The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-23 00:00:00

LORD 1. RUSSELL AT MANCHESTER.

A soiree was given on Thursday evening, in the
Free-trade Hall, Manchester, by the directors of the
Athenaeum, at which more than 2000 were present,
many of them being ladies. The body of the hall
and the sides of the gallery were well filled, the
end of the ,gallery being occupied by the fine band
of the 22d Regiment, who played before the com-
mencement of, and at intervals during, the proceed-

ings of the evening.
Shortly after 7 o'clock Lord Stanley of Alderley
took the chair amidst loud cheerinbrr, continued as
the distinguished guests by whom his lordship was
supported took their seats. Besides Lord J. Russell,
the Hon. Judge Haliburton, Professor Aytoun, Sir
J. Brooke, Mr. It. M. Milnes, M.P. ; 31r. W. M.
Massey, M.P. ; Me. J. Kershaw, M.P. ; Mr. Wm.
Brown, M.P. ; Mr. John Cheetham, MP. ; Mr. J.
P. Brown-Westhead,of
Edinburgh ; Mr. G. Cruikshank, the following
gentlemen were upon or near the platform :—Ad-
miral Smyth, Colonels Wilbraham, M'Mahon,
Bond, Servante, Hodges, Kennedy ; Mr. I. Mackie,
Mayor of Manchester; Mr. W. Harvey, Mayor of
Salford ; Rev. Dr. Petrulias, Alderman Sir E. Ar-
mitage, President of the Institution ; Sir J. Watts,
Neils, Watkins, Willert, Clark, Heywood ; Mr. T.
Wright, the Prison Philanthropist : W. Fairbairn,
F.R.S. ; T. Bazley, 0. Heywood, S. Brooks, M.
Ross, A. Schwabe, H. P. Ree, J. Reid, W. It. Wood,
T. Clegg, T. Barge, jun., J. Crossley, 1. Heron 5 the
Belgian Consul (Mr. Kissel) ; the Very Rev. the
Dean of Manchester, the Hon. and Rev Mr. Byng,
the Rev. Mr. Birch, the Mayor of Ashton, Sir J,
L. Bardsley, M.D., Lieut. Sturt, Messrs. J. Ads-
head, C. J. S. Walker ; Capt. Palin, Messrs. J. D.
Mackenzie, C. Swallow, W. W. Goulden, R. P.
Willock, I. Gregory, and Dr. Hudson, Secretary to

the Institution.
The Noble CHAIRMAN said he supposed it was
on account of his having been intimately con-
nected with this community that he had been asked
to preside when his audience had invited to meet
them that most distinguished individual, his
noble friend, who sat beside him—(applause)—to
show him what Manchester had done, and was
doing, in the cause of education and the improve-
ment of the people, in which cause Lord J. Russell
had so long and so effectively been a conspicuous
labourer. As no one could have taken up a news-
paper for the last weeks without seeing a record of
proceedings to assist or promote the cause of me-
chanics institutions and educational associations, it
was impossible that anything new could be said on
the subject. He would, however, glance at what he
considered a distinguishing mark of the Manchester
Athenaeum. It was the first association of the kind
which recognised the propriety of educating the
people by means of attractive literature, by consult-
ing their tastes and interests, and not by cramming
philosophy and hard sciences into them ; and by
provifling them with good and useful books, and
above all with newspapers. (Hear, hear.) It had
been said that newspapers should not be introduced
into such associations. But newspapers contained
the history of the day, the record of judicial pro-
ceedings, the debates in Parliament, and showed
every man the conduct of each public individual,
so that he might know in whom he might confide.
It was necessary that newspapers should be perused
by every one who wished duly and properly to per-
form the duties of a citizen of this country. (Hear.)
Besides, newspapers occupied a sphere of literature
formerly held by very different classes of publica-
tions. They contained reviews of books, the his-
tory of events, and of the policy, of other nations,
stories of travels, records of discoveries, and, in
short, they imparted all that everybody wished to
know. (Hear, hear.) It had long been found neces-
sary by mechanics' institutions to speak to men
rather through their feelings and tastes than to
compel them to be too wise all of a sudden. It
had struck him that there was great justice in
the remarks of an honourable gentleman who
now holds an office in the Government, Mr.
Sotheron-Estcourt, who, referring to the lamenta-
tions of many people upon the difficulty of keep-
ing boys at school until they could obtain complete
instruction, said he felt that it was a great evil to
compel them to attend school beyond the time to
which their circumstances allowed them to stay.
He also said it was wrong to interfere between the
employer and the employed, to prevent a boy from
going to labour at the time when it was natural in
his sphere of life that he should seek occupation.
Mr. Sotheron-Estconrt stated that he had made a
successful experiment with such boys. During the
wars in the Crimea and in India he had invited the
boys in his parish to meet him, either to hear a
short lecture, or to listen to the reading from the
newspaper, by one of their own numbr, an ac-
count of the proceedings at the seat of war. Tty
that means he induced them voluntarily to continue
their studies ; and by degrees they expressed a
greater anxiety to instruct themselves. (Hear.) The
funds for the erection of the Athenaeum were pro-
vided by the rich. It was supported by the mem-
bers, and it was self-governed. If, therefore, any
dissatisfaction should exist with the management
of such an institution it was the fault of the mem-
bors themselves if it continued. The time had long
passed when education was considered the privi-
lege of the rich. It was now considered by all
necessary that education should be largely ex-
tended. The State could not extend it much be-
yond that elementary instruction which gave a boy
the means of prosecuting his studies hereafter. The
country could not be too grateful to those ()Teat and
good men who, some 30 years ago, exerted them-
selves to create a good and cheap literature, in the
place of that which then existed, which was bad
and worthless. It became now most important to
take care that sound and wholesome knowledge
should be put within the reach of the people, and
therefore it was with the greatest satisfaction that
he saw the establishment of libraries such as that
connected with the Athenteum, stored with useful
and nistructive books, and with works of fiction and
amusement. The only caution necessary was that
nothing immoral should find place upon the shelves
of such libraries. (Hear.) Next to the library the
most attractive feature of the Athenaeum was the
newsroom, and what he had said of books was equally
true of newspapers. One of the greatest benefits
conferred on this country had been the abolition of
the stamp upon newspapers, which he believed had
enabled a good article to be substituted for a bad
one. He thought he could trace during the last 40
years, as a consequence of all this extension of the
education of the people, a great improvement in
their conduct and condition. Their habits and man-
ners had improved, for the brutal sports which for-
merly prevailed had been nearly done away with.
By acquiring knowledge the people had gained
power which in times long passt only the clergy
possessed—the sole depositaries of learning. Edu-
cation passed from the higher to the middle and
lower classes, and the latter, taking advantage of
their opportunity, came to possess that knowledge
which before they were debarri_si fro .11. With that
knowledge came power, and the interests and wants
of those classes obtained that consideration which
previously was denied to them. Concurrently with
the improvement in the education of the middle and
lower classes had been an improvement of the upper
classes. Oxford and Cambridge had just caught the
spirit, and were popularising and extending the
education which they gave to the people at large.
What had been the effect of this education on the
community at large ? Forty years ago it was not
uncommon to hear of machine-breaking, the igno-
rant operative regarding machines as his enemies.
He had now learned that wherever machinery was
introduced it led to an increased employment of
those very- classes who at first thought themselves
injured by the application of machinery. The
events of the last 30 years had shown that those
sagacious and far-sighted men who 30 years ago
hoped to be able to introduce ameliorations into
our laws, by the repeal of existing bad ones, or the
enactment of good ones—and here he might say
that the greatest improvements in our legislation
had arisen from the repeal of bad laws—were right
in the anticipations they then formed of the im-
provement of the condition of the people. At pre-
sent there was an extraordinary unanimity, at
least in profession, as to what ought to be the prin-
ciples on which the interests of the people should be
considered, and in what direction legislation should
be carried. Whether this unanimity vas likely
to be permanent, or only temporary, advantage
should be taken of it to bring the ship of education
into a safe haven, and to continue to raise the stan-
dard against ignorance and vice. (Hear, hear, and
applause.) He now begged to introduce to the
audience his noble friend, whose name was identi-
fied with all the ameliorations in our institutions
during the last 30 years, more especially by his uni-
form exertions and strenuous efforts in favour of
the improvement and extension of the education of
the people. (Hear, hear, and applause.)
Lord J. RUSSELL, as he rose, was received with
cheering which continued for some minutes. When
it had subsided he said—l am totally incapable of
giving expression to the grateful feelings which I
entertain for the reception which you have now
given me. I wish, in the first place, to explain
how it is that I came here, for that, it appears, is a
matter that requires apology. I was asked by some
gentlemen who represent you to comply with the
request of the directors of the Athemeum that I
would preside here and deliver an address to the
members of that society. I declined that honour,
thinking myself ill-fitted to give an address of the
description that would be required, and not wishing
to intrude myself upon your attention. But upon
further representation I agreed to attend here to
express my sympathy in the efforts that are making
in the cause of literature and. education, and to
wish you well in your progress in those efforts.
(Applause.) I should hale- thought that there