The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-16 00:00:00

them. It is evident that some other plan than
compulsory education must be devised if we are
to settle the matter in a satisfactory and practical

manner.
We have very recently had the opinions of some
of our leading politicians with regard to this ques-
tion. In addition to Mr. BRUCE'S very able address
at the Social Science Congress, we have had Sir
JOHN PAKINGTON at a provincial United Association
of Schoolmasters, and the Earl of MALMESBURY at a
Mechanics' Institute, both attacking the subject.
Sir JOHN PAKINGTON frankly confessed that he was
not satisfied with the present condition of education
in this country. " Great sums of money," he said,
" had been spent upon it ; and there had been no
want of zeal on the part of the Legislature of this
country, but it has not succeeded. We have done
a great deal, but a great deal remains undone." He
would not, however, admit the discouraging
assertion of some gentlemen present who
believed that they had actually retrograded.
Lord MALMESBURY, speaking on the same subject,
referred to the altered tone in which popular educa-
tion was now spoken of in allquarters. There was, he
said, but one opinion, whereas some 30 years ago a
large number of influential men were altogether
opposed to it. He remembered, he said, a Liberal
Prime Minister declaring that popular education
might be carried too far, for if housemaids learned
to read they would read novels in bed, and set the
house on fire, and if they learned to write they
would waste their time in writing letters to
their sweethearts. Now few gentlemen would take
a servant into ,his house who could not read,
and the state of intelligence throughout the work-
ing classes is altogether different from what it
was. " When you consider this," said the noble
earl, " that £9,000,000 have been expended within
a very brief time, and that 11,500 certificated
teachers are at this moment hard at work in the
instruction of the middle and lower classes, I say
it would not be correct to state that Parliament and
Governments have done nothing for the education
of the people. He promised on behalf of the new
Administration that they would exert themselves
to the utmost to solve the problem of national
education, and this promise will, we hope, be
faithfully kept. It is quite time not only that
we should come to some regular understanding with
respect to the principles to be followed in the schools
directly under Government inspection, but also that
some provision should be made for the education of
what the committee term neglected districts. Sir
JOHN PAKINGTON quoted a passage from their re-
port, in which some practical suggestions were made
towards dealing with the difficult question of em-
ploying uncertificated teachers. On the one hand,
there is no doubt that the whole standard of
education has been raised by the employment of
capable and well-informed teachers ; while, on
the other, it is hard that districts, which
fail to come within the limits of the Government
grant, should be left altogether neglected. Some
subsidiary provisions may be made to reconcile these
differences. On this point the example of America
is worth considering. Female teachers are there
employed to a great extent in the teaching of the
boys, and if we would secure a sufficiently solid
education this would offer a great resource to our
unemployed females of the middle classes. The
employment is in every way fitted for them, and it
is one they could, if properly taught, discharge
better than men. We hope in the next session the
whole question will be fully discussed in all its
aspects.

If Mr. BRIGHT were to exercise the influence he
possesses, or at least fancies he does, in pointing

out to the working men the errors of their ways
respecting Trades Unions and Societies he would
be doing far more service in his generation than by
railing against the views of the higher orders and

seeking to make class wage war against class. It is
some time since, so outrageous an occurrence took
place as that which was lately recorded at Sheffield,
and the public will ponder over its details with iu-

dignation and regret. FEARNEMOUGH, who, with his
family, narrowly escaped with life, bad been a member
of the Sawgrinders' Society until within the last year.
However, he subsequently sought to be re-admitted
into it, but demurred on account of the sum re-
quired to complete the transaction. The unfortu-
nate man from the period referred to felt himself to
be in danger, and surely it is a disgrace to say it in
this state of society in England it was with just
cause that he did so. One day last week a dreadful
explosion took place, which startled the occupants
of his house and his neighbours also. The walls of
some rooms were blown away, and after some time
FEARNEYHOUGH discovered in the cellar the remains
of a can, which had been destroyed, and which
had evidently contained gunpowder. It is certainly
a most extraordinary thing that no one was hurt ;
but this fortunate circumstance does not excuse the
conduct of those miscreants who perpetrated so
fearful an offence, and risked so many lives for the
gratification of their own spite. Of course, it is
now the chief duty of all concerned to find out who
committed the outrage, and this, we all know, is a
very awkward thing to do. Still it will not do to
relax the efforts made for this purpose, seeing there
can be no decisive check put upon such acts until
some examples are made. The inhabitants of Shef-
field are naturally much shocked at the occurrence,
which was so threatening, and nearly ended so
tragically. It may be in the memory of some that

the dark deeds of the Trades Unions were rife in
this town a few years ago, and no doubt if some
adequate measures are not adopted we shall soon
see a recurrence of these horrors.
Last week the masters of Sheffield met together,
and there was likewise an assemblage of the other
side, with the view of entering upon this question. It
is also to be deplored as an additional evil occasioned
by the occurrence that an ill-feeling has been engen-
dered between masters and men, and it has been pro-
posed by the Trades Executive, and very much to
their credit it is, that a reward should be offered for
the discovery of the offenders. We are glad, in-
deed,to find they are ready enough to denounce the
atrocious act, and they have the sense to see, and
the courage to own, that such doings are likely
to injure the character and prospects of Trades
Unions all over the country. This is as it should
be; but far other wise is the course that has been
pursued by the secretary of the Sawgrinders' Union.
We must declare that his language causes us regret
and surprise, and we are sure that it will be read
by all with indignation. lie seems to go out of his
way to condemn the unhappy victim of this cruel
persecution, and although he says that he regrets
the sad occurrence, he tries hard to find excuses for
those who take part in it. He says that he must
condemn the conduct of those who act like FEARNEY-
II01;(111; indeed he actually goes so far as to declare
that by their acts they " cause those outrages
to take place, and that as their disreputable
subscription, for
proceedings
give rise to them, he cannot go into a
he them, as he believes that by so do-
ingshould
only be adding fire to the burning
embers." We hardly thought any man could write
after this fashion vileit •
so dastardly an act has
taken place, and we wonder that he is not ashamed
to use such language concerninc3n.
a detestable crime
like this. All we can say is that it h t ese societies
and utticv keep 0,4 the exponent of their principles