The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-17 00:00:00

EDUCATION QUESTION

A meeting of the Conservative Operatives resident in
Kirkdale took place on Tuesday evening last, on the subject
of this all important question. It was numerously attended,
and the feeling of all present appeared to be a determination
to do all they could to restore the schools to their former
Christian course of instruction. The assembly was chiefly
composed of the humbler classes.

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Mr. PROCTER begged leave to propose that they should
not separate before giving a vote of thanks to Mr. David
Hodgson, for his manly support in the Town-council of Pro-
testant Scriptural education in the corporation schools. He
for one could not account for certain members of that council,
professing conservative principles, so far forgetting them-
selves as to join the radical party ' • by so doing they had
tampered with n question, which, it left in its present shape,
would cuuse many Protestant children to he thrown on the
resources of the humbler classes for education.

Mr. JOHN SMITH perfectly agreed with the motion now
made, and was satisfied that there would not be one dissent-
ing voice, and proposed that a resolution to that effect be
now made.

Mr. HUMPHREYS observed, at their last meeting he pro-
posed that a memorial should be then drawn up, and pre-
sented to our representatives, asking them to stand firm on
the school question ; but he was overruled, as being prema-
ture, and was told that we ought to see what would be done
now that that all-important question was before the council.
It had been before the council twice, and was still in abey-
ance, through certain conservative councillors voting with
the supporters of the present rules and regulations of the
schools. He thought it high time that the thanks not only
of this ward, but all wards, should be voted to those conser-
vatives who had unflinchingly supported the motion brought
in by the education committee, and to memorialize those
who had deserted the cause to stand firm to the principle
which, after a struggle of six years, they had been returned
to the Town-council to support.
Mr. JAMES HUNTER stated that be was glad to hear that
such a resolution was proposed ; we had been fighting the
battle in the registration courts, and at the municipal elections,
for five or six years, for the main purpose of establishing the
corporation schools on true protestant principles, and now
that we had a majority of conservatives in the council to
enable them to carry out that measure, we were pnt back
from meeting to meeting by certain gentlemen professing
conservative principles.
A WORKING MAN observed that the conservatives had
mainly gained their present position from the help they had
had from the clergy—from such men as the Rev. Hugh
M`Neile, Fielding Ould, and last, though not least, their own
minister, David James.
It was remarked that though at present there was much
distress in Kirkdale it was not greater than► usually exists at
this period of the year, and this, as was alleged, caused by
the adoption of free-trade principles. There were many
watchmakers out of work through the importation of Geneva
watches ; and many of the market gardeners had not got so
good a price for their fruit, owing to so much French fruit
' being brought here. It was said that several of their body
were now suffering from the consequences of giving a eon-
, scientious vote at the last municipal election.

We understand that Dr. Wm. Hunter, rector of the
grammar-school, Paisley, has been appointed principal clas-
sical master of the High school, Liverpool. There were 41
candidates for the situation, several of whom were also emi-
nent scholars and successful teachers ; but the claims of
Dr. Hunter to the support of the electors were found to be
pount. The magistrates of Paisley, in accepting the resigna-
tion of Dr. Hunter, expressed, at the same time, in their
minutes, regret at being deprived of his eminent services.—
Scottish Guardian.
- -

AMPAITHEATRE.—Mr. Beverly has secured the aidof Mr.
Sloan, and Mr. Harper—two very popular actors—to add to
the attractions of his benefit this evening. Mr. Beverly, in
point of humour and broad farce, is not excelled by any on
the stage. It appears that Mr. Egerton has entered into an
engagement with Mr. Ducrow, who will shortly be here.
AN INGENIOUS DEVICE.—Thomas Hogle, a young man,
was charged before Mr. Rushton, on Wednesday, by a
recruiting sergeant. with having endeavoured to impose upon
her majesty's service in a somewhat singular and novel
manner. It appeared that the prisoner was extremely
anxious to become a soldier, but being one•eigth of an inch
under the standard height he fixed to the crown of his head
a ball of wax covered with hair. Having by this means
elongated himself to the required dimensions he was passed
on Friday, but being ordered to attend again on Sunday the
ingenious device was then detected, at which the colonel, in
his turn, waxed so wrath that he commanded the unfortu-
nate fellow to be taken into custody. Mr. Rushton said he
knew of no law which condemned a man to punishment for
such an act as that committed by the prisoner ; and he
thought, he said, that the East India Company were not so
very precise as to the height as in her majesty's service. The
sergeant, however, said that they were equally strict, and
that the standard heights were the same in both services,—
five feet six inches. At the request of the sergeant the
prisoner was cautioned not to repeat the offence, and was
then discharged.
- - - -

The Vice-Chancellor and the Heads of the Colleages at
Cambridge have by public notice interdicted students from
driving tandems and four-in-hand, on pain of suspension,
rustication, or expulsion.
THE " PEKING GAZETTE."—There exists throughout
China but a single newspaper, which is published at Peking,
and bears the title of King-naou, or " Messenger of the Im-
perial Residence."
- •

•
A poor man, named Charles Musgrove, an operative mason
at Sidford, in the parish of Sidbury, is a claimant, and the
supposed heir, to a large property, stated io be £30,000 in
the funds, besides considerable landed property in Somerset.
—Western Times.

" In a family, near Anjers," says a Nantes paper, there is
now to be witnessed the extraordinary genealogical pheno-
menon of a child, now two years old, who has got nine
ascendants all living—viz., a father, mother, two grandfa-
thers, two grandmothers, a great grandfather, and two great
grandmothers. The joint ages of the family, inclilding the
child, amounted to 530 years."

NORTH UNION RAILWAY.—We understand, that tha
arrangements which have hitherto subsisted between the
Lancaster Railway and the North Union Company, by which
the former agreed to take the Lancaster passengers up at the
North Union Station at Preston, will cease on the 31st inst.
The distance between the North Union Railway and the
Lancaster Railway is said to be only 200 yards, but has cost
the North Union Company a sum of about £20,000. Hi-
therto the proprietors of the Lancaster line have, by a friendly
arrangement, paid the North Union a moderate sum per
annum for the use of this expensive portion of the line, and
thus, while some measure of justice has been awarded to the
latter, the public have been greatly benefitted. This new
move of the Lancaster directors will, in addition to what, in
our humble judgment, seems to be unjust to the North Union
Company, put the public to grsat inconvenience, by causing
considerable delay. The injustice to the proprietors of the
North Union may, in some measure, be obviated by the di-
rectors of the latter company laying on an extra charge, suf-
ficient to reimburse them for the sum withdrawn. t will
then be necessary for the Lancaster Company to reduce their
fares to a corresponding extent, otherwise it is plain the pub-
lic will be the sufierers. But even suppose the matter should
be thus adjusted, we do not see how the public is to be in-
demnified for the delay which will necessarily arise from the
alteration.