The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-16 00:00:00

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE
PROMOTION OT SOCIAL SCIENCE.'

LIVERPOOL, OCT. 15.
Yesterday the five sections met in their respective apart-
ments at 10 o'clock, and papers were read in all of them.
L—JUHISFRUDE.NCE AND AMENDMENT OF THE LAW.
(Lord Brougham, president.)
In this department, Mr. C. Bousfield, of the Leeds
Chamber of Commerce, read a paper on the " Registration
of Partnerships," and, after a brief discussion which arose
upon it, a resolution was carried by a majority of 23 to 3
to the effect that a system of registration of all private
partnerships was imperatively called for, and that the sub-
ject should be referred to the Special Law Committee.
Papers having been read by Mr. Wakefield on the
" Law of Saving Banks ;" by Mr. Darlington on the
" Desirability of Incorporating Chambers of Commerce by
Charter ;" and by Mr. E. Heath, on the "Existing Neces-
sity for Social and Permanent Civil Courts,"
Mr. CI, W. HASTINGS delivered an address upon the Con-
solidation of Local Courts, which excited some attention.
Ile observed that the want of local courts of plenary juris-
diction was quite of modern date, for that some centuries
ago all the principal towns in the kingdom, more especially
the mercantile towns, had been supplied by the wisdom of
our ancestors with ocal courts possessing such powers.
These courts had gradually fallen into desuetude, because
their judges, the recorders, had ceased to be resident, and
because they possessed no power of enforcing their judg-
ments beyond the boundaries of their respective boroughs
—a defect which not been felt when trade was concen-
trated and communication difficult between different parts
of the country, but which was fatal in modern days when
contracts were made by mercantile men over the whole
kingdom. After alluding to the almost entire disuse of
these ancient local courts, the speaker proceeded to describe
the Parliamentary history of recent county court legisla-
tion, and did full justice to the unwearied efforts of Lord
Brougham in this direction during the last 30 years.
His lordship, he said, had in 1830 introduced a bill to
establish local courts, with a compulsory jurisdiction up to
£lOO, and with a voluntary jurisdiction to any amount.
These courts were also intended to be courts of reconcile-
ment and arbitration. This great and comprehensive mea-
sure was defeated, and a subsequent bill, with somewhat
aimilar provisions, introduced into the House of Lords a
year or two after, was also lost, though by a very narrow
majority, and several later measures shared the same fate.
After alluding to the introduction of the first County Court
Bill by Lord Lyndhurst, who had actively opposed Lord
, Brougham's measures, but afterwards came round to his
views, Mr. Hastings went on to state his plan for the better
administration of local justice. He proposed that in each
of our large towns a borough court should be established by
uniting together our present Bankruptcy and County Courts,
the recorder's court and any other local tribunal existing in
the town; that the recorder should be chief judge, assisted
by one or two deputies, who should all be compelled to re-
side in the locality, and be paid such salaries as would make
their posts objects of ambition to lawyers of the first class.
Be showed by figures that the salaries now paid to diffe-
rent judicial officers in our large towns were sufficient to
defray the expenses of such a court as he proposed, and he
concluded by describing the operation of the Lord Mayor's
Court in London, which had precisely the same origin as
the ancient courts in other places, which, like them, fell at
one time into disuse, and- which has recently been so im-
• proved by an act of Parliament as to form a most valuable
local tribunal for the citizens of London.
Lord J. RUSSELL expressed his approval of the sugges-
tions made by Mr. Hastings, and asked him if he was pre-
pared to bring forward a resolution on the subject.
Mr. HASTINGS replied that he was averse to any resolu-
tion being passed in the association without the most ma-
ture consideration, and the matter was postponed for further
discussion.
Mr. EDGAR read a paper from Mr. Milne in praise of the
Scotch Sheriffs' Courts • but
Mr. M'LAREN, of Edinburgh, expressed his preference
for the English County Court system ; while
Mr. MITCHELL, of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce,
said that they were more blessed with law than with justice
in Scotland, and, speaking of his experience of the Scotch
Sheriffs' Courts, he said that he would rather have summary
injustice than dilatory justice.
Several other papers having been read in this department
two resolutions were carried, the first by a majority of one,
to the effect that it was desirable that chambers of commerce
should have charters of incorporation ' • and the other, based
upon Mr. Danson's paper "On the Law relating to Foreign
Debtors," declaring, "That it is desirable that the law of
attachment now in force be abolished ; and that a law be
enacted embodying the principle of the Scottish law of
amstment, and made applicable to the United Kingdom ;
and that the subject be referred to the mercantile law com-
mittee."

IL—EDUCATION.
(Mr. W. Cowper, M.P., president.)
The paper probably which excited the greatest interest in
this department was that which was read by Miss Mary
Carpenter, on "The Relation of Ragged and Industrial
Schools to the Parliamentary Educational Grant." She
commenced by remarking upon the fact that by far the
-larger proportion -of children in the poorest classes- left
school before the age of 11. 19,336 children were appre-
hended in only nine months, of whom but 3 per cent. could
read and write, and one-half of whom had no education at
all. Ragged schools formed the only instrument by which
this class could be reached. The educational Parliamen-
tary grant was made for the general education of the people,
and administered to stimulate voluntary efforts. In what
direction, then, could help be better bestowed than to aid
in educating those who without such help must remain
ignorant ? In no direction was there a greater voluntary
devotion of time and money than in the ragged-school
movement. A strong claim, therefore, existed on the part
of ragged schools to a large proportion of the Parliamen-
tary grant. In June, 1856, a minute of Council was passed
offering aid to reformatory and ragged schools, placing
the latter upon a satisfactory footing ; but a
subsequent addition confined the application of the
grant to schools for convicted and vagrant
children, thus excluding the ragged schools. In last Decem-
ber a deputation waited upon the President of the Council,
headed by Lord Shaftesbury and Sir John Pakington, with
a memorial from managers of ragged schools upon this sub-
ject. A minute of December, 1857, accordingly cancelled
that of June, 1856, and appeared to be expressly intended
for ragged schools and industrial schools. Against the in-
completeness of this minute Miss Carpenter directed her
observations. Only half the rent of rooms was promised,
and that only of such rooms as would not be wanted but for
industrial work. No help being given fora common school
room or playground, nothing was given for a master or mis-
tr6ss unless certificated, which was seldom the case in rag-
ged schools. No aid was given for any assistants. Against
these and other deficiencies Miss Carpenter warmly pro-
tested, and concluded with an eloquent appeal for extended
and sufficient aid to the ragged school movement.
Mr. MONCKTON Mii.srEs, M.P., remarked that the chair-
- man, being at the head of the Committee of Council, was
now really placed at the bar, and the meeting expected that
he would say something in his defence. (Laughter.) Mr.
Milnes expressed his readiness to assist Miss Carpenter in
any effort, adding that in all her schemes she evinced not
- only the most earnest philanthropy, but the soundest good
sense.
Mr. MELLY also advocated the claims of ragged schools.
The CHArnmAN said Miss Carpenter, in her warm-hearted
energy, naturally took primarily the aspect of the question
which favoured the class of children whom she advocated.
But it was in another aspect that it had become his duty to
look at them. One of the first things he had to ask was
whether the ragged class was to be looked upon as a per-
manent class in the country. He contended that it would
be quite wrong in an officer of the State to take for granted
that there would be a permanently ragged school class.
It arose from a wrong state of things that such a class
existed, and the object to be aimed at ought to be to get that
class into other schools. He did not, from the inquiries he •
had made, believe that the children of ragged school classes
• were in general the children of parents who could not pay,
but of those rather who would not pay ; and this, although
not so much affecting the consideration of benevolent per-
sons, was a very material subject for Government to con-
sider as regarded the appropriation of their funds. The
.Government had to see that every shilling laid out was
followed by the development of increased efficiency, and
had to avoid the danger of drawing children from the bet-
ter kind of industrial and other schools down to the ragged
schools. On these grounds he contended that the only
way in which the ragged schools could well receive Go-
vernment aid was through the industrial element which
was connected with them. The danger of making the
ragged schools permanent, and drawing other institutions -
down to them, instead of raising the class who were re-
ceived by the latter, was that against which the Govern-
' ment principally were compelled to guard.
Several other interesting papers were read, including one
by Professor Pinang on ." Some prevailing Errors in the
Education of the Working Classes," and one by Miss Louisa
- Selwyn, " Oil- the Importance of combining. Training -in
useful Occupations with Instruction in National Schools." '
111 —PUNISHMENT Ar'D REFORMATION.
(The Earl of Carlisle, president.)
Captain CRorroN read an, interesting paper in this de-
partment upon the proposition, " Can Intermediate Prisons
materially aid in solving the Difficulties of the Convict
Questions ?" The section was crowded during the reading
of the paper, and the discussion on it was delayed in order
that Lord Brougham might be enabled to take part in it.
In the outset of his,paper Captain Crofton proposed three
questions for consideration—What are the difficulties of the
convict question Why have we not solved them? What
shall we do to solve those -difficulties ? Taking the last
first, he laid -it down that the •difficulties are to devise a.
- course 'of treatment, consistent with humanity which
Phial either mend the offender or tend, to render him
• Jess noxious to the community, and which shall
have at the 24.ame time the effect of deterring others
from the commission of crime. From 1827 to 1836,
37,117 males and females were transported to the colonies ;
front 1837 to 'SAO 27,258' from 1847 to 1856,11979; and in
1557, only 461. tat the facility with which in the former
periods the mother country got rid of its criminals led to
gross carelessness, and eventually the colonies refused to
receive them. We had, however, learned two lessons from
•transportatiofy,—firat that employment was a most powerful
agent in reformation; and, secondly, that, notwithstanding
all the evils attendant on bad prison discipline, there was
still a large impressible class of prisoners who were willing
to work when employment was obtained, who gave satis-
faction to their employers, and who ultimately became
useful and industrious colonists. Why had we not solved
'
the difficulties of the convict question? Simply
because, though experience had clearly proved that
there are two classes of prisoners --impressible and
'inhaPressible —we had failed to avail ourselves
of that knowledge, and had treated our criminals in masses
up to the termination of their incarceration, Wand had dis-
charged them to take their chance and work their will.
When the colonies refused to receive convicts the experi-
ment was then tried on us at home, with the same result
and for a similar reason—the neglect to improve the im-
pressible class. We were ready to admit how difficult it
was for a man when dischar,ged from prison to obtain em-
ploynient, but what had we done to enable him
to procure it ? and it was not to be
wondered at, then, that we had signally failed. It had been
our practice to delude ourselves with negative statistics, and
we had concluded that unless a prisoner was re-convicted
he was reformed. This delusion had been our stumbling-
blocs, and well-nigh our ruin. The community objected
to employ the criminal when discharged, on the intelligible
ground that, although under strict surveillance and the
utter absence of temptation, his conduct had been good,
there was no guarantee that it would not be otherwise in
free life ; and thus the character so obtained, Tinder such a
Van diseipline,'was of little or no value to the public.
at, then, shall we do to solve these difficulties ? give
Must treat our convicts individually, and not in the mass ;
we must qualify them to obtain employment, by so training
them that they will gain the confidence of the public ; we
must apply such special training as will fit them for a free
life and make them meet for employment ; we must inform
them of an honest world, of which they know little; and
when discharged we must not lose sight of them, but preserve
a supervision which will tend to protect them and their em-
plo3ers. It is by enlisting own reformation that 1 the mind of the criminal in' his
y. hope to combat the difficulty,
'but it will be neeosearwetla
prisonment his discipline lt
_ln the early 'stages of his im- •
onatA be of suds a characttr as till