The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-08 00:00:00

POPULAR EDUCATION IN LANCA-

&HIRE.

The prizes awarded by the Council of the East
Lancashire Union of Mechanics Institutes were dis-
tributed on Saturday evening, in the Peel Institute
at Accrington, under the presidency of Lord
Brougham. There were also present—Lord Stan-
ley, M.P., Sir J. P. Kay Shuttleworth, Mr. H.
Chester, Mr. W. Fairbairn, the Rev. Canon Rich-
son, Mr. E. W. Watkin, and many influential in-
habitants of the town as well as visitors from a
distance.
The Rev. Mr. KENNEDY (Inspector of Schools),
in introducing the candidates, said, the distinguish-
ing features of the East Lancashire Union of Me-
chanics' Institutes were the considerable amount of
attainments required from the receivers of prizes,
and the great number of teachers whose services
were engaged. (Cheers.)
Among those who received the prizes were a
number of young women and girls.
Lord BD.OUGIII3I was greeted with prolonged
cheering on. rising to speak. He am sure I
need not say how gratifying must have been the
statement, of our rev. friend Mr. Kennedy, the in-
spector, and the presentations to these pupils of the
prizes which they have so well deserved. Mr. Ken-
nedy has justly said that two more important ob-
jects cannot be conceived than those of this great
association of East Lancashire Mechanics Institutes,
.--apprentice libraries, and establishments of every
kind for the benefit of the working classes of the
community. (Cheers.) In the first place, as he well
observed, this is not a mere dilettante examination,
a. nominal.sham inquiry, to test no merits, to re-
quire no qualifications, as the excuse for giving prizes,
but the exhibition of highly important qualities;'in
fact, the most important of all, but not those which'
those examinations are meant to apply to,—namely,
good moral conduct and character. (Hear, hear.)
These are effectual, real examinations of intellec-
tual capacity and of industrial progress in learn-
ing, and this is that which first of all distinguishes
this institution. The other peculiar circumstance
is a most important point in education, perhaps the
• most important of all in securing right teaching and
right discipline (without which teaching will be of
no practical avail in forming character and influ-
encing "conduct)—l mean, a sufficient supply of
teachers. (Hear, hear.) I do not know that I
have ever been more gratified in all my labours
connected with education than with hearing of the
large proportion of teachers which there are inthese
schools—l may say not merely double, but three-
fold the number I have generally known to prevail
in such establishments. (Hear, hear.) How im-
portant this institution is, leads one to inquire into
its history and success, and it is most gratifying to
find that, though it has only, I think, been in exis-
tence three years, it has been going on constantly,
increasing-year after year: The first year it in-
creased from 400 and odd to 800 and odd; the next
year from 800 and odd to 1,200 and odd. The
number of persons attending and the number of
candidates for examination have increased in a
flinch greater proportion, the number in the first
year being 20, in the next year 95, or very nearly
fivefold; and in the third year 168, or very nearly
eight times the first number. (Cheers.) I look
upon this increase with pleasure, because success is
always to a certain degree a test of merit. The
merits of this association require no test to satisfy
us of them, but it is highly satisfactory to find that
its success has been in proportion to its deserts. It
6Ould not have been greater than those deserts, but
it has been in proportion to them. (Hear' hear.)
I, really know not why I should detain you by any
general observations, having exhausted the imme-
diate business of the evening, but I must add a word
respecting the last class of pupils who were called.
(Cheers.) Nothing can possibly be more highly in-
aeresting, more deeply important to the best in-
terests- of society than the education and general
training of women. Upon that depends whether
the working man shall have a good housewife for
his wife, whether his children shall haler a good
mother to attend them, whether his home shall
be made coinfortable and happy to himself, and
thereby a formidable rival, and the best pos-
sible rival, raised to another place, of which other
place I will not go further for the present than to
say, it neither has the comforts of home nor the in-
nocence of home, nor the instruction, and sound re-
laxation, and refreshment of home ; but its enjoy-
Anent is obtained by the sacrifice of the domestic
:duties, by robbing the wife and children of the
pence which are spent there to support the indul-
gences obtained, and, in return for those indul-
gences the health of mind and body alike are un-
dermined, and ultimately are totally subverted.
(Hear.) There has been in some quarters a great
complaint, which, however, is not founded on fact,
of my having declared myself at the Tieadford Social
Science Congress a convert to the Maine Liquor
Law. I did not declare that I was a convert to
the Maine Liquor Law. I said that we were not
prepared in this country for anything of the kind,
that it would take a long time to prepare us for it,
)ant-that
.the greatest care should be taken not to
encourage intemperance if we did not discourage it
—nay, that the greatest care should be taken by all
lawful, moderate, rational means to discourage it ;
and that the public mind being prepared (which I
am afraid it will not be until after a long course of
discussion and .controversy for its enlightenment),
'then, I -did not say the Maine Liquor Law, but a
legislative repression, should be applied to the sale
of intoxicating liquors, which fill our gaols with
criminals and our workhouses with paupers. (Loud
cheers.) It is always disagreeable, as well as un-
profitable for the cause one supports, to commit any
xaggerations. It is an old saying that you dimi-
nish all you exaggerate. It is like turning the tele-
scope round the wrong way, so that, instead of
-bringing near the objects of your view and making
them appear great, you make near objects appear
distant. That is the consequence of exaggeration;
`therefore I would carefully avoid it ; and yet I have
'very high authority on the subject to which I
have been referring—the authority of one of the
most eloquent preachers who ever appeared in
this country-1 would say the most eloquent
preacher, and I speak from having read his sermons
find from having had the advantage also of hearing
bim upon one occasion. When I went with my late
daniented friend Lord Denman, the Chief Justice, to
hear Robert Hall—(cheers)—I can only say that,
at one part of the admirable sermon which he then
preached, we both, as by one impulse and of one
accord, turned round one to the other and said,
1‘ Plunkett !" svhich was comparing him to the
greatest orator of late times, who since Pitt, -Fox,
and Sheridan have been no more, is the greatest
orator by much who has been known in this coun-
try. (Cheers.) Well, Robert Hall was applied t
One-day, by a reverend friend of his who called
iipon him in the course of the morning, and who
was fatigued with his walk, to give him a little
brandy and water. " I will," said Robert Hall,
if you will give it a right name." " What is
that ?" asked his friend. " Distilled damnation."
(Loud cheers and laughter.) Now; Robert Hall is
a. man of great eloquence, and may be allowed to
exaggerate a little, which Ido not. I give you this
as an instance that I might have gone a great deal'
further with high authority than I did at Bradford
upon thie subject. Now, I must observe that this
teport: which is before me contains one very satis-
factory circumstance, in showing that the attention
of the association is directed to the cultivation of
the faculties, the tastes, and the understandings of
Emir brethren, not in manufacturing towns, but in
the country. There can be no doubt that farm ser-
rants, with the entire consent of their masters, ought
lo receive books'fitted for their pursuits, increasing
their knowledge of. plants, or materials for manure,
and of the effects of water and moisture in cultiva-
tion. All those subjects are most germane to the
matter iof their employment. But there is no rea-
Fon
.whatever why they should confine themselves
tai t hose_ More general subjects are desired by
he m and. their employers, and I hope and trust
that they wili find in other parts of the community
a favourable answer to their application and obtain
the aid and encouragement which they seek. I en-
tirely agree with what was said at a late ()Teat
meeting at Manchester by a right hon. friendt' of
Mine, I mean Mr. Disraeli—and my noble friend
(;Lord Stanley) was present
country the time--that the
people ought to be eonsid
irivlbitants
of theconsidered u ell as the
great swarming. towns in Lanca-
shite and Yorkshire, and that those country people
are fitted to malce
said, by the union and
and to rise, as he justly
it) of integrity and cireiiitLnership (I think he called
intellect-joist as fit as others
wile more eTnerally crowd'uthei
(Cheers.) When I look. back toctilit3er or the town.
that have taken place ail over this country
enh;7,7es
the subject of education I am in no littleu degree
astonished. at the difference which 50 or GO years
have made. As an instance, I will quote the ex-
ample of Mr. Burke, than whom there never was a
man of more enlarged understonflig, better exert
by Study of all kinds, who took more ample
and generally speaking, more sound views of all
subjects, from the most
°Till-al to the mostminute,
with one exception—perhaps I must say —in which
the soundness of his views does not appear to have
been the same—l mean the violent prejudices which
he entertained on the subject of the French .Revo-
lution. Though curried much too far, those preju-
dices had a most natural and lawful origin in the
h r, or which was felt by all good. men—indeed, by
all descriptions of men, at the .dreadful atrocities