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

ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA,
COVENT -GARDEN.
Under the management of Miss LOUISA DYNE and Mr.
W. HARRISON, will Open for the Season on MONDAY,
Oct. 3d.
Acting Manager—Mr. E. Murray.
Stage Manager Mr. E. Stirling.

THEATRE-ROYAL, HAYMARKET.
Lessee, Mr. J. B. Bucketone.
THIS EVENING the performances will commence with
AS YOU LIKE IT : Jaques, Mr. Howe ; Orlando, Mr. W.
Farren ; Touchstone, Mr. Compton ; Rosalind, Miss Amy
Sedgwick ; Celia, Miss M. Ternan.
After which, BOX AND COX. Box, Mr. Buckstone ; Cox,
Mr. Compton.
And IiiALLOWE'EN.
Commence at 7.

NEW THEATRE - ROYAL, ADELPHI.
Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. Beni. Webster.
This splendid New Theatre, replete with every comfort,
WILL OPEN for the Season on MONDAY, Sept. 26, 1559.
ADELPHI DRAMA, COMEDY, FARCE, and BUR-
LESQUE, and ADELPHI EFFECTS ! ! !—On which ocea-
Mon Mr. Benjamin Webster, Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr. David
Fisher (his first appearance at this theatre), Mr. Paul BSedford,
Miss Woolgar (Mrs. Alfred Mellon), Miss Henrietta imms,
will app
arc., arc., ear. The performances will consist of a
DRA3II6. (2d time), of the highly successful piece of ONE
TOUCH OF NATURE ; a new Farce, by J. M. Morton, Esq.,
called LOVE AND HUNGER ; and the popular Burlesque
pf THE BABES IN THE WOOD.
The Box-office will be opened on Thursday, Sept. 22, and
every day after, from 10 to 5. No charge for securing seats,
nor for bills of performance. All fees to servants of this
eetablialamenr are strictly prohibited.

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Lessee and ress, Miss Swanborough
THIS EVENING, THE GOOSE WITH THE GOLDEN
EGGS.
And TO PA LIEN fS AND GUARDIANS.
After which, THE OMNIBUS.
Followed by THE VERY LATEST EDITION OF THE
LADY OF LYONS.
Commence at 7 o'olock.

nANTERBUR V HALL CONCERTS.-
EVERY EVENING.—The Vale of Verdi's Opera of
MACBETH (now first made public-in England at these Con-
Sees), the extraorainary Violin Performances of the cele-
t.rated Infant DELEPIERRE FAMILY, and the usual
Vocal Concert.
Comic Vocalists - Messrs. George Hodson (the Irish Come-
ilian and Mimic), W. T. Critchfield, and E. W. Mackney.
Several teresting PiCt
HUres are added to the Fine Arts
Gallery. T inhe suite ofHalls have been redecorated and
beacitiffed, and constitute one of the most unique and brilliant
sights of the metropolis.
will shortly be produced, a Grand Selection from Meyer-
beer's new opera of DINNORA.

TRS -ivir.BATHEß.—Surr. OFFICE, SEPTEMBER 19.
IlisszsolcrrEn, IN THE SHADE.
68--highest since noon yesterday.
64 lowest this morning and during the night.
62—this day at noon.
aomETEn-29.93.
WIND, North-Westerly; strong, with fine weather now.
It rained heavily in the night, and this morning, and was
quite storm

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THIg DAY.—Morning, sh. 41m .—Afternoon, sh. 3m.
To-MORRow-Morning, 6h. 28m.—Afternoon, 6h. 58ra.

Foreign news seem to be at a sort of " stand'
still. All is rumour and expectancy—each particu-
lar section drawing its own veritable (rather ques-
tionable) conclusions. There appears, however, to
be something brewing for better or worse, for King
LEOPOLD'S journey to the Emperor NAPOLEON at
Biarritz will surely lead to something ; whether it
be lasting, or merely passive, will soon be seen.
That there is something in the wind is past all
doubt, for not only is Lord CowLEY going there
to-day, as the Representative of England, but
Count WALEWSKI follows, on the part of France,
to learn the wishes of his Imperial Master, and to
act on them, or so far mystify the other parties as
may best suit the end in view. The object of the
visit, or Cabinet Council, is evidently to get for
Austria the reinstatement of the Dukes, or some-
thing else, in consideration of her behaving herself
better in future.

For years Education has been the hobby of a
small class of politicians ; and Parliament, and the
clergy of all denominations have been doing their
best to, promote it. Their efforts, however, have
all been directed to the lower classes—to those who
were supposed to need charitable aid. Till very
lately, indeed, it never occurred to them that the
classes which did not need charity, which even be-
sto wed it on those below them, themselves needed
stimulus. The middle classes, it was thought would,
from the highest professions down to the humbler
trades, take care that their own children were
educated.
And in a certain sense they have done so. But,
the very excellence of the instruction provided for
the working classes in British and National schools
soon revealed the fact, that great numbers of those
who paid fairly for the education of their children,
did not gain for them such good education as was
obtained by those who were taught in great part
g];atuitously. Many 0. tradesman was subscribing
to a British School or a National School to get the
children of the poor better drilled, at least, in the
elements of education, than his own. What was
to be done. Some said the poor were being edu-
cated above their wants, but the tide had set in, and
it would not ebb. The only thing to be done was
to raise the standard for the middle classes. They
could keep their children longer at school
than the poor, and if their schools could
be improved, they might still maintain their
educational ascendancy. It became plain that, in
any case, something must be done ; or the well-
taught boys, from the schools supported by Govern-
ment grants and voluntary contributions, would
completely distance their compeers of the classes
above theo, whose education harcost ten or twenty
times as much.

From this necessity arose the happy conception
of Middle Cass Examinations, furnished by
the two Un;;versities. They were to be
conducted on the rigidly impartial plan of the
University examinations themselves, modified of
course by the youth a the candidates. The object
was to be, to test the efficiency of middle-class
schools ; to try how far they succeeded in impart-
ing correctly and adequ.e.tely such knowledge and
discipline as they professed to give. Hitherto
there had been no means whatever for parents ge-
nerally to form any idea of the quality of the
education received by their children. It was the
interests of schoolmasters to praise their own
boys, and even to eve prizes ; but not one
parent in ten could tell by examining his
children what was the value of the testimonial
received. The University examiners were to
furnish the much needed test, and they have fur-
nished it.
When they first broke in last year upon the raw
mass of lads educated in the common middle•class
schools, all of them being the elite of those schools,
the country, and the Dominies still more, seems to
have been taken by surprise. Considerably mere than
preliminary examination
one half could not pass a
in reading, writing, arithmetic, and spelling.
Many who could construe well a Latin sentence, or
perform a tolerably difficult operation in algebra,
were incompetent to spell correctly, or to work
[Lily sums in the first four rules of arithmetic.
The elementary part of education had been su-
perficially hurried over to make a show with
s, emethidg higher. These cases, however, were
th, e exceptiiln. The fact was, that more than
hah t the boys, for all of whom their parents
had paid handsomely or fairly, and who were sent
up by'. their masters as fit for an examination, could
not push • one in things which all parents would con-
fess to b e the most necessary school subjects. The
in coat marl wising revelation was that of the ignorance

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THE SUN.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1859.