The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-03 00:00:00

Sir S. Northcote, M.P., on Art Education.

In a speech at‘the annual meeting of the Exeter
School of Art, on Friday night, Sir Stafford North-
cote said that every one who looked at the present
state of art education, or, indeed, of the education
question throughout England, must feel that mat-
ters were in a very hopeful position ; and that
there never was a time when greater attention
was being paid to it by the Government or by the
people themselves. People's minds were beginning
to be cleared, and they were becoming sensible of
what may be done, and what ought to be done. In
moving the adoption of the report, he was anxious
to say a few words upon schools of art, and to par-
ticularise some of the changes recently made by Go-
vernment relative to them. Some of them, perhaps,
would remember that at the meeting of the previous
year he referred to the appointment of a committee
of the House of Commons, on which committee he
had the honour to serve, to investigate the new
minutes of the department of science and art, who
had made certain recommendations which would no
doubt produce some changes in the manner that
Government aid would be distributed to schools.
The select committee made their report, which was
laid upon the table of the House of Commons. Go-
vernment, however, did not act upon the sugges-
tions, but came to the conclusion that it was not
desirable to have a complicated system of payment,
the payments being according to results. The select
committee had proposed the mode of payment by a
simple capitation grant according to the number of
students attending the school. Government had
adopted one half of the proposal, but not that por-
tion referring to the capitation grant, against which
it was said there was a substantial objection. The
course of action thus taken by his friends reminded
him of what Charles Napier once said, that if a
man chose to take the acid part of a seidlitz powder
without the alkali, he could not be surprised if
it did not agree with him. Government had
placed the select committee in a similar position, by
only taking half of their recommendations. A public
meeting was shortly afterwards called, representing
the different schools, and some of the members of
the select committee, in compliance with a request,
waited upon Earl Granville, and represented to his
lordship that the new Government minute would not
afford schools of art sufficient assistance. The depu-
tation was received most courteously, a memorial was
drawn up and presented, and ultimately large modi-
fications were made in the Government minute.
It was true that the modifications were found fault
with by some persons, who said they should have
been better off if the first Government proposal had
been adopted. Others complained that they felt an
uncertainty relative to the course the Government
would take, and they could not rely upon them. He
was happy to say that in Exeter they could afford
to feel comparatively indifferent upon the subject,
though he was afraid that their excellent master
would not find himself any the better off by the
changes Government had made. It must be remem-
bered that Government in those matters were placed
in considerable difficulty. They had a large system
to deal with, and it was their duty to be economical
in the distribution of the public money, and on the
other hand it was difficult to act so that the system
might not be fettered in its action through want of
funds. Government in avoiding extravagance had
to take care not to be thought niggardly. It had
been determined to give assistance to artisans only
and to pay no money except for direct results, and
in accordance with the recommendations of the
select committee local committees were called upon
to work for themselves. This was done with no
desire to exclude the middle class from these schools,
but only to make them pay a reasonable sum for
their instruction. Government said, "We desire to
spread a more general feeling in favour of art ; we
are ready to help you by establishing good schools
that shall be open on moderate fees, where you can
attend and receive first-alms instruction, and we
offer you as a stimulus to exertion medals, prizes,
and the like." The report informed them that they
were in a flourishing condition financially ; that was
no doubt largely attributable to the amount raised by
fees--£lOO. The attendance of students was most
satisfactory, and there was an especial increase in
the new classes that had been established at a
higher rate of fee at the master's suggestion, quite
different from last year, when they had Jong faces,
and thought about what excuses to make for the
decline of numbers, attributing it to sickness or
some other cause. He felt that the middle class