The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-08 00:00:00

NATIONAL EDUCATION IN
IRELAND.

The Eighth Report of the Board of Commissioners
of National Education in Ireland, contains various
papers and documents explanatory of the present state
of the schools in that portion of her Majesty's King-
dom, both as regards the instructive and statistical
departments.
Upon the former point a copy of a letter addressed
to the Duke of Leinster from the Chief Secretary of
Ireland, gives a view of the various methods which
have been proposed for adoption in these schools for
the purposes of harmoniously combining the educa-
tion of Catholics and Protestants. Two plans have
been tried—those two were in turn found insufficient
and objectionable, and a third has finally been found
to meet and conciliate interests in apparently a satis-
factory manner. We draw up a succinct notice of
the three :
I. First in 1812, the children of these schools,
Catholic and Protestant, were all educated together,
and the Holy Scriptures, without note or comment,
used for the common instruction of all. But in this
method it was overlooked that the principles of the
Roman Catholic Church were totally hostile to this
system, since it permits not even to adults, and far
less to children, indiscriminate reading or unaided
private interpretation of the sacred volume. Notes
and comments of its own creed it inseparably appends.
The opposition, therefore, of the Roman Catholic
clergy caused this system to be withdrawn.
11. The next plan was brought into operation in
1824-5. The new scheme caused two teachers to be
appointed in every school, one Protestant and one
Roman Catholic, and a selection from the Scriptures
drawn up, and so framed as it was supposed they
would be generally acquiesced in by both persuasions.
On trial, however, this system was found to be im-
practicable, and it went the way of its predecessor.
111. Finally, In 1828, a Committee of the House
of Commons, to which were referred the various Re-
ports of the Commissioners of Education, recom-
mended a system to be adopted which should afford a
combined literary, and a separate religious education.
This was adopted. The school hours for ordinary in-
struction of the collective pupils were ordered to be
five days out of the week, and the remaining two to
be entirely devoted to religion. Spiritual and moral
instruction was also not to be neglected on the other
five, but after the appointed " school times" clergy-
men and parishioners were to be permitted and en-
couraged to attend the pupils, and instruct them ac-
cording to their creeds.
This last plan has been found efficacious, approv-
able, and good, and the number of schools and pupils
over which the system holds sway, will be understood
by reference to the subjoined statement.
On the 31st of December, 1841, there were in the
province of Ulster 1,005 schools in operation, con-
taining on their rolls, according to the latest census
taken of them, which was in the preceding September,
a total of 90,531 males and females, with an additional
number of 103 schools in process of building, deduct-
ing, however, 44 struck off.
In Munster, 482 schools, containing 75,191 males
and females, with 113 schools forming ; 30 struck off.
In Leinster, 642 schools, containing 88,092 males
and females, with 81 schools building, and 30 struck off.
In Connaught, 208 schools, having a total of 25,897

males and females, with 85 schools building, and 10
struck off.

From this it appears summarily, that there at pre-
sent exist in Ireland throughout the four provinces
above given, a total of 2,337 schools, educating within
their walls the number of 279,711 male and female
children, of mingled Catholic and Protestant persua-
sion, while an additional number of 382 schools are
now in active construction, in which it is calculated,
upon their completion, that the further number of at
least 48,356 children will receive the benefits of en-
lightenment and instruction.
By. drawing a comparison between the state
of this vast body of schools at the commence-
ment of the year 1841 and its conclusio.n,
progress will be reported as follows : The
Commissioners had, according to their own showing,
1,978 schools in operation at the year's beginning, at-
tended by 232,560 children. At the close of it, 2,337
schools, which were attended by 281,849 children ;
having also at the same time undertaken to make
grants to 382 schools, which had not then opened,
and the attendance upon which it was expected would
amount to about 48,000.

The Board finally calculate that they may look for-
ward to having between 300,000 and 400,000 poor chil-
dren receiving education under their superintendence
in the course of the present year, and such an educa-
tion as it may be hoped will make them recruits to
the cause of public order and peace.
With regard to teachers, it may shortly be stated,
that since the date of the last Report hereon the Board
have caused to be trained 136 during the last year, in
addition to the 645 before then in employ, making a
total of 781.

We cannot dismiss the subject, however, one preg-
nant with so much good to the rising population m
Ireland, without alluding to the inconsiderable sala-
ries allowed to the masters and mistresses, the highest
class-man of the former receiving no more than an
annual sum of 201., and the females 151., while under
ones range as low as 101., and even 6/. It is true that
the Commissioners enforce that a further income be
secured to the teachers, either by local subscriptions
or school fees ; but in such a case fluctuative or pre-
carious stipend in any shape ought to be put out of
the question. The instructor of youth fills an honour-
able and responsible post, and ought, therefore, in all
situations to be honourably and liberally dealt with.

SE N TENDING of the YORKSHIRE

RIOTERS.
YORK, SEPT. s.—This morning the Learred
Judges at ten o'clock proceeded to sentence the pri-
soners, who, to the number of more than 150, were
assembled in the two Courts.

The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE, when the names of
those who were before him (each Judge having those
whom he had tried) had been called over, addressing
himself first to the case of one Mitchell, who had
been convicted of plundering a soldier, senseless and
bleeding, in one of the affrays between the military
and the mob, said, the prisoner formed one of those
who had been found guilty of offences connected with
the recent lamentable riots. His offence, indeed, had
a degree of criminality about it which did not charac-
terise those of the other prisoners, who, however, had
participated in illegal proceedings, out of which acts
the most criminal naturally arose. First, men allowed
themselves ignorantly to he banded together, for the
purpose of absurdly and tyrannically attempting to
control the freedom of labour, and to prevent those from
following their usual avocations who were disposed so to
do. Of course these outrages were not to be permitted ;
and force being assembled to resist the riot, there arose
the second stage in these criminal proceedings. The
police, and ultimately the military, were called in to
suppress the sedition ; for it must now be clearly seen
that the law would ever, in the end, prevail ; that the
authorities would not submit to be controlled by a
lawless mob ; but that the law would justify the adop-
tion of any force to maintain its supremacy. When
the civil force, then, was appealed to with this view,
bad men, who had private reasons for detesting the
constabulary, would of course take the opportunity of
assaulting them. Forgetful of the plain and undeni-
able truth that the civil powers are even more for the
protection of the lower and poorer orders than of other
classes, ignorant people assembled against them, and
the opportunity was selected by wicked men of wreak-
ingh
upon those whose vigilance
reasontoll n
dislike.
.Depraved men, too, availed
tey their mean
themselves of the confusion created by foolish men for
the purpose of robbing; and they certainly had as
much right to plunder as the others had to riot, the law
condemning both asdecidedly, though, of course, distin-
guishing as more guilty these who added robbery to
rioting. This was the case with the prisoner a the
bar, whose character was very bad. And what was
to prevent the vilest and most desperate men (though
this was too often forgotten) from pursuing their vi-
cious courses during the period of general confusion,
when law and order were temporarily overcome ? It
was lamentable that so many of intelligence sufficient
to see this should have been found linked together in
proceedings of which others far more depraved would
inevitably take advantage. The most foolish must
have known they were doing wrong in aiding or abet •
tin', proceedings so palpably unlawful, though they
might not have committed acts of such criminality as
that of the prisoner, the sentence on whom was trans-
portation for ten years.
The other prisoners were then called upon to say
anything they thought proper in mitigation of punish-
ment. Many of them availed themselves of this per-
mission, and proceeded generally to assert their inno-
cence pertinaciously; such of them as stated what was
utterly inconsistent with the facts deposed to were
reminded of this by the Lord Chief Justice, who at last
severely reprimanded one man who was violently attack-
ing the witnesses against him, his Lordship observing
that no good could possibly arise from persisting in
denying guilt which had been clearly established in
evidence, and affirmed by the verdict of a Jury.
Some of them. however, who had pleaded guilty,
spoke respectfully in extenuation of their offence ; and
some who had been convicted stated facts not incon-
sistent with the evidence, tending to show that the
extent of their participation in the riots was but tri-
fling; most of them received good characters, and the
greater part earnestly declared this to have been the
first occasion of their conviction for any offence.

Lord DENMAN proceeded to address the prisoners
generally, who, he said, had been guilty of violating
the rights of persons and of property most seriously,
all of them having been guilty of rioting, many of
them of conspiracy as well. They had lent themselves
meanly and abjectly as the instruments of men much
worse than themselves, who had, after duping them,
left them to bear the brunt of the inevitable
consequences. If they had felt like Englishmen,
they would have manfully resisted such disgraceful
influence, and refused to become the tools of base
incendiaries. The law had not yet laid hold of
the main movers in these disgraceful proceedings ;
and' it seemed that some persons at a distance
even had power enough to induce many to prefer
sacrificing their resources for seditious purposes to
profiting by a course of steady and honest industry.
Example must be made of all who in whatever manner
set the law at defiance. Men must be taught that the
law was not to be broken and the peace disturbed with
impunity. The least intelligent must be fully aware
that no dependence could be placed on the forbearance
of a mob ; that nobody could foresee how long the
grossest outrages might be delayed ; and that it was
only the salutary terror of such proceedings as the
present that could restrain the lawlessly disposed. It
was necessary this also should be impressed upon the
minds of the people—that if, in consequence of an un-
lawful assembly and the attempt to disperse it on the
part of the authorities any one so engaged were to be
killed, the guilt of murder would be shared by all
who were included in that assembly. There was not
the least doubt that this was the law of England, and
it was well that it should be se, for otherwise every
one would say, what the generality of the prisoners
now present had said, " I had no part in the matter ;
I wielded no weapon; I gave no blow ; I committed
no violence." It was quite possible that some of those
now at the bar might not have actually injured any
person, but all those who were all together in an ille-
gal gathering, giving thereto the sanction and the en-
couragement of their presence, were equally involved
in the responsibility. Danger and terror ne-
cessarily arose from the congregation of a large
and riotous assembly, and in the guilt all were sharers
who combined to form the multitude. Extreme, indeed,
would be the peril if the law followed any other rule.
In some cases persons had endeavoured to extort
money under the apprehension of violence. If in any
such case money had been paid, the receiver—it should
be well understood—would be guilty of no less a
crime than highway robbery. The essence of this
offence was the extortion of money through fear of
violence. What could be a greater source of terror
than a vast and lawless mob ? And the absurdity of
the multitude rendered them not less dangerous or
less criminal. In several of the cases which had been
tried on this occasion the jurors had made recommen-
dations to mercy, which the Judges were disposed
very much to extend over the whole number, for the
jurors had evidently entertained the impression that
many of the prisoners had been misled by others, but
still, it was to be feared, too much with the con-
sciousness of ill-doing, and too much with the con-
currence of their own will. It was a painful duty to
deal in the way of punishment with numbers of men
who had the power of maintaining themselves in a
very respectable sphere of life, and with every
desirable comfort, but who, through their own folly,
had placed themselves in a position in which they
were liable to be imprisoned among felons, in gaols—
the disgrace of which many of them had never before
incurred—there to expiate the criminality they had
become involved in. The Judges would, of course,
endeavour to draw the best distinction they could,
though it was not possible to be thoroughly accurate.
Some would have punishments lighter far perhaps than
they merited, others would be discharged with none
at all ; and it was to be hoped that this lenity would
have the effect of teaching them not to distrust the
law, but to feel assured of its considerate protection,
while its authority must be maintained. Let it be
borne in mind, that though character had answered
once with many of them, it would never prevail so
again ; and that if any one of them were hereafter
caught in such proceedings, their treatment would be,
deservedly, fur more severe. It was impossible not to
remark how ably, and at the same time humanely, the
magistracy had behaved through these transactions,
at the same time their conduct had been such as
must have satisfied the people that magistrates of
all politics and all persuasions were firmly resolved to
preserve the authority of the law. In the prosecu-
tions the greatest forbearance had been manifested,
probably too much so, for the Judges imagined they
had not heard the worst of these proceedings ; how-
ever, they could only deal, of course, with what they
had before them in evidence ; but they felt concerned
to find symptoms of something like intimidation and
improper influence displayed in the indisposition of
some witnesses to repeat at the trials testimony they
had decisively•
given be fore the magistrates. (In one
or two cases witnesses pretended not to be able per-
fectly to identify men to whom they had previously
sworn distinctly.) It would serve such people right
if actions were brought against them by the men who
had been confined so long on their evidence, which
after all it should seem they durst not adhere
to. The humanity of the prosecutors was re-
markably exemplified in the case of Wilkinson
who had been convicted of a riot in which it ap-
peared he had stabbed a constable with his knife ;
this was only laid as a misdemeanor, though it might
, have been put as a felony. The sentence, however,
would be the most severe that could be inflicted for
the offence on which the indictment had been framed,
and that was imprisonment with hard labour for 18
calendar months. The next case in point of violence
would be 12 months. Armitage (who had been so re-
spected as to be appointed a Wesleyan Sunday school
teacher), with some others, six months ; others (whom
the Learned Judge named) were sentenced to terms
of 5,4, 3, and two months. Some were let off with
a nominal term of three weeks, dated from the com-
mencement of the assizes, and a number were dis-
charged on their recognizances.
Mr. Justice MAuLB disposed of hi- cases in a
similar way, addressing the prisoners in the same
strain.

The proceedings were over by about noon.