The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONT)ON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 23, 18614

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Now Complete in Two Volumes, Svo., £2 45.,
THE GREEK TESTAMENT. With Notes,
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with the View to the Correction of wide-spread Errors
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MR. E. CHADWICK ON THE EDUCATION
Q UES2 lON.

A meeting of the Metropolitan Church School-
masters',Association was held yesterday evening,:at
the Whittington Club, under the presidency of Mr.
R. Chadwick. There was a numerous attendance
of the members of the association.

Mr. CHRISTIE, of Trinity School, Marylebone,
read a paper on the present position of elementary edu-
cation. He vindicated the teachers against the stric-
tures of the Royal Commissioners on Education,
and severely condemned the provisions of the edu-
cational code recently promulgated. He denied
that the teachers were afraid of having their work
tested, maintained that the evidence on which their
failure had been assumed had been contradictory,
and argued that, if the revised code was put in force
the cause of education would greatly suffer.
The CHAIRMAN—The improvement of elementary
education, which is now under consideration as
being in issue, involves the future moral, social, and
economical condition of the population—not solely
of the general civic population, but the continuance
of large bodies of persons as habitual mendicants,
paupers, and delinquents. I might cite the evi-
dence collected by my lamented correspondent, the
late Rev. John Clay, the chaplain of the county
prison at Preston, to show that the fearful outbursts
of passion and brutality, witch even military dis-
cipline does not repress in the adult stages, of which
Preston lately furnished one of those tragic examples
daily presentedby the public papers, that these are no
longer chargeable to the deficiency of the educational
power of the trained school-teacher, but are depen-
dent on the maintenance and extension of that
power by an improved administration of educa-
tional funds ; and the responsibility for their con-
tinuance in the rising generation is now, or shortly
will be, at the door of the legislator. My own in-
vestigations showed that formerly, under malad-
ministration and under ill-conditioned teachers,
orphan and destitute children added largely to the
population of the prisons, but now that an improved
elementary education, under trained teachers, tends
most effectually to depopulate those places. Under
bad primary teaching the moral failures were
as high as 60 per cent. Now under good
teachers and improved conditions, I must say of
bodily with mental training, the failures I have
proved are reduced, and are generally reducible, to
within 2 per cent. I have only time to advert to
some current fallacies, as they appear to me, which
jeopardise this promise of improvement, by tending
to lower the position and competency of the school-
master, and thence the moral influence to be
brought to bear upon children. One of the notions
propagated is that the tendency of improved pupil
teaching:and training is to put the school teacher
above his position, and that if the topics of ele-
mentary instruction be confined to reading, writing,
arithmetic, as commonly taught, the teacher's know-

ledge and attainments may be restricted to the old
primers, and that for mental instruction, which is
alone contemplated, a lower degree of skill and a
gradation of service will be needed. The expres-
sion is, " That the managers will have the advan-
tage of obtaining when it may be wished a teacher
of lower qualifications, and therefore it may be pre-
sumed on more reasonable terms." Those who have
studied the subject of elementary education will
concur with the evidence, to the effect that in pro-
portion as we restrict the topics, as I apprehend
must be done with lower-class education, to meet
the imperative demands for domestic and industrial

service, and with other classes to meet the demands

for physical training to ward off • -
physical injury, as
also the requirements of psychology to meet
and adjust the amount of teaching
to the
capacity of attention
i or the receiving power
at different ages, n proportion as you
reduce the quantity of elementary instruction, you
must, if you do your duty, carefully improve the
quality of every portion of that instruction. If it
be narrowed, it must be deepened for permanent and
salutary impression. You must evoke the perceptive
and the reasoning faculties if you would control
brute ignorance and blind passions. Let any one
who has the notion that reading may be taught
passably well by almost anybody hear reading les-
sons given by a trained teacher in improved methods,
and hear children exercised in parsing, in distin-
guishing subject and predicate, that is to say in
logic, and he will form a better notion of the skill
which is required to teach reading, and of the new
mental exercise given in teaching, and ho may ap-
preciate Ole pOitical ?, not extravagant taken by

Dr. Simon Laurie, the secretivy of the committee
of Church schools in Scotlaw, who declares that
" through no one subject cant much mental disci-
pline—using this expression h a large sense—be
conveyed as through reading.' Meaning, of course,
by well-trained teachers, "Ve do not hesitate to
say that no child can be taugh to read accurately
intelligently, and expressively without acquiring in
the course of that training an ahount of mental cul-
tivation which exceeds in imprtance the cultiva-
tion from all other subjects unted." Let an inquir-
ing person also see the improved teaching of arith-
metic, which has been termed, from its mental
exercise, the geometry of the loot'. Let him read
the instructions to teachers frtmed, after years of

trial and study, by the late M. Horace Giant, for
teaching the elements of arithbetic to infants, and
the conception of the candid iiquirer may be ele-
vated to this, whether for the most improved teach-
ing it were not desirable, if )racticable, to have
special inspectors and separab masters for each
branch as for specialities. The general result of such
an examination will be that not low, or lower, but
positivelyhigher qualifications aid service are needed
for the lowest classes receiving elementary instruc-
tion, and most of all for those important schools, the

Infant schools, for which good teachers are extreme-

ly rare. Indeed it is the practice in the best train-
ing colleges, as I am informed, to direct the labours
of the beat popit-teaahers as to the lowest classes in
the .school, The current ianuerieceives support
from the fact, as it is reported to be, and is likely

to be, that the best teaching is not always by the
highest certificated masters, of which I myself have
seen examples. But this is due, according to my

,nformation, to misplaced payments for results, the

highest certificates and emoluments have been given
originally (though less so at present and by amended
regulations) for learning, for acquirements, instead
of on evidence of results achieved by the exercise of

a widely different power, 'and :ono which is really
more rare and valuable—namely, the power of im-

parting knowledge, and that to children. Vastly
learned men are often most deficient in this power,

which requires a knowledge of the minds of chil-
dren, and a sympathy with them to lead them will-
ingly and pleasantly and profitably. I now beg
leave to advert to the presumed state of official in-
formation on which the minutes bearing upon the

elementary education has been framed.lna paper
which I could only submit as a letter to Mr. Senior,
one of the commissioners, towards the close of the
labours of the education commission, 1 felt it a duty

to represent and offer proof that the office of the
Committee of Privy Council on Education, from
being conducted on an erroneous administrative
principle, was itself, and must be, dangerously ill-
informed as to its own subject-matter of duty. I

know what it is to be in a central position, where

you are subject to snowstorms of papers of a sort
which do not enlighten, but which if you do not
take great care blind you. From my own expe-
rience I know that this must be the position of an

office having a direct correspondence from at least
7,000 such places, and such persons unskilled in
official business as the common school managers. I

appeal to the professional knowledge of the meeting,
whether the revised code for the regulation of na-

tional elementary education will not have afforded
a complete subsequent verification of my position
as to the want of proper knowledge for framing it,
to every school teacher throughout the country.

To take one example, that of the provision for
the classification of children according to ages.
If the codifier had ever been into national
schools he would often have seen large, lumping
lads towering amidst classes of little boys, lads of

twelve with little fellows of seven. If he were asked
why this was he might be told that this was to the
schoolmaster a disagreeable necessity ; that the little
ones were drafts from the infant school, that the large
one had never been in a school before, and that to
place him withboys of his own age, though in some
respects convenient, would be a waste of time, and
confusion to him and annoyance to the class. Take
another example—the measure of payments for re-
sults. lam myself a promoter of the principle of
payment for results, and being so I am annoyed at
the damage it will probably receive from its misap-
plication by the code. I proposed it as a payment,
not in substitution, still less in reduction, but in aug-
mentation of existing low salaries, to be applied
under conditions of equality, and freed from all
shackles of conaition and restraint, such shackles as
the revised code imposes as to times and ages. In
illustration of the violent inequality of conditions
which the code imposes I may mention that I have
shown that a trained teacher on a larger scale in a
populous town school, with a subdivision of educa-
tional labour, will get boys through the three R's,
as they are called, and obtain results well in three
years from the time of leaving an infant school, or
by the tenth year. Whilst the same teacher placed
in a small country school, though with a pupil-
teacher, and the same proportion of teaching power,
will not, as shown by the evidence of Mr. Allen, the
teacher of the school under Earl Russell's auspices
at Petersham, and by Mr. T. Crampton, at Brent-
ford, be able to get children, even imperfectly, in

less than six years, or by the 13th year of age. But
large proportions of parents will have children out
of school, or in some sort of productive service, be-
tween their 10th and 11th year, that is to say, by
the time they are half taught those primary ele-
ments which the teacher is only to be paid for teach-
ing completely. Further, the teacher in the small
school will often have more labour in teaching a
class of 10 than a teacher in a large town school,
with large and good classes, will have in teach-
ing a class of 50 ; yet, according to the mode of
paying fox results by the Privy Council, the man
who has really had the harder sacrifice will
r#ceive only one-fifth the rate of remuneration
given to the other teacher for serious work. A fair
equality of conditions requisite for the efficient ap-
plication of the principle is only to be obtained by
administrative combinations of which the framers

of the code cannot have any conception. Allow
me to present another example of the state of the
officicial information which directs the application
of the funds for the promotion of national educa-
tion. About the time when, with Lord Elcho, we
directed public attention to the expediency of the
introduction of military drill into schools, Mr. Wil-
liam Ewart took upon himself to ask, in Parlia-
ment, the Secretary of the Education Committee of
Privy Council whether it could not take some steps
for the introduction of the drill into the national
schools; whereupon Mr. Lowe, as reported in the
Times, answered curtly, that the business of the
department was to. educate. How smart ! yet in
the opinion, I may now say, of the medical profes-
sion, who are aware of the extensive disease to be
eradicated by physical training, how deplorably
superficial the answer ! As if teaching, not by word
alone, but by outward and visible acts and deeds— -
so teaching all that is termed discipline—promp t
obedience to command, patience, self-reutrai nt,
order—could, according to the conception of the
changing political party chief, form no part of the
elementary system of national education. As if
giving by physical training aptitudes to physical
labour had no moral effects. As if conditions of
physical inaptitude to labour were not with some
classes equivalent to trained aptitudes to idleness
and vice. As if tb.e drill were net a potent means
to book instruction in large schools, by giving
order and promptitude to class move ments,
and saving time and freshening uy the
scholars. The like answer was given nt the office
fory
Ft o a
ratrnhaen servicetab applicatione. oAft
at foraha that
drill-sergeantv ervery
t sanctionir t e a,tl to o:asl
a'theri
gnpes
) tviprecede n teydecm,t uieschool,nbnngyt-
as if it were a thing unknown
geeracnet:whodwere inspected
thevvh o servicesw were
r o
v ofai a drill
from s
they
hr
appointed under the autholityaolaf
a Privy Council inspector ; and Iniwaatses
the Privy Council,
taking who w
the
evidence of certificated, teachers, and others, on the
I
experiem for yeaN of the admirable working of

the system, of which the changing party chief and
the heads of that same office evidently knew abso-
lutely nothing themselves, and could not have con-
sulted those who are in such an office, if well con-
ducted, its responsible eyes and ears—namely, the
inspectors. To give another instance. You may see
that Mr. Lingen, in his evidence to the commis-
sioners, conveys the impression that the experience
of the department was unfavourable to the forma-
tion of district school unions or the combination of
local educational means ; that there was no instance
of anything being done that favoured the view of
the practicability of such combinations. Now I
would direct your attention to the evidence I col-
lected, for example, of the Faversham School Union,
which is under the Privy Council inspection, and
with others to which my attention was directed by
-Privy Council inspectors. The information I col-
lected upon that topic—and I might have collected
much more of the like character—displayed the action
of new elementary principles, which ought to be
known within the office as being under its supervision,
and which such judges in educational matters as my
Lord Brougham and Mr. Sohn Stuart Mill have de-
clared to be complete and sufficient in itself, and
such as should be made generally known for the
guidance of legislation. I have no doubt that the gen-
tlemen to whom I advert have acted on their sincere
conviction, according to the limits of their informa-
tion ; but I repeat here what I have felt it a duty
to represent elsewhere, that entirely new adminis-
trative arrangements must be made to ensure better
information, and responsible consultation of it, be-
fore the elementary education of the country can
make the extension and advance which is required
to be made for the welfare of the population. I
believe it will be found on inquiry that the order
was issued without any consultation whatever with
the inspectors as a body. I think it deeply to be
regretted that powers which it was so important to
have augmented and strengthened for the public
service in the promotion of education should have
been discredited, as they undoubtedly have been,
and good principles damaged, by the mode in which
the new code has been framed and issued.

Mr. Easton, Mr. Langton, and others afterwards
addressed the meeting, and condemned the revised
code.

Mr. PHILLIPS, in moving a vote of thanks to Mr.
Christie, said the system of classifying the pupils
according to age was ridiculous. As well might it
be concluded that every man who was 75 years of
age was a Lord. Palmerston. (Laughter.)
The motion was carried, and after a similar tri-
bute had been paid to the chairman, the meeting
broke up.

ME CORONATION AT KONIGSBERG,

(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
KONIGSBERG, OCT. 18-19.
The spacious quadrangle formed by the four sides
of the Royal Palace at Konigsberg presented a
striking spectacle when seen this morning, for the
first time, completely prepared for the ceremony of
the coronation. It was not ready until the last

moment. I visited it yesterday afternoon, and
workmen were engaged in its decoration, and pro-
bably they continued so until 'far on in the night.
The result of their labours was highly satisfactory.
The quadrangle is somewhat more than 300 feet
long by about half that breadth. The surrounding
buildings are irregular, but far from unpicturesque.
One side and a round corner tower date, as I pro-
bably mentioned in a former letter, from the Teu-
tonic Knights ; at another corner is a church tower
of more recent date ; no two of the four sides are
alike, and two of them, taken as detached buildings,
would probably be considered decidedly ugly and
ungraceful. But, like those faces one often sees
which please as a whole, but will not bear analysis,
the palace, taken altogether, is interesting and
attractive to look upon. It has, so to say, a sugges-
tive physiognomy and a savour of feudal times. It
is long since it saw itself so gorgeously arrayed and
tricked out as upon this eventful 18th of October.
At what may be termed the upper end of the build-
ing, since it is there the Royal family dwell, a lofty
platform had been erected, carpeted and draped,
extending right and left from a large portal high
up in the centre of the palace. The portal itself
had rich crimson velvet curtains, with crowns and
eagles embroidered upon them ; in front of it the
roof of the platform rose into a lofty arch, flanked
by the Prussian and Hohenzollern banners, and sur-
mounted in the centre by a golden eagle, crowned,
standing on a globe, which, as well as a laurel
wreath that hung around it, was also of gold.
From the platform descended the broad flight of
steps before mentioned, the frear eppe , or open-air
staircase, as it here is called, which extended some
40 feet forward into the courtyard. At its foot
began the covered way. This was 250 feet long in
a straight line ; then it made an abrupt elbow to
the left, and another short one to the right, lead-
ing directly to the door by which the King was
to enter the church. The covered way was 12
feet broad ; its roof, of crimson velvet, with
gold-embroidered festoons hanging down about a
foot on either side, was supported by a gilt

balustrade, the pillars of which rose in lance-
points above, and was lined with white muslin,
quilted into divisions lengthwise by red silken
cords, between which the muslin puffed out.
Over the front of the balconies, and of the galleries
for spectators temporarily erected, were extended
white draperies with black stripes along their lower
edge (the Prussian colours), and similar draperies
ran along the wall below the windows on the second
floor. Crimson velvet hangings, gold-bound, were
laid at intervals over the draperies of the balconies.

Commencing from either side of the richly deco-
rated platform and portico, which was one mass of
velvet with gold adornments, and which may with
pr opriety be called, for the convenience of a name,
the coronation platform, tall flag-poles, 40 in num-
ber, were planted around the court. There were
three on each side of the platform, 14 along each
side of the quadrangle, and six at the lower end,
which includes the church and Muscovite Saloon.
There were the banners of the different provinces
and districts of Prussia. These were of various
colours and of much variety of device. There were
the usual eccentric heraldic animals, unparalleled
i a menageries and peculiar in attitude—red lions
with brazen paws standing upon their hind legs, and
pink ones with blue crowns, and the like grotesque-
looking monsters. One flag was a three of hearts,
and another was a chess-board ; on a third a beau-
tiful scarlet bull squinted horribly, evidently from
intense terror at something which met his view on
Ithe other side of the quadrangle ; on a fourth a
golden stag stood stately at bay on the summit of
the green hills of Sigmaringen. In the centre of
the lower side of the palace, against the wall of the
church, two statues had been placed on pedestals at
a considerable elevation from the ground ; they were
those of Frederick I. of Prussia and of that famous
Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Albert by
name, the founder of the Konigsberg university,
who, having espoused the doctrines of Luther, cast
from him the vows of his order, and raised Prussia,
of which he was margrave, into a temporal duchy.
This, I think completes the enumeration of the
adornments of the palace court, the main area of
which, on either side of the covered way, was di-
vided by barriers into five distinct portions.
As may be supposed, Konigsberg was up early

this morning, and its first look was at the sky.
Heavy, lowering clouds, seemingly full of water,
were visible as soon as day broke; before 8 o'clock
drops of rain fell, things looked very unsatis-
factory, and sightseers began to despond. But the
Royal luck prevailed ; instead of pouring themselves
out upon poor Konigsberg, the clouds most oblig-
ingly broke and dispersed ; by 9 o'clock people's
spirits were much on the rise ; and by 10 there was
a bright sunshine and a settled fine day, rather cold
for out-of-door standing and a trifle breezy, but
brilliant arttd, beautiful for the season and the