Harrow and Rugby
and some of our great schools. It might be well for him to
state what appeared to him to be the great justification
and necessity for the introduction of physical science
into education. They must not suppose because
he happened to be devoted to abstract pur-
suits that he was in the least degree insensible
to that which had been said to be the English
notion of paradise, namely, " Getting on." He looked
upon "getting on" as a very important matter indeed,
and for that purpose recognised the value of science, for
in hardly any of our trades, except the huckstering ones,
was not some knowledge of science absolutely profitable
to that occupation. But apart from any general bearing
of science in practical life, its direct influence upon
the professions was enormous. He would ask
any engineer present how much time he had
lost because when he had left school he had
had to take to pursuits which were absolutely strange
to him. With regard to medical practitioners, the young
man who gave himself up to the study of medicine had
immediately to make anacquaintance with a greatnumber
of studies, such as physics, chemistry, botany, and
physiology, which were entirely strange to him.
The clerical profession had to deal with the facts of
nature and were brought into contact with the teaching of
the man of science, and they knew very often what that
contact was, and how little light came out. In the
interests of mankind and of fair play, why would not the
clergy get some little tincture of physical science and put
themselves into a position to understand the difficulties
which were forced upon the mind of every thoughtful and
intelligent man? He addressed himself particularly to the
Protestant clergy. The training of the Roman Catholic
clergy differed as much from that given to Protestant
clergymen as the volunteers who did not face the weather
very violently the other day and the trained soldiers of
Napoleon's Old Guard. What was wanted in the present
day was men of the character of Butler of the " Analogy."
If he was in the life he would make mincemeat of nine-
tenths of the heresy of the present day. The Professor, in
concluding, said he hoped the time would come when it would
not be regarded as a blasphemous proposition that there
should be opened in every parish in this country Sunday
schools for science, in which people should be taught for
the purpose of rescuing themselves from misery and
ignorance. That might be supplemented by a series of
Sunday evening discourses upon secular matters, and upon
topics which would enlighten them and enable them to
bear better the toil of daily life.