The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-24 00:00:00

.R:EFO.RMATORY COAFERENCE AT

I3IRJIIXGH4JI,

BIRMINGHAM, WEDNESDAY EVENING.
X. conference, arising out of the Reformatory
movement, but chiefly in connection with that
branch of it which contemplates the education of
" the neglected and destitute children of Great
Britain," commenced in this town this morning,
under the presidency of the Right Hon. Sir John
Pakington, M.P. The circular under which the
Conference was convened laid down the following
" general principle :"
" The welfare of society requires that all its
members should be educated. Therefore it is the
duty of the State both as regards society in gene-
ral, and each individual composing it, to provide
education for those who cannot obtain it for them-
selves. This duty is recognised by the State, since
it provides education for those who are in gaols and
reformatories, and therefore come compulsorily
under its care, and for those who are thrown on
society for support—i. e., paupers. The same duty
exists, but has not been discharged by the State,
towards children who are not as yet either crimi-
nals or paupers, but whose natural guardians will
not, or cannot, provide for their education. It is
the object of the Conference to lay before the Ex-
ecutive Government and the Legislature, as a conse-
quence of the principle above stated, the imperative
duty of its providing education for this portion of
the community."
The attendance was numerous, and included the
Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, Lord Calthorpe,
Lord Lyttelton, the Earl of Lichfield, Lord Inges-
tre, M.P., Sir Baldwin Leighton, M.P., Mr. W. D.
Hill, Q.C., Mr. Scholefield, M.P., the Hon. and
Rev. G. M. Yorke, the Mayor of Birmingham, Mr.
T. C. S. Kynnersley, the Rev. Dr. Miller, Mr. C.
W. Hoskyns, Mr. Spooner, M.P., Dr. Guthrie, Mr.
R. Hanhery, M.P., Mr. C. H. Bracebridge,
Bell, Idinburgh ; Mr. G. W. Hastings, Miss Car-
penter, of Bristol ; Mr. C. F. Rumsey, of Aber-
deen; the Rev. J. T. Burt, Chaplain of the Bir-
mingham Gaol ; Mr. W. Partridge, Police
Magistrate, Wolverhampton; Mr. Chas. Ratcl'ff,
Hon. Secretary of the Conference ; the Hon. Major
Anson, Mr. Berwick Baker, Hardwick-court; the
Rev. G. Hans Hamilton, Berwick-upon-Tweed ;
Miss Isa Craig, Mr. R. Baker, Inspector of
Factories ; Dr. Birt Davies, and a large number of
the clergy, as well as other well-known persons
who take an interest in philanthropic labours of
this character in various parts of the country.
The HON. SECRETARY (Mr. Charles Ratc]iff) an-
nounced that letters had been received from many
distinguished persons apologising for absence, but
expressive of their cordial concurrence in the move-
xnent.
At the commencement of the proceedings prayers
were offered up by the Hon. and Rev. G. M. Yorke,
after which—
Sir J. PAKTNGTON, after a few preliminary ob •
nervations, said they were assembled together to
consider what they believed to be a grievance, and
to discuss what was its best remedy. The grievance
was that, out of the large annual sum which was
voted by Parliament to assist in the education of
the poor, those who were the most poor, those who
were the most destitute, those who came under the
care of those institutions which had been founded
by benevolent persons in most of the large towns of
England and Scotland, those who, in fact, peopled
our ragged schools, received nothing—were, in fact,
excluded from that which professed to provide for
them. They would be told by those in authority
that they were not excluded, and that it was open
to them to claim their share ; but he had no doubt
that before the day closed it would be made per-
fectly clear that practically they were excluded ;
that in those respects in which aid was offered, it
was saddled with such conditions as to make it
generally undesirable that that aid should be ac-
cepted. They not only complained of this as a breach
of national duty, but the arrangements of the eiti-
cation department had been such that they might
complain of a breach of faith as well as bad policy.
(Hear.) A minute was at one time passed, and for
some time acted upon, by which these ragged schools
were enabled to get their share of the public money
granted for education. But scarcely had they
proved the benefit of this liberality, scarcely had
they begun to make their arrangements, to extend
their buildings, to purchase premises, and to avail
themselves of the grants of money made them under
this minute, than the minute was withdrawn. This
being their grievance, their general principle and
their object were, in the words of their circular
letter,—

" The welfare of society requires that all its
members should be educated; therefore it is the
duty of the State, both as regards society in gene-
ral and each individual composing it, to provide
education for those who cannot obtain it for them-
selves. This duty is recognised by the State, since
it provides education for those who are in gaols and
reformatories, and therefore come compulsorily
under its care, and for those who are thrown on
society for support, i.e., paupers. The same duty
exists, but has not been discharged by the. State,
.
towards children who are not yet either criminals
.or paupers, but whose natural guardians will not,
or cannot, provide for their education. It is the
object of the Conference to lay before the Executive
Governmentand the Legislature, as a consequence
of the principle above stated, the imperative duty
of their providing education for this portion of the
community,—the neglected and destitute children
of Great Britain."
This paper, said the right hon. chairman, had the
signature of 146 of the most eminent friends of edu-
cation in Great Britain, Scotland, and Ireland, who
bad supported the principle therein enunciated
without regard to religons opinion or political party;
and such a band of gentlemen he thought must be
influential with the Government and the Legisla-
ture. Having adverted to the fact that the Go-
vernments both of Lord Derby and Lord Palmer-
ston had opposed the grant to Ragged Schools, the
right hon. baronet proceeded to state that he could
not better put the meeting in possession of the facts
of the case than by reading the terms of the motion
he brought forward in the House of Commons last
session, and by drawing attention to seine circum-
stances that arose out of it. The motion was,—
" That the grants annually made by Parliament
for the promotion of education ought to be expended
with a fair and just regard to the requirements of
the different classes of schools recognised by the
Minute of the Committee of Council ; and that the
Ragged and Industrial Schools, which are alone
adapted to meet the wants of a considerable number
of destitute ,and neglected children, do not receive
the amount to which they are entitled."
Ho was of course, answered by the Minister who
represented the education department (Mr. Lowe),
and it was with regret that he had to call attention
to some remarks made by the right hon. gentleman
on that occasion. He said—.
(I When the right hon. gentleman complained
that under the present system, the higher class of
the working classes were amply provided for,
that and
the poorer class neglected, he complained of
which was the very essence and principle of the
system. The system being a voluntary one, the
rich would provide for their own neighbourhoods,
and often to excess, and the poor who had no rich
among them would be unprovided for."
If (said Sin J. Pakington) Mr. Lowe had desired to
strike a blow at the system in existence, if he had
desired to hold out to Great Britain that the funds
liberally and amply supplied by Parliament were
not devoted to those objects which they ought to
Promote, he, could have made no statement more
fatal to the department over which he presided.
.For if it was thus openly avowed by the educational
Ministeethat for those who were most destitute
they did nothing, they
surely had the right to say
that such a system required alteration. It was,
then, this (system; which administered the greatest
help where there.veas theleast need, and that where '
there was the -greatest need gave
no help at all,
that they sought to remedy. ' His own opinion was,-
and he had avowed it over and over again both in
and out of the House of Commons, that public aid
to education would be more beneficially given if
they applied to the education of the humbler classes
of society those same principles of local management
—(hear, hear)—to which Englishmen were in other
respects so much attached—which we had long api. I
plied to the retitle& the principal wants of the pooril
which we applied to the management of our coon:
ties and oar towns, and w
system so much o which was, in fact, that
Pll°led to centralisation, and 8d
much upheld as one of the principles of our consti;
tution. (Applause.) If Properly constituted bodies
were thus appointed throughout the length and
breadth of the land, there could be no doubt but the