The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-11 00:00:00

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LONDON, THURSDAI, OCT. 11, 1866.

It will be with a feeling something akin to regret
that the public will learn that the Social Science
Congress has, for the present, terminated its labours.
At this dull season of the year the details of the
speeches, lectures, &c., that take place there are
very welcome, and apart from this they serve a
useful end, in improving our acquaintance with
some important matters which are apt to be passed
over in the excitement of politics and the whirl of
passing events. The speech of Lord SHAFTESBURY
in itself was enough to impart a value to the
affair, and many might appropriately study it
to their own advantage and for the benefit
of others. It was an admirable exposition of
what might be accomplished by this Congress, and
also an excellent explanation of what dues not come
directly under its province. The last business in
connection with the departments was the paper
read by Mr. WEBSTER, on "The Arrangement and
Construction of Courts of Justice, as illustrated
by the Manchester New Assize Courts." In the
course of this Mr.IVEBSTER alluded to the proposed
scheme now entertained of erecting a Palace of
Justice in London, so that all the courts now dis-
tributed through the metropolis might be concen-
trated. Those who have the management of
matters have resolved to take for a type the Man-
chester Assize Courts, which is incalculably a
tribute to their merits, and proves the high opinion
that is entertained of their style. Mr. IVEBSTER
Poke of their merits in the highest terms of praise.
One feature, he particularly dilated on, was the
large hall and the barristers' corridor, from both
of which access
can be had to the principal courts.
In pursuing his theme further he remarked very
truly that the great object which they ought to
have in view was to separate the general public,
and judge counsel, &c., and any who had business
to transact; and hence they ought to make the
entrances more distinct for each than they were
in the Manchester courts. An interesting
of
this
dis-
cussion ensued after the reading
Paper,
in which various plans for improving the position
of the witness-box, &c., were detailed, and a vote
of thanks was passed to Mr. WEnsTEn. At the
concluding meeting a numerous assembly attended,
under the Presidency of the Earl of SHAFTESBCY.
Mr. llssriNGs, the Secretary, read the report of the
Council, and gave a resume of the proceedings which
had taken place in all the departments, and he
stated that this meeting had been the most satis-
factory that had been held. It is, indeed, satis-
factory to dwell upon the details here presented,
and they show in an unmistakeable manner that
those persons were mistaken who thought that this
undertaking would not answer in the cud, but
would infallibly dwindle away. " The number of
members and amociato present WAS 1,15, the

papers and discussions had been more than ordi-
narily valuable and interesting, and the noble
edifice in which they had assembled had afforded
them peculiar facilities for the accommodation of
members and the transaction of business." The
Council returned its thanks to all who had aided
materially in the prosecution of its task, and thus
everything passed off in the most agreeable manner
respecting details. The Earl of SHAFTESBURY
made a few remarks in conclusion, which were
very interesting. He observed, in alluding to the
Working Men's Meeting in the Free Trade
Hall, that it was " a spectacle closely ap-
proaching to the sublime." The noble lord went on
to declare that those were quite mistaken who had
presumed to call this a " patronising meeting" Of
all unjust expressions this was the most so. We
think that Mr. BRIGHT and some others might with
great advantage peruse these remarks of Lord
SHAFTESBURT'S; and ponder over them. He con-
fessed that "he regarded with something like ab-
horrence the man who would set class against class,
and who would not, in this world of sin and conten-
tion, do all he could to reconcile differences, and to
see what was good, and not what was evil, in each
other." We fully concur in all that was said by the
noble lord, and more especially in his declaration that
he knew the working classes well. No man in
England has a better right to say so than he has,
and no one has done more to deserve their esteem
and respect. As he truly observed, he had passed a
years among them, and he must say
great number of
that the working classes did not require patronage,
but they did desire sympathy. As for talking of
patronising the working-classes of Manchester it is
indeed most idle, and we wonder that persons can
be so absurd. The fact is, that the chief difficulty
of getting class in communion with class lies in
the habit that some have of making use of such
terms and expressions as these, that we are glad
that one so well qualified to judge, as Lord
SHAFTESBURY most undoubtedly is, should have
administered so effective a rebuke in so dignified
and impressive a manner, and it is to be hoped that
his remarks will have due effect in producing a
beneficial change.

Among the many valuable and interesting papers
and addresses which the Social Science Congress of

1866 has given to the public, the speech of the
Right Hon. AUSTIN BRUCE, as President of the
Education Department, must not be overlooked.
The subject with which it dealt is one of the
highest national importance, since education is the
great distinction between civilisation and barbarism,
and it is vain to hope for the social elevation or
political enfranchisement of the masses unless
we take care that they shall have at least
its rudiments. So much has of late years
been said and written about national education that
the arguments in its favour have become almost
truisms, and many persons are probably vaguely
satisfied with the impression that a great deal is be-
ing done without inquiring too closely into the sta-
tistics. Those who have made such inquiries, however,
stand aghast at the result ; and it is very evident
that we must lay aside our religious discussions, our
local jealousies, our prevalent indifference if we
intend the rising generation to be intelligent and
Christian men and women. It is high time to
awake out of sleep when we have distinct informa-
tion from one of our great cities that " of every 100
children above three years of age living with their
parents or guardians, and not at work, there are 40 at
school and 60 not at school." Such is the statement of
the Manchester and Salford Education Aid Society,
which has rendered an important public ser-
vice by its careful inquiries into this subject.
We have no reason to suppose that Manchester
is behind other cities. On the contrary, there is no
doubt that its population are above the average iu
intelligence and natural ability. They are not likely
to underrate the advantages of education more than
others. It might easily be supposed that the temp-
tations of mills and factories and workshops might
in the large manufacturing cities offer serious ob-
stacles to the education of the children, and there
is good reason to believe that such is the case.
But this explanation does not account for the large
number of children neither at school nor at work.
"Of 11,086 children, between 3 and 12, there were
762 at work, 4,537 at school, and 5,787 neither at
school nor work. Neither can this anomaly be ex-
plained by the poverty of the parents, since the
excellent society to which we have referred has
made arrangements to bear part of the expenses of
the fees for children whose parents are too poor
to pay all, and to aid free schools for the chil-
dren of those who are too poor to pay at
all. This practical test has shown that
of 5,787 children, neither at school nor at work,
2,175 had parents able to pay for them, 3,612 were
the children of parents unable to afford the expen-
diture. In other words, out of 19 children absent
from school, 7 were so by the wilful negligence, 12
by the poverty, of their parents." And this, it must
be remembered, is not in the most degraded parts
of the city, the committee having hitherto shrunk
from visiting some of the worst and most populous
districts in Manchester and Salford, because so large
a proportion were below the reach of their in-
fluence. What sort of hold then will the legislators
and philanthropists of the next generation have
upon the children when they get to manhood and
womanhood ? The evil perpetuates itseif, because
the ignorant and degraded parent cares little for
the most part for the education of the child, and we
are, in fact, reaping the fruits of the neglect of
former years in the numbers of untrained children
around us. One of the great problems which per-
plex the thoughtful and earnest advocates of
national education is how are these children
to be got at. The Education Society in Man-
chester frankly acknowledges this difficulty, since it
would be highly undesirable to pay for those children
whose parents can afford to pay for them themselves.
Some persons have suggested a compulsory system
of rudimentary instruction; but we think, with Mr.
BRUCE, that would be impracticable in this country.
The action of the Legislature is another perplexing
matter. Mr. BRUCE, though highly approving of
the manner in which the money already expended
has been laid out, thinks that the provision made
is totally inadequate.
The great principles of the educational question

were very ably discussed by Mr. BRUCE, and the
arguments of the advocates of the voluntary system
and of the public rate were fairly and impartially
stated. For his own part, he would maintain the
present system where it works well ; but wherever
satisfactory evidence is given that the provi-
sion of education fails short of the wants
of the population he would supply the deficiency
by an education rate. This would be a
rational settlement of the difficulty, and en all the
various problems connected with the question Mr.
BRUCE shows himself equally moderate and impar-
tial. We refer all who take an interest in this vitally
important question to his able and graphic picture
of the wants of our
population, and his considera-
tion as to the best means of supplying them.

The Working Men's Conservative Association at
Reading held its first annversary last Tuesday, and
the affair was very interesting. The Chairman said
it was Very gratifying to AO sack an assemblage of