The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-02 00:00:00

SPIRIT Or THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

The Telegraph brings to our mind the fact that in his
interesting speech on education, at Willenhall, Mr. Vil-
liers made one or two remarks which are worthy of note.
Whether the stories of the ignorance that existed among
the English poor were true or not, it w•as unquestionable,
be said, that no country in the world had such magnificent
endowments for education, and that in none were the
funds so grossly misapplied. Precisely. The revenue for
teaching the people is enormous, but it, has been diverted
to all kinds of misuses. Neglect and selfishness have com-
bined to defeat the wise forethought of those benefactors
who, centuries ago, left large funds for the purpose of
rendering their countrymen an educated people. A re-
formed Parliament will not fail to make this abuse the
subject of stern scrutiny. Mr. Villiers added, that the
State should take as much cognisance of the moral and
intellectual condition of its subjects as of their sanitary
and religious condition. In other words, the State must
do its best to teach every child to read and write ; the
higher education will take care of itself. Mr. Villiers re-
minded his audience that in the United States there was
a noble public spirit, which holds that to place the means
of instruction within the reach of the people is the first
duty of the State. In England that feeling is limited to a
smaller, though rapidly-increasing, section of the commu-
nity. The members of the lower social grades are not
yet sufficiently educated to see the necessity of making

personal sacrifices in order that their children shall b
better educated than themselves. Render education corn
pulsury for thirty years, and henceforward no force will b
required to fill the school-room.

The Herald, writing on the recently-published revenue
returns, remarks : In 1866 7 there is little doubt that many
men paid in respect of profits which they had not made,
though they had in anticipation included them in their
returns, thus giving a fictitious appearance of prosperity
down to June 1867, notwithstanding the pressure of a dis
count rate of 10 per cent. and the still heavier burden of
company calls. That the falling-off should have been no
greater than it has proved, is, we think, matter for con-
gratulation. Whether the next three months will witness
a rebound must greatly depend upon those joint-stock
company meetings which are now not far off. If the state-
ments to be made by bank and railway directors are of a
character to stand examination and inspire confidence,
matters will soon begin to look up, and trade will recover
from its long-enduring lethargy. We do not venture upon
prophecy, but we may, nevertheless, give expression to
hope, founded, as we think, upon adequate basis, that
some such improvement will take place, and that during
the next three months both the revenue and trade of the
country will once more exhibit some tokens of their normal
elasticity.

The Standard looks upon the falling-off in the Excise to
..he extent of £715,000 in nine mouths as a vary serious
one. On the other hand, it must be remembered that the
increase upon Customs in the same period has been
£327,000, and that evidences a larger consumption of
necessaries and luxuries, which means, cf course, an in-
crease of their means on the part of the same classes. The
Customs revenue has therefore maintained its progress in
spite of all the disturbing influences at work. There is a
considerable diminution on the property tax, £434,000. It
cannot think that this is all sheer loss. It is quite true
that many persons who paid the income tax last year have
had no income to pay upon this year, but for every one of
these unfortunates there are ton who ha:•e incomes, but
who have been sorely pressed for money during the last
few months, and have put off paying their taxes as long
as possible. A portion of this decrease will probably be
made up next quarter. Stamps shew a very large in-
crease, and so does the Post Office, both augmentations
which seem to shew that the general prosperity, although
its growth has received a check, has not been seriously
impaired. On the whole, the returns do not give the
slightest ground for uneasiness, they hold out no menace
of a deficiency, and they furnish no indication of general
privation.

The Daily Hews urges us to abstain from ill-omenec
words, and from casting the shadow of uncertain evils
upon serener hours. There will be time enough to com-
pare the reassuring Imperial words which are displayed in
the most conspicuous page of the Moniteur with those fiery
appeals to the warlike passions of the country population
which are being despatched from the purlieus of the
Minister of the Interior to obscure but not independent
provincial journals. What matter if the Moniteur de la
Meurthe calls the people to arms to save the independence
of France and restore her glory; what matter if even M.
Eouher, Minister of State, speaking with all solemnity
from the tribune in the Corps L6gislatif, if the Minister
of War and the Minister of Marine insist on the urgent
necessity of raising the active army to 750,000 men, and
organising a total force of a million and a quarter of men,
in order to sustain the military predominance of the
Empire, if the Emperor himself speaks peace and friend-
ship to the Ambassador of the North German Confedera-
tion on New Year's Eve ? Let us do justice to the neces-
sities of a Government which is preparing to face a general
election with a triple programme of Rome for the clergy,
glory and conquest for the army, peace for the trading
classes, and parish roads and general balderdash for a not
too enlightened peasantry. And with this candid and
intelligent appreciation of a powerful neighbour's domestic
difficulties, let us wait in patience to see what another
New Year's Day will bring forth, if we may be permitted
at this season of uni versa' contentment and congratulation
to look so far into the future without misgivings.

A MET 7:OE.—A splendid meteor was seen early
011 Wedm•sday morning by several observers in theSouthof
i:land. It moved along at an angle of about 45 deg.
E. to S.S.E. It was not seen to buret. A
narrow line of light marked its course for a few moments
r.ff,er its dispearanec.s. Mr. Wollarton says that one
very short part—say about one-thirtieth of the whole
course—was visible for forty minutes, until 8.10, when it
disappeared immediately over, and in consequence of the
increasing light from, the rising sun.

ANTICIPATED CAB STRIKE IN LIVERPOOL. —lt
was announced at the meeting of the council on Wednes-
day that the new regulations for the hackney coaches,
which involve the "free trade" principle as to fares,
with the proviso that the list of fares is to be exhibited
outside the vehicle, would be at once put in force. The
cab proprietors are so much opposed to the new law that
a strike is anticipated, which at this season of the year
ould cause much inconvenience, though the greatest
sufferers in the end would be the proprietors and drivers
themselves,

The Timeal•egards the Conclusions of the hon. -member
for Banbury on the subject of technical education as very
striking. It believes the truth of the matter to be that
our Continental neighbours have their hearts in the busi-
ness more than we have. We are regarded as having won
*position and then gone to sleep upon it. Mr. Samuelson
'distinctly records his opinion that though these excellent
systems of education have been established abroad, they
have not, as a matter of fact, led foreign nations to any
important discoveries, or even to any striking improve.
ments. British text books are used in foreign schools, and
_British inventions are at the bottom of foreign practice.
Our rivals have beaten us, where we have been beaten,
rather by careful and intelligent economies. Of course Mr.
Samuelson advises—first, that we should put ourselves on
a level with our neighbours in the matter of early educa-
tion. Education has net enabled foreign people to make
grand strides, or to do what the founders of our rnanu-
factming -industries did for us generations ago, but it
has made them better average workmen, and more compe-
tent to second the earnest efforts of their employers.
Mr. Samuelson, therefore, would fain see an effectual
extension of elementary instruction to begin with, and
then a system of technical instruction afterwards. He
does:not consider that apprentice schools should form part
of such a system in this country, or, at any rate, he would
leave them to voluntary support : but general education,
he thinks, should be secured, and technical education ren-
dered attainable. After this it is obvious that he builds
much upon a better understanding between masters and
men. Real manufacturing prosperity, he candidly says,
is not to be secured by " the payment of low wages or by
the premature employment and overtasking of children,"
any more than it is compatible with the objects of
Unionism in restraining trade and discouraging individual
excellence for the benefit of sluggish mediocrity. It does
not seem to be Mr. Samuelson's opinion that foreigners
have ;any advantage over us naturally, or that their
superior education has given them any advantage
which wet cannot easily overtake. Where they have
gained is simply in small economies and cheerful
co-operation. Instead of fighting over wages, and
spending money and time in attempts to make trade more
profitable to one class than another, masters and men have
pulled mere amicably together, and have thus been
enabled to turn every opportunity to account. To sur-
pass them once more we have only to do as they do, and
then leave our natural aptitudes and resources to deter-
mine the preponderance. We must not leave them with
a monopoly of the advantages of education ; we must not
be quarrelling while they are working with one accord.
But it results from Mr. Samuelson's observations that it
is not education alone which leads to inventive power.
Technical schools have not produced such men as those
who laid the foundation of our industrial eminence. With
all our shortcomings, we have not yet been overtaken in
those qualities which first made us what we are. These,
it is to be hoped, are still indigenous, and if to such advan-
tages we do but add those of cultivation and prudence, we
shall have very little difficulty in maintaining our position,
and in securing to this country all those benefits of indus-
trial excellence which have been expressed so plainly in
our national prosperity.