The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-02 00:00:00

EDUCATION OF THE WORKING CLASSES.

Lord RUSSELL moved that the house considered that
education in England and Wales ought to be ex-
tended and improved, and that the Parliament and
Government should aid in such extension, and that
the universities might be made more useful by
the removal of restrictions, and that a minister
of education should b© appointed. His lordship was un- •
derstood to say that many bills had been brought before
their lordships for the amelioration of criminal matters,
but he contended that such bills must be accepted with
examination, or rejected without discrimination if
the educational question was omitted from them.
He thought that no objection could be made to any of
these educational bills for the benefit of the poorer classes.
His lordship adverted to the want of educational ad-
vantages, and stated that 1,050,000 were left totally
unprovided for. With regard to the registers, it
was found that at St. George's, Hanover-Square,
the per tentage of those married who could
not write was 3 per cent. ; at Gretna Green it was 31 per
cont. ; and generally throughout England and Wales it was
30 per cent. It was an enormity to allow children to go
out into the street uneducated, ignorant of the laws, and
consequently likely to commit crime. It was a disgrace
to have to punish these children, when no care
had been taken to implant an educational knowledge
in their minds, Prussia showed us an example of what
could be done with these schools. Many of them existed
in Scotland, and partially so in Ireland. Of course a
thoroughly organised system must be done by a local rate,
or by much more extensive grants from Parliament than
had yet been conferred. He thought that both
courses would have to be applied. Sir George Grey '
had heard it said that the body who levied these local rates
ought to have a discussion as to how they were educa-
tionally applied. With regard to the plan of education he
thought that, although certificated masters ought not to
be evaded, yet others might, under certain circumstances,
be appointed. Ho also considered that the hours
might be reasonably dispensed with; and Mr. Chadwick,
a great authority on the subject, was of the same
opinion. He now came to a very important point, that
was the adapting the revenues of the charitable endow-
ments to the advancement of education. These revenues
were, in the times when there was only one church in
England, employed for the purpose of education generally.
The noble earl then reverted to a number of historical
insstances which, in his opinion, still justified their
application generally without regard,_ to their
religious principles of the recipient of the advantages.
Therefore there should be a general education of the whole
people ; it mattered net how the means were obtained,
either by local rate or Government grant. The opinion of
the Committee was that there should be a conscience
clause inserted in all educational arrangements, and that
the children of Dissenters entering National SL:lio.)ls
should be exempted from any restriction as far as their re-
ligious principles were concerned. By introducing secular
schools he did not believe that they would
.abolish any
religious feeling. Ile did not speak without authority
for Mr. Fraz...z, who had visited America, found
the American schools very excellent, because the whole
nation, with a thoroughly noble spirit, determine 1 that
there should be an universal system of education through-
out the laud.

rLEFT SPEAKING.]

HOUSE OF COMMONS (Tuts EVENING.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
NEW MEMBER.

Mr. PAGET took the oath and his seat for South
Lancashire.

THE DISASTER IN THE WEST INDIES.

Mr. GILPIN asked the Secretary to the Treasury
whether, considering the effects of the recent destru-tive
storm in the Island of St. Thomas, in which the wharf of
the Royal Steam Company was stated to have been de-
stroyed, and the deplorable loss of life bock from this cause,
and the pernicious effects of the climate of the island, it
was the intention Of the Post-office authorities to continue
to sanction the island of St. Thomas as the chief postal
station of the West India mails ?
Mr. HUNT said there had been some private communi-
cation on the subject, but at present he was unable to give
any further information.