The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-03 00:00:00

Lord RUSSELL m.,ved that the house considered that
education in England and Wales ought to be ex-
tended and improved, an l that the Parliament and
Government should ail in su,:lt extension, and that
the tiniveuities might be rirk•lo in ire useful by
the removal of restrictions, and that a minister
of education should bs appointed!. His lord,hip was un-
derstood to say that many bills had been brought before
their lordships for the amelioration of criminal matters,
but ho 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 centage of those married who could
not write was 3 per cent. ; at Gretna Green it was 34 per
cent. ; 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. Ile 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. He 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
instances which, in his opinion, still justified their
application generally without regard to the
religious principles of the recipients of the advantages.
Therefore there should be a general education of the whole
people ; it mattered not 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 Schools
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. He did not speak without authority,
for Mr. Frazer, who had visited America, found
the American schools very excellent, because the whole
nation, with a thoroughly noble spirit, determined that
there should be an universal-system of education through-
out the land.

The Duke of MARLBOROUGH commented upon the
difficulty of replying to the noble earl, owing to the
circumstance that he had not laid down any definite pro-
position. Ho thought the question was quits inopportune,
and that there was not sufficient time during the present
short session to deal with so important a matter. The
noble duke adduced numerous arguments to prove that the
calculations on which Earl Russell based his arguments
were fallacious. The number of schools which had re-
ceived grants could not be relied upon as showing the
progress education was making, because there were many
schools quite as efficient which received no Government
grant at all. Of course there were some points which had
not been reached; there might bo room for improvement ;
but he contended that on the whole the progress of educa-
tion was rapidly spreading over all classes of the com-
munity. Ho could not consent to the resolutions, and
therefore proposed the previous question.
After some further observations from Earl RUSSELL,
the previous question was carried, and their lordships ad-
journed.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—LAST EVENING.
The SPBAIER took the chair at four o'clock.

NEW MEMBER.

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

THE DISASTER IN THE WEST INDIES.

Mr. GILPIN asked the Secretary to the Treasury
whether, considering the effects of the recent destructive
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 both 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.
ARR ANGEME NTS OF THE HOUSE.

Mr. BAZLEI3- asked the right hon. member for New-
castle-on-Tyne whether it was his intention to move for
the re-appointment of " The House of Cummons Arrange-
ments Comnritteo" during the present session ; and whether,
since the termination of the labours of that committee in
the last session, he had obtained any information which
he could communicate to the house ?
Mr. HEADLAM said he did not intend to move the re-
appointment of the committee during the present short
session, but in February he should move its re-appoint-
ment.

TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION' WITII INDIA.
Mr. O'BEIRNE asked the Secretary of State for India
whether he would place upon the table of the house a copy
of the memorial lately presented by bankers and merchants
of the City of London, recommending the laying of a
submarine telegraph between Suez and India by the Red
Sea, with a copy of the proposal made by the Submarine
Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company upon
the same subject ?

Sir R. NORTHCOTE said he should have no objection
to lay the paper on the table if the hon. member moved
for it.

MARRIAGE LAW COMMISSION.

Mr. Alderman SALOMONS asked the Secretary of
State for the Home Department if the Marriage Law Com-
missioners had agreed on their report?
Mr. ILA.EDY said he had sent a communication to the
secretary of the commission, but he had not yet received
an answer. Ho believed the last time the subject had
been mentioned it was said the report would not bo ready
until 1868.