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

THE SUN.
LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23, 1861.

No one wishes to wrong the schoolmaster. We
are persuaded that the concoeters of the new educa-
tional minute, whoever they were, had no such wish,
and if the minute would work unfairly towards
them, its details would be willingly subjected to
revision. The truth, however, is, first, that it is not
easy to wrong the schoolmasters, as a class ; and,
secondly, that the objects of the new minute must
be secured, if the public money is to be paid for
education—those objects are stated in the preamble
as being to render the distribution of the parlia-
mentary grant " more simple, more general, and
more effective for its purpose."

The reason why we have always thought the
schoolmasters could not be much hurt is this—that
the demand for good schoolmasters is in excess
of the supply. At a meeting of the Worcester
Diocesan Training College on Monday, the Bishop
of WORCESTER sensibly observed, that as to the
prospects of schoolmasters, he looked upon the prin-
ciple of education as so firmly established in this
country that schoolmasters would always find oceu-
pagan ; and, as the labourer was always worthy of
his hire, the more qualified thty were for their office
the higher would be their position, both pecuniarily
and naorally." Let any one look around and he sees
that those who are interested in schools anywhere
will vot be content with an inferior man. Even if
the pl'ace be two small for competing schools, there
are schools in adjoining villages, the success of
the teachers is well known—for nothing
is sooner bruited abroad in a neighbourhood than
the success of a master in turning out sharp, well-
taught boys—and the consequence is, that managers
will :pay a little more rather than put up with an
inefficient man. The conviction is fast growing,
even amongst farmers and their landlords; that a
well- taught population is the cheapest for them—
worth the cost of education—and interest and duty
are thus combining to render the teacher a man in
request. So far, therefore, as the present syE-
tern :has produced teachers worth having, they can
make fair terms with managers—and so far as they
are bralow par, the State taxes ought not to be spent
upon them. If it be said that the State has really
forced an extra supply in the market, which, how-
ever, we do not believe, we should only reply, that
the sooner the State put an end to the forcing pro-
cess the better. The work has, however, arrived at
the adage in which it eught to be more and more
self-supporting.

Bost as to the grand point of all—the kind and
amo,ant of instruction which alone the State ought
to give, by paying for when it is given—there will,
we tr ust, be little difference of opinion when the
point Conies for discussion before Parliament. As
Lord STANLEY showed at Leeds in the speech we
repor4Led yesterday, the question is in a great mea-
sure :settled by the age at which the children leave
school. It is the result of trial that, on the ave-
rage, they quit school at ten. After that time,
their parents require their earnings for
the support
of the family. Nothing can compete with
the necessity, for the poor, of
earning a
livelihood ; and by the time they attain that age, it
has become evident, that their earningsare an in_
dispensable part of the family subsistence. The
question therefore is, what can be taught them by
that time. The obvious answer to that question is
the condemnation of the too ambitious and showy
efforts which have probably been stimulated by the
present system. The three elements essential to
advance afterwards, if the pupil has a turn for
it, might in most cases have been mastered
fairly by the children, had attention been
chiefly concentrated upon them. But the
precious time has been frittered away in attempts
to communicate more than pupils could learn or
master's teach in the time.

We do not, of course, underrate the desirableness
of learning something more than reading, writing,
and arithmetic. We only maintain that these are
essential now for the poorest; and just, therefore,
what the nation, standing in loco parentis, ought to