The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LOINEON,

thing but the Ballot. And to-morrow that one
test will be deliberately applied by the Hon.
Member for Bristol to the New, and so far as fine
Speeches—Hustings' Speeches—go, the Ballot
Parliament. A preliminary meeting of the Ballot
Association will be held this evening, in anticipa-
tion of what may occur to-morrow in the popular
branch of the Imperial Legislature. It behoves
those Hon. Members, who are heart-and-soul in
the good cause to be in attendance to-night as
well as to-morrow—Faithful to the Ballot to the
last, Without as well as Within the walls of
Parliament.

The Educational Conference completed its task
according to programme last week. Much was
not expected of it of a practical kind ; it was
chiefly intended to advertise the wants of educa-
tionists, leaving it to all whom it may concern to
send in their tenders afterwards. Its object is,
in a certain sense, a popular one, yet, if we are
not mistaken, there is a feeling creeping upon us
that National Education may become a bore ; that
while the importance of having the people educated
as well as possible, is now acknowledged by all, we
may yet be over-talking the subject, or at least we
may be wasting Parliamentary time upon it. Per-
haps discussions like those of last week may be the
best plan for eliciting the knowledge and opinions of
those who have given much attention to the sub-
ject. In the House of Commons, a great deal
which is stated must be at second hand. Last
week we had many practical educators telling us
their plans and their difficulties. The Conference
was a convocation of which no one is jealous ;
arid, which though it had no legislative authority
and could transact no business, yet will command
the respect of Legislators, and guide the thoughts
of those who can act.
The presence of his Royal Highness was at once
an indication of the acknowledged importance of
the subject, and of the very limited field over
which the discussion must range. The position
of the Prince, his known interest in education in
all its branches, and the good sense he has gene-
rally shown in his recommendations respecting
higher class education, pointed. him out as the
most fitting person to inaugurate the proceedings;
and probably none who have perused the reports
of the meetings will deny that he acquitted him-
self unusually well. His speech was indeed the
most complete of all reported, but pro-
bably we have it reported most completely.
Scarcely, however, had his Royal Highness
adverted to tne vast increase of our
population (how vast it must appear to the native
of a small stagnant German Duchy!) before he ad-
verted also to the very narrow ground which the
speakers must occupy; a restriction, but for which,
he coal I not have presided. He enumerated not
fewer than four pairs of hostile parties by whom
" the common object has been contemplated from
the most different points of view, and pursued
often upon antagonistic principles." Oae party
seeks the aid of Government, another that of the
Church—a third demands that the State should
provide elementary instruction, while its opposite
holds that State interference checks spontaneous
election—a fifth party asks for compulsory
education based upon local self-government, but
is balanced by another which advocates the volun-
tary system in its widest development—a seventh
party strenuously demand the separation of secu-
lar and religious instruction, but is met by an
eighth, which maintains that religion is the es-
sential in education, without which all the rest is
valveless. It cannot be denied, therefore, that
mere prudence required the prince to insist ou
the limitation of the discussions to the neutral
topic which had been previously selected. He
could not, of course, preside over a conflict of
political or religious parties.
The fact of the little time spent at school by
the vat majority of those who are counted as at-
tendants is, 'infer. .unately, bat too well established.
The number of children in England and Wales
between the ages of three and firt33ll is, in round
numbers, nearly five millions; of these, rather more
than two millions attend some school. Of the
vast majority who are not at any school between
those ages, nearly two millions and a quarter are
absent from no assignable cause, and not more
than about six hundred thousand from being at
work. Proof enough that the indifference or po-
verty of the pareats, no doubt the former in the
vast majority of cases, prevents the children
from being kept at school. Here is a
subject indeed for our educational phi-
lanthropists. Why do not the poor care for
the education which is provided 16r them so much
more largely than it is used by them ? In addi-
tion to this question, another, the question for
this Conference, arises,—why are the children
actually sent to school kept there so short a time ?
Of the two millions who attend school, not more
than six hundred thousand are above nine years
of age ! Looking a little more at the details, it
appears that 42 per cent, attend less than a year !
22 per cent. during two years ; 15 per cent, only,
complete two years ; but 9 per cent three years,
and only four per cent, obtain a four years' edu-
cation. Thus nearly a half—between eight and
nine hundred thousand—of those who go to school
do not stay there a year, and about another half
million do not complete two years !
This is certainly a rather humbling result
for all the time, thought, lab Jar, and public
and private funds expended on popular educa-
tion. It would seem to prove that there must be
a serious mistake somewhere. Apparently, educa-
tion has made very great strides ; school-
houses strike our attention everywhere, and we
all know that the clergyman or some of his
active coadjutors, female or male, do not forget to
request our subscriptions to his school. There is
no lack of effort, yet if we believe the PRINCE
and the Conference—and we do believe them
—we give an education worth having to but
a miserable fraction of the people. The schools
and the teachers are there, but they are
only half filled ; the people have the cup of
knowledge brought to their lips, but refuse to
drink, or to get their children to drink. What is
to be done ? Compulsion is tolerably suc-
cessful, says the Right Honourable W. COWPER,
in Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, and nearly all
Germany. Children between the ages of three and
fifteen must there be at school ; no one, however,
over suggested that such an interference with
liberty would be tolerated in England. We are
thrown then upon purely moral means. Persua
sion is the only method which can, here, be ap-
plied to the parents, unless, indeed, the very chil-
dren are to be bribed.

Of all means, however, we think that of direct
pecuniary inducements, whether to children or
parents, the very worst imaginable ; even the
material charity, which is sometimes worked in
favour of the school 3, is of very questionable
expediency. Interest large employers of labour,
say Lord BROUGHAM and others ; and the
value of their aid was admirably exemplified by
the deeply-interesting statements of Mr. ACKROYD,

Member for Halifax, and Mr. I. F. WINFIELD, of
Birmingham, in the schools established by them in

connexion with their works. Certificates of school

attendance, which it was stated were highly valued
by the parents, and a system of examination