The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-19 00:00:00

EDUCATION-PRIZE SCHEMES.

So far as the raising the general standard of
intelligence among the working colliers by a better
elementary education may be looked to as one of
the means of curing this state of things, much has
been done for several years past in that direction.
Ample opportunities of good instruction have been
provided all over the district, and the stimulus of
the prize schemes, now from five to seven years in
existence, has been felt every year more and more
in the greater numbers of children able to satisfy
the requirements of the examination, and the larger
amount of sound elementary instruction possessed
by the generality of the candidates. It had been
feared that as the children of the working classes
had to compete with the children of shopkeepers
and superior artisans, an un'lu. proportion of the
prizes would be carried off by the latter, and conse-
quently the children for whose special encourage-
ment these associations were instituted would derive
little benefit from them. It has, however, not
turned out to be so. By making the smaller prizes
for the more elementary requirements much the
most numerous, an ample share of them has fallen
to the children of the working classes, especially so
called, and that this share has increased greatly is
shown by the fact, ascertained by Mr. Norris, that
whereas three years ago one in seven of the prizes
was gained by the children of that class, this year
the proportion has been one in four. Nevertheless,
for their greater encouragement, it has been deter-
mined by the East Dudley Association to con-
fine the money prizes in future to the children of
working men in the employ of the iron and coal
masters and the proprietors of glass works, and to
give the books and honorary prizes to the children
of other classes. The prizes of these two associa-
tions were distributed this year on' the 16th of
May, at Walsall, by the Earl of Lichfield, who
occupied the chair. The Lord Bishop of Lichfield,
Lord Hatherton, the lord lieutenant of the county,
the Archdeacon of Lichfield, the Rev. J. P. Norris,
her Majesty's Inspector of Schools, several of the
pr'ncipal employers of the district, and a large as-
semblage of spectators, were present; also several
working men who had accompanied their children,
for the gratification of seeing them receive the re-
wards of their industry and application, and such
encouragement for future good conduct as was given
in the addresses which were delivered.
The main object of a prize scheme is, in the words
of the circular of the Birmingham Educational As-
sociation, that the result of school attendance should
be, to all the children, that before leaving school
they should be able " to understand what they
read, and write so as to be understood."
That this result is not now attained in the case
of the great majority of the children attending the
ordinary day-schools of the kingdom is well known.
It is adverted to in the circular of the Committee of
Council on Education to her Majesty's Inspectors
of Schools of 30th September, 1857, and again in
the circular of 27th February, 1858, in which it is
also stated, that "this fact is m apparent from
all the earlier examinations under every prize
scheme."

That the prize schemes are causing an increase
in the proportion of those who beforeleaving school
have acquired the rudiments of education to such an
extent as to render it probable that they will re-
tain, if not improve them, is shown by the reports
of the examinations. But that they reach, or are
likely to reach, the whole mass of the children, in
the colliery districts especially, is not, in the pre-
sent state of the adult population in those districts,
to be expected. I find, on inquiry that although
the proportion of colliers' children engaging in the
competition is in most localities slightly increasing,
it is nevertheless still small, the great majority of
such children being still removed from school at or
before the age of ten to go down the pits. Although
many good impressions may be made and much
may be learnt before the age of ten, which may be
also kept up and improved by the evening school,
the fact is otherwise as regards the mass ; little is
learnt, and that little is frequently lost, and but'
seldom improved.
--
Tho effect of the prize schemes seems to be now
pretty well ascertained to be, to produce a greater
amount of exertion and consequent acquirement
among the more active intellects in the school, and
to a certain extent to stimulate mary others who do

not ultimately compete for the prizes in consequence
of irregularity of attendance or of being sent to
work, and further, to excite emulation among the
masters, and to give them the satisfaction of seeing
a recognition of their efforts in the public distribu-
tion of prizes and cards of merit to their best pupils.
The number of boys who have thus been brought
before the eye of the public in the ten prize schemes
in mining districts during the past year has been
nearly 3,000.
It may reasonably be expected that out of this
number, which, occurring and increasing annually,
presents, in the course of a few years, a considerable
aggregate, there will be many whose faculties will
have been fairly prepared for further cultivation in
the line of the special requirements of mining in-
dustry.

That there is great room for a class of men pos-
sessing much higher acquirements than are now
common to fill subordinate situations of all kinds in
and about the collieries, is generally acknowledged.
The question arises—are any means being pre-
pared by which an opening might be afforded to
those lads who have shown ability at these prize-
scheme examinations, or otherwise, to receive that
special instruction which would be useful to them
in their callings, and might qualify them for those
subordinate situations, and also by which the class
of subordinate agents generally might have oppor-
tunities of acquiring a more scientific knowledge of
the principles which they have to apply in their
daily duties.