The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-13 00:00:00

711 E All.lll.

Several of the best
Engineerstnonraissioned officers and
men of the Royal
Brompton Barracks, underthe superintendence iemPloyed at
Lieut.-Col. Collinson, in the preparation et tenden"
of Preston Barracks, believed to b© the mosta najordeel.
pleto in the kingdom, to be placed inh t.e
at
International Exhibition of 1862. The model is
formed on a scale of great magnitude, the length
being 21 feet, and breadth 12 feet. The winter
season preventing the Royal Engineers from being
employed in the open-air fieldworks on their prac-
tising ground at Chatham, a number of the officers
and men arc engaged in acquiring a knowledge of
sapping and mining fro m
om the
the mer
barroacks. us mod
Parties
els de-
posited in the model-ro at
of officers and men are likewise employed in pro-

paring fuses and model gabions and fascines. The
work of theoretical instruction is also being daily
carried forward in the new class and instruction
rooms and lecture theatre, just completed at head-
quarters, under the instructors in the various
branches of military engineering.
The sth company of Royal Engineers, which has
joined head-quarters, Chatham, from Woolwich,
has been placed under orders to proceed on foreign
service, but no intimation has yet been received at
Chatham as to the station for which it is destined.

The force of artillery now stationed at Warley
Barracks, near Brentwood, is 800 strong.

VISCOUNT ENFIELD ON THE EDUCii-

TIM' MINUTE.

Last evening the annual meeting and examina-
tion of the children of the British School at Brent-
ford took place—Viscount Enfield, M.P., presiding.
The children having passed through a creditable
examination in various branches of elementary
knowledge, the report was read, and stated that
328 children-160 boys and 168 girls—attended
the school. As there was school room for 450 chil-
dren the report urged parents to send their chil-
dren for instruction. With regard to the finances
of the school a balance of £7B 7s. 7d. was due to
the treasurer in consequence of the expenses con-
nected with the new school. In conclusion it ex-
pressed apprehension as to the future of national
education in England in consequence of the educa-
tional minute, for the withdrawal or modification
of which a memorial had been presented. _ .

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said that having been invited to preside there
that evening, and having an intimation conveyed to
him that it would not be distasteful to his friends
in Brentford if he were to make a few observations
on the concluding portion of the report which re-
ferred to the revised education code, he would ad-
dress himself to that subject. And in the outset
let him say that he always looked with distrust and
suspicion to an exaggerated amount of popularity
on the one hand, and to an exaggerated amount of
objection on the other, to any new scheme which
might be proposed, and he looked with suspicion on
them for this reason, that the evils were apparent,
whilst the intrinsic good did not catch the eye
at the first glance. He confessed that at the first
glance he was disposed to join the outcry which
had been raised against the proposed change, but
a more close study of the questicn, and a little
more insight into the details, convinced him that,
though there were grave objections to the scheme
there was also valuable matter in it, and he believed
that much good would arise if it were so modified
as to retain the good and cast out the evil. The
subject was so vast that he distrusted himself in
speaking of it. He was certain that the Education
Commissioners could have but one object in view—
that of presenting to the nation a full, fair, and dis-
passionate report of the result of their inquiry, and
he believed they had done so. He believed, also,
that neither the President nor the Vice-President of
the Council had any other end in view than that of
embodying in the education scheme such changes
and modification as, after scrutiny, they believed
would be likely to promote the education of the peo-
ple. However, he thought that the scheme, if car-
ried out as it stood, would be productive of conside-
rable harshness and even of injustice to the certifi-
cated teachers. (Hear, hear:) But where Parliament
had to deal with vested interests, it did so in a fair
and generous spirit, and he was sure Parliament
would listen with a ready ear to the complaints of
those who would most practically and severely suffer
if this code were put in force as it stood. At the same
time he was certain that if the change were to be car.
tied out a different class of persons would be employed
in that capacity. He was afraid that that very value-
able and intelligent class of persons, who from the
outset of life devoted themselves to what he might
call the educational profession, would become nei-
ther so numerous nor so intelligent as they were at
present. At the outset of life they embarked in
this profession in the expectation that good faith
would be kept with them by the Government, and
he firmly hoped that when those repreeesta-
tions which were spoken of were made to the
Privy Council they would be listened to with
that same patience and earnestness which official

men are bound to pay to representations proceed

•
mg from so valuable and intelligent a portion of the
community. He deeply deplored the position of
those persons. They felt that to a certain extent
good faith had been broken towards them, but he
felt sure their representations and remonstrances
would be listened to with attention. If he felt ob
jection to some parts of the new code, there were
others which he thought very valuable. He felt
convinced that when the country had seen this edu
cation grant increasing and swelling to an enormous
extent, it had a right to ask that this money should
obtain its money's worth. (Hear, hear.) He was
afraid—if they were to believe the commissioner's
report—that the money's worth had hardly been
obtained. He hoped that, for the future, the in-
spection would be more stringent, and that—what-
ever good had been obtained in past years in the
way of education—greater good would result from
this revised scheme. (Hear.) He saw that by it
greater precision was required in attendance, in the
qualification of the children, and in examination.
These were sound and valuable elements in the
scheme, and he did not think they ought to be
omitted. The classification which was to be made
of the children appeared to be open to serious objec-
tions. He believed that age with regard to the clas-
sification of children was one of the most fallible

tests. It often happened that a clever child of eight
years was fit to sit on the form for children of 12
years, whilst a child of 12 years might not be so
qualified. He hoped, therefore, to seo this system of
classification modified, if not entirely altered. Great
stress had been laid on the fact that the religious ele-
ment was to a great extent eliminated by the new
code. Ho felt that he was touching on dangerous
ground in alluding to this subject, but he could not
help saying that he felt certain spiritual instruction

in elementary schools was open to objection in this

way, that it left the child dependent for spiritual
instruction on the teacher. It might sound hereti-
cal to say so, but he confessed he would rather trust
the spiritual instruction of the child to the parent
than to the schoolmaster. (Hear.) That he knew
was not a popular doctrine, or one that was likely
to find acceptance from most of those whom he was
addressing, but he considered it to be the sound
view of the subject, and he firmly believed that
those parents who were aware of the inestimable
advantages of elementary schools would not neglect
that most important portion of education—spiritual
instruction. (Hear.) He wished, whilst speaking
on the subject, to do justice to a gentleman who had
been subjected to great abuse. He saw with pain
that a gentleman in the west of England, from
whose sacred calling they might have expected more
charity, said that when he saw the name of the
right hon. the Vice-President of the Council attached
to the new code he was not suprised. Now he be-
lieved that that right hon. gentleman could be
actuated by one feeling only ; that he was convinced
from his experience that the large sums of money
which within the last ten years had been expended
on public education had not borne so much fruit as
they ought, and the public mind was prepared—he
would not say for organic change, but for some
reform. He could have been actuated by only one
wish, namely, that in (my revised code means should
be taken to secure the greatest possible amount of
good for the large sums of public money which
were 121V1 r; for educational pi poses. He regretted
that a little more timely notice was not given of
the intention of the Committee of Council to pro-
mulgate a scheme which affected so many persons.
(Bear.) But as the scheme could not come into
operation till after the month of March, ample time
would be afforded for the Legislature to give a
patient attention to the details which it embraced,
i t
and hetrusted
justice
at
tthe
sane
be so m
time
tovcatoodifidined astero to do ful
ata and to
the public. This question ought not to be treated
in a party
more he ventured
scheme come cut,
the public mind.
spirit, and. the more it was discussed the
' had increased during the 1
atonatitt think would the good of the
When
petuzibrloicf ihtsaceiv:tli:es;tec:l:
grant for education
£30,000 to £BOO,OOO, the net fifteen years from
I mand an increasing equivalent for the money given.
I The subject was a complicated and a di ,cult