The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-01-24 00:00:00

TO THH EDITOR OP THE LIVERPOOL STNADARD,

" Ducit amor patriae, et amor humani generis."

Sxu,—lf a Board of Education were established for the
Colonies, it might be asked—how ought they to proceed in

their labours, for the promotion of colonial education ?
This is a questionaluit may seem to stand on the very
threshold of the sutpd,- though, I may say, that it is not
absolutely necessary to detail all the modes in which such
a body ought to commence and carry on their labours.
They might proceed in many ways—the- colonial wants
being so many and so varied. If a question of dispute
may be- said, at all, to belong to it, it must be—in what
way should they first proceed so as to supply these wants ?
Whether are schools, teachers, or apparatus most needed ?
or what system of instruction, is best suited tothe.clifferent
states of civilization in which. the colonists are; and the
mutual and, physical peculiarities of the different' races to
which they belong. Which of these wants a board.should
first begin to. supply; and what system of instruction
adopt, might be subjects on which- some of thenas might
differ and dispute. But one want, a very important one,
which may be said to lay at the- very foundation, of all
:good education, and about which there- could belie dis-
pute whatever, is the want of normal-training institutions,
to,train native masters for the colOnies. This is a want
obvious at the- first mention, and should be 'suppliediat
the earliest opportmity. Schools, to be effective, must
have teachers who understand their business; and such,
men- can only be got by being trained to it. To educate-
should- be as much s profession as to, practise in physic.
or expound the common. law. None are allowed to prac=-
tise these= two professions without having studied in the
great' seminaries of the-land, and been regularly examined-
and appointed thereto. Quacks are not allowed to prac-
tise in- medicine; neither-should they be allowed to impart
instruction ; if the one- be dangerous, the other is a
thousandstimes more so. If so much care-has been taken
to prevent improper persons from poisoning the body,
surely as-much care should, be taken to prevent a similar
class from poisoning the- mind. Bad schools; with bad
teachers-presiding over them,• a high authority on educa-
tion has-condemned as worse than none. Teaching im-
plies a faculty, and superior powers of teaching implies
the possession-of a superior faculty.
All men. with any knowledge of the art, of: teaching,
know thaeit is not every man—no, not evensevery clever
man—who can smak ea good teacher. A good ene must unite
diligenc4 knowledge, patience; and-the faculty to impart
to others, what he knows himself. Manner, character,
talent, information, and power,-not only to think, but to
communicate the subjects of-his thoughts, orally; united
with skill; which can only be got by practice, are all
essentially necessary to form the efficient instructor.
Thus, it must be evident, that- such men art. not, to he
Culled Irom.among tue colonists at pleasure. 'graining in
the -art of instruction is necessary to • form them:first, and
before this-can be accomplished, training schaels must be
built.

I know that the mention of training schoolslvill awaken
in the minds of many, at thy:: first glance, a dread .of the
cost whichthey must entail upon us and the colonists.
This reasoning will only' arise.-in the mind tTh-migh reason-
ing from. analogy. In England these institutions are
imposing stone edifices ; displaying. architecturalheauties
of the highest order, and full:of complicated. design; but
in warm. colonies, bordering..on the tropics, it is not
necessary that they should be so. In the warm, serene
climate of the Mauritius, some lightly-built place might
suffice, and.so in other colonies ; thus the expense would
be greatly. lessened, and the fears .of many removed. In
warm climates it has been the custom for many ages, and
is so still; to teach in the open. air. The ancients knew
the influence of nature over-the • humanheart when they
took their. pupils under the shade of some noble old tree
to instruct them. Her green page lay open before them,
and they could discourse of her mysteries, with effect.
That their teaching was effective, history has left no
doubt ;; Plato taught in the open groves of. Academia,
with the clear, blue sky of-Greece over his head ; and that
his teaching was most effective, the number of his followers
may fully prove. The open air, teaching of his disciples
and proselytes placed him, upon. a throne from which he
was.not dethroned for many ages. Zeno,also, the founder '
of the •school of the Stoics, taught at Athens in a very
open,place ; it was in the. Stoa,. where the merchants'
pods were landed, and which had only a covering over it.
Aristotle also taught in a walk connected with the temple
;of Pau, called Lyceana.. In fact the teaching of the
ancients was very muchin the open air, or in places with
very slight build. Their •warm and. genial climates made
it pleasant for them to, be. in. the- open air. I could,
enumerate the schools,of most of thenations of the ancient
world, and describe them, to show the truth of the above..
In our own Eastern possessions, India, the children were •
taught to read and write in. the sand; and the Hindoo.
village schools were. mostly held under the shade of some.
venerable tree. This.was the case for ages before- the
country fell into our. possession.
I have thus,. Mr: Editor, called your attention to, the
subject of tramiaig schools for the colonies, and also
pointed out that they would. not need to be, in, many of
our dependencies, the. expensive things they are in, Eng-
land ; but that places for training the natives to the duties
of teaching shinild, be in. them, no one will for a. moment
doubt. The contrast between the public sahools of the
present time, and the- dame and common day-schools at
the end of the last century, fully proves the: importance of
having men trained to the office of teacher: In. fact, the
way in which, youths. are trained and taught will influence
their whole lives. The: poet Wordworth, whewas neither
too hasty in, giving. utterance to his sentiments, nor untrue
to nature-in them, has told us that the child is " Father of
the man;" and in this declaration he, has given out a
great truth. in. mental philosophy ; but still, though the
faculties and powers which rule the child are the same

that dch the man, yet a great deal dopends upon the train-
ing and direction given to them in, youth. But we have
a greater authority, far, than Wordsworth for asserting,
that if we " Train up a youth in the, way he should go,
when, he is old he will not depart from it." This is a
declaration in the Book of Life, made by the Royal
preacher; and one of great truth, which should be at-
tended to by educators. The youths in our colonies are,
babes in knowledge, even of a human kind; and, alas
they are not even this in the Lord Jesus Christ and His
righteousness. But they hay.e hearts with the same warm
impulses ; minds with the same faculties ; and souls with
the same longings after immortality. They are to be
operated upon in the saint: way that our own are ; what-
ever knowledge is presented to them they will suck in
like the dry sand by the sea shore which drinks up the
first waves of the returning tide which flow on to it.
Where these schools should be erected for the West
India Islands, I beg now to call your attention to. For
Jamaica one might be erected at Kingston, and. for Thni.
dad at Port of Spain. In Antigua, St- John's would
probably be the best place. Barbadoes has Codrington
College, and the situation of it of such a delightful nature,
that a wing added to it would be bettor than even having
it erected at the capital town. The college is surrounded
by gentle hills on all sides ; possessing also the superior
advantages of the sea breeze, and an unbounded view of
the Atlantic. A beautiful stream of water is collected
into a lake in its front. This situation is so favourable
for health and study, that it is the best place which could
be adopted for it. Where the islands are very small and
contiguous, one good-sized institution might suffice for
two : e.g., one at St. George's, the capital of Grenada,
might do for it and Tobago ; and one at Castries, in St.
Lucia, might do for it and Montserret. Another at
Rousseau, in Dominica, might do for it and St. Vincent ;
and one at Basseterre, in St. Christopher, might do for it
and the two small islands of Nevis and Anguilla. The
Bermudas and the Bahamas might be treated in a similar
manner. The Isle of Mauritius and its dependencies (the
Seychelles) might be treated in a similar manner to the
islands just named. Sierra Leone, Cape Coast Castle, and
the trading posts along the Gambia, might go in with
this class of colonies ; so might the Cape, Guiana, Hon-
duras, and Ceylon. Training institutions in these colo-
nies would not be so very expensive as some might sup-
pose, and they would be productive of all the good they
have been in England, and much more. All the foregoing
colonies are wealthy enough to erect good schools for
themselves. Jamaica, some years ago, gave as large a
sum as £30,000 for the purpose of religious instruction,
and could also give something for the sake of carrying
out a system of education. I will call your attention, sir,
to the revenues of these islands in a future article, hoping
to show that they are wealthy enough to do much for
themselves upon the question.
But it might be asked, where are proper persons to
come from for presiding over all the training schools ?
How will you cow gun a number of talented men

The answer to this is a ready one. Look at oar own
country, with its numbers of talented men for whom there
is no opening at all suitable to their abilities. Great
numbers are plodding on in secondary and subordinate
situations, whose mental qualifications well fit them for
the highest places in their respective situations and occu-
pations. Britain has hundreds of such men within her
shores at this moment, who would hail the opportunity of
going out to the colonies. But looking at the race of
teachers now rearing in the public schools of England,
with the numbers that already crowd the metropolitan
and provincial training schools, will there not be very
soon great numbers fit for the occupation of training
masters ?

Even the present race of masters in the national
schools are fit to take charge of the colonial training
schools. It would thus be the means of raising the
schoolmasters' office at home, because it would keep before
them the prospect of a more extended field of usefulness
in the dependencies. Ten or twelve years' servitude in a
large school at home, with the constant charge of pupil
teachers, would be an excellent preparation for training
teachers afterwards ; for the experience which masters
would necessarily have of teaching, and the qualities re-
quisite to conduct a large school well, would enable them
to cultivate those qualities in the youths of our colonies :
it would also cement a closer union between us and the
colonists. At the present time, a teacher in England has
no prospect before him but to stay where he is, or to pass
to another school like the one he is in. Other professions
have better prospects. The surgeon may rise to a phy-
sician; the barrister to the bench; and the curate to a
rectory, deanery, or see ; but the schoolmaster, to remain
in his office, must continue where he is, or pass to a school
in which he will get a few more pounds per year for his
salary. True, the office of the teacher, in a Christian point
of view, is one of great importance ; and, when faithfully
discharged, his hopes of reward hereafter may be very
bright indeed. But in reasoning on this subject, we must
not treat them other than as human, and affected by mate-
rial interests, like other men. Bright examples, I know,
may be found among this class of men, who have for a
long period devoted their physical and mental energies to
their duties, never hoping for any other reward than that
which the sincere Christian hopes for hereafter. They
have laboured, with a single eye, to the promotion of the
glory of God, which their office so abundantly affords
them the opportunity of doing; yet still if the opportu-
nity of becoming the head of a normal institution in the
colonies was before them, their office would be a much
more pleasing one for them to discharge. This aspect of
the question is an important one, and worthy of much
consideration.

The question is an important one in every aspect in
which it may be viewed; equally to the rich and poor;
to the clergy and schoolmasters ; toparents and their chil-
dren. Thus we would have stronger ties binding the
colonies to us than political ones. The latter interests
seldom last long without some jarring arising ; commer-
cial interests awaken cupidity and avarice in the human
bosom, and may be broken at any time; but spiritual,
mental, and moral ones bind nations as with a silken cord
of friendship, and may last for ages. Thus, if training
schools were erected in all the colonies I have named, a
great impetus would be given to the progress of education
in them. Between thirty and forty of them would (con-
sidering the aggregate population) be a sufficient number
at present. In England and Wales there are; at the pre-
sent time (including the diocesan ones), between' forty and
fifty training schools. We have not too many with these,
for each county ought to have one in addition to the me-
tropolitan ones : but swards of forty, for a population of
15,000,000, is not a bad number. I only wish the colonies
had as many ; they would produce great results, and at a
cheap rate.
In England and the prin-eipality (Wales), the outlay for
these schools during a period of seven years, i. e. from
1844 until 1851, was £355;403 ; the grants made by par-
liament, during the same period, amounted to £137,623.
These sums-are large ; but taken into consideration wit])
the extent of the edifices, and the costly nature of the.
apparatus with which they are: fitted up, &c.. they do not
appear extravagant, _

In my next, I shall beg to call your attention to the
fitness of theiVest India Islands to be at the expense of
building these' schools for themselves, and one or two
other points cf importance connected with the subject;
and, in the meantime, I am your Obedient servant,
Rathbone-strcet, Liverpool,

Jan. 19',.1854.

JA.XES LISTER.

NUIStNCES IN LIVE WOOL.

TO THE EDITOR: OF THE LIVERMOL STANDARD.

Sin,—Having frequently had occasibn, whilst staying
in Liverpool, to notiee. various annoyances and incon-
veniences which strike me as being peculiar to the good
awn, I wish, as an da. subscriber to the Standard, to
disw public attention' to them through* the medium of
your widely-circulated' and useful sheet':.
The first and greatest nuisance I shall` allude to is the
irregular system of walking carried on in even the princi-
parstreets. Cursorily viewed, this may appear a light and
frivolous subject for discussion ; but it is, iirreality, very
far-otherwise. One might suppose that in, Liverpool—a
town ranking second to. none, in a commercial point of
viewtime was money. If this be so, why waste so much
in the unnecessary and complicated shuffling, jolting, and
squeezing, which may be- witnessed any day in the first
streets of the town ? In3London it is very different; why
could it not be so in Liverpool? lam well aware that
the great number of foreigners and sailors constantly in
the port, who straggle about' in a very unaccountable
manner, must, in some degree; tend to retard the carrying
out of the proper system,. by which such innuense num-
bers-are enabled to pass Meng comfortably in the streets
of the metropolis ; yet, making allowance for this, there is
ample scope for improvement. Surely it is an easy matter
for aaperson to keep to his or her right hand;in walking
alonga street ; and if all would but do this, there would
be at once the two properand requisite streams, in oppo-
site directions, moving alOng with speed. and comfort,
instead of the unceasing confusion which wenowsee.
Tlie second cause of complaint is the obnoxious practice
of pasting innumerable billa inside those palisades which
are temporarily thrown over the flags during building
operations. Now, the excessive pressure one is often
snbjeet to, in passing through one of those street tunnels,
is bad enough in itself, but, with the additional horrors of
wet paste, and stumps of"rusty nails, which: have been
inefficiently drawn from the .old boards which constitute
those passages, it is really shameful, and well' calculated
to spoil any good dress that has the misfortune to enter
one-of them. Indeed, it is a matter of surprise to me,
that the town's authoritisslave not taken this matter into
their• serious consideration ere this, and' taken steps to
have.it either entirely removed or greatly moderated.
There is another subject or two which should very
properly be investigated; and concerning which I may
trouble you again at some • future period, but at present I
wiltnot encroach furtherupon your valuable space, but
remain, Sir, yours &c.,
A WELL-WISHER TO, LIVERPOOL.

CASSELL'S ILLUSTE.ATRII FAMILY PXPER.-WSEICLY
CIRCULATION Two HUNDRED THOUSAND, and still rapidly
on,the increase. The First Monthly Par% consisting of Five
Numbers, in a handsome Wrapper, price Sixpence, will be
ready February Ist. This Part will consist of Forty Pages,
the same size as the Bitisirated London, New. The following
splendid Illustrations-will be contained in this Part :—Scenes
from "The Arctic Crnsoe"—A Merry Christmas—Turkish
and Egyptian Fleets—A Happy New, Year—Barge of the-
Sultan Log Almanack—Russian Costumes—Portraits of
Prince Paskewitch and frince Menachileoff—Ancient Kalmouc
Encampment—Group of Bulgarians.—Jassy, Moldavia—Turl•-
ish Races—Moldavian Costumes—Columbus taking Posses—
sion of the Island of St. Salvador—General D'H illiers and
Staff—Russian Troops—Hands and Paws—Railway Omnibus
—Scene from "Woman's Love"—"dtew of the Bosphorus--
Egyptian Recruits—Portraits of Redschid Pacha and Omar
Pacha—Crochet Pattern—Wallachia:v. Melon-seller, School-
master, and Barber—Attack on the Turkish Flotilla at Sinope
—The Turkish Eleet in the Bay of Bujugdere—Schumla, the
Head-quarters. of the Turkish. Army—Twenty Microscopic
Objects—View of Osborne, Isle of Wight.—(By P3st,,6d.
extra.)—J.Csasaws, Ludgate-hill, London; and all Book-
sellers.