The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-07-04 00:00:00

short, in every brand of the national expenditure. The
1 chairman addressed the meeting at some length on the
objects in view. One of these was to obtain the adoption
of a simple and equitable system of direct taxation, fairly
levied upon property and income, in lieu of the present
unequal complicated, and expensively collected duties
upon commodities. After alluding to the patronage,
power, and extravagance of the aristocracy, he said that
the trading and commercial classes must make a struggle
and secure their due ascendancy. It often occurred to
him, particularly with respect to Mr. Hume's motion on
the extension of the suffrage, that was perhaps the short-
est way to reach the ultimatum they desired. They also
sought an extension of the suffrage.—ln conclusion, it
was resolved to call a meeting at some early day, with the
view of exciting the public mind on the important ques-
tion of finance.

SELECT VESTRY.—At the usual fortnightly meeting,
on Tuesday, Mr. Churchwarden Ferguson moved, in very
neat and feeling terms, a resolution expressive of the
board's warmest congratulations to the Rev. Jonathan
Brooks on his completion of the fiftieth year of his la-
bours in the church. The resolution expressed, in the
strongest manner, their respectful affection for him as a
Christian minister, and their high appreciation of the
invaluable assistance which, during a long connexion
with the vestry and parish, he has ever, with unvarying
kindness, afforded them, in their common efforts to pro-
mote the interests of the poor, as well as those of the
parishioners. The whole of the members of the vestry
here stood up, and remained standing, while Mr. Fergu-
son presented a copy of the resolution, which was carried
by acclamation, to the rector.—The Rev. Rector, who
seemed deeply affected by this unexpected testimony, re-
turned thanks for the address, and said that he would
place it alongside that from the clergy, and to the latest
hour of his life would derive great consolation from them.
They were much beyond any deservings of his, for he
could not look back on his past life with the same charity
and indulgence that they did. He did, however,, lay claim
to the possession of good intentions • and, as far as those
were concerned, he would not yield to any man. The
rev. rector replied at much further length, and was
greeted with loud and deserved applause.—The Medical
Relief Committee recommended that three dispensaries
be provided—one at the north end of the town, one at the
south end, and a third at the workhouse; that the medi-
cal districts be re-arranged, so, as to embrace a more equal
number of patients, there being- still thirteen districts as
at present; that each of the medical officers have a salary
of £6o' per annum, together with•the usual fe s for vacci-
nation and midwifery cases ; and that should any increase
of the medical staff be hereafter required, that number be
filled upenot by assistants, but by properly qualified per-
sons. The recommendations were unanimously carried.
—lt appeared that relief had been afforded to 9007 cases
for the week ending the 24th June, at a cost of £l2lB.
For the week previous, the relief afforded in money and
kind amounted to £666. Compared with the correspond-
ing weeks of last year, the falling off in money is £551,
and in cases of 3076.—Mr. Brown gave notice that he
would, at the next meeting, move the filling up of the
vacancy caused by Mr. Haigh having. ceased to be a mem-
ber of the Select Vestry.
MEETING RELATIVE TO A SOUTITBRN FERRY AT Lx-
VERPOOL.—A very numerous and respectable meeting of
the inhabitants of Toxteth Parx and its vicinity was held
at the public office (Toxteth) on Thursday, to consider
the propriety of establishing a ferry at the south end of
the. town. Among the gentlemen present were Mr. Benn,
Mr. Harbord, Mr. Mann, Mr. Lace, Mr. Roydon, town-
councillors, the Rev. H. Hampton, Rev. T. Nolan, Mr.
Yates, Mr. Grantham, and other gentlemen. Mr. Mann
was called to the chair, and advocated the establishment
of a Southern Ferry, admitting. however, that there were
difficulties in the way, as for instance, Pluckington Bank,
opposite the Brunswick Dock, that bank extended 900 feet
in one direction, and 1,500 in another, but he thought a
landing stage might be constructed opposite the Harring-
ton Dock. He had not, however, matured his iceas on
the subject. He adverted to the direct transmission of
vegetables to St. James's market instead of coming second
hand through St. John's. Mr. John Smith moved the
first resolution, and supported the object in view as a
means of general accommodation, as well as a sanatory
measure. The Rev. Mr. Hampton seconded the resolu-
tion. He expressed a' hope that all the obstacles might
be overcome, by going a little further south to avoid
Pluckington Bank. He trusted the authorities would
yield to the wishes of the inhabitants of the south end of
the town, and establish a ferry on the best available site.
The resolution was unanimously carried. Mr. J. Grant-
ham proposed the second resolution, to the effect that
there was no insuperable difficulty to the construction of
a landing stage, which was so anxiously called for, and
would tend to the moral, commercial, and sanatory im-
provement of the inhabitants of the southern districts of
the town. There was another question arising out of the
matter, and that was the want of accommodation in pass-
ing up and down the river. They bad 4 miles of sea wall,
and no convenience by water from one end to the other,.
and it was necessary to see how far vessels might be em-
ployed in passing up and down the river, as well as across
in all directions. It was with n, view to this object he
hailed the establishment of a landing stage at the south
end of the town with pleasure. He believed that if the
attempt was made by the Council, other parties would
come forward and do more; and lie had been desired by
Mr. Moss, of Otterspool, to say that if boats were em-
ployedupand down the river and across, he would at his own
expense, make a landing-stage opposite his own property.
The resolution was ably seconded by the Nev. T. Nolan,
anti carried unanimously. Mr. G. H. Harbord spoke in
persuasive terms-te bobnlf of a. southern ferry. On the
motion of Mr. J. B. Yates, seconded by Mr. riehee,
memorial was agreed upon, to be presented to the
Council, praying for the establishment of .a permanent
ferry at the south end of the town. Mr. Ambrose Lace,
as one of the representatives of Toxteth, commended the
object in view, and stated that it should have his 'west
attention in the Council. If it could be done, (and it so
appeared,) the sooner. the better. The Chairman con-
sidered the present a good time to get a landing-stage,
before the dock works were completed. Thanks were
then voted to the Chairman, and the meeting broke up.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND NATIONAL
EDUCATION.

On Wednesday, a public meeting was held at the
Concert-hall, Lord Nelson-street, for the purpose of
affording an opportunity to the Rev. Francis Ciose, M.A.,
of. Cheltenham, to explain the objects and importance of
the National Training School, now in operation at Chel-
tenham in behalf of which some further contribution is
still needed, in order to its being received into permanent
connexion by the Lords Committee of Council on Educa-
tion. The meeting was numerously and respectably
attended. The chair was taken shortly after seven o'clock,
by the Rev. Dr. M'Neile.
The CHAIRMAN then addressed the meeting at some
length, remarking in the course of his proceedings that
the object of the meeting would be announced to them in
the simplest possible manner by reading the name and
description of the training schools, the remarkable origin,
the evangelical principles, the infant history, and the
urgent importance of which would be laid before them by
Mr. Close. The name was—Church of England Training
Schools at Cheltenham, for the purpose of instructing
masters-and mistresses- for all parts of the United King-
doin, upon evangelical and Protestant principles in accord-
ance with the articles and liturgy of the Church of Eng-
land. He proceeded to state that the principle upon
which the education of the children of the operative classes
of England should be conducted had long been debated
and finally settled—at least in Liverpool. It must be on
the Scriptural principle ; and now some of them had made
the notable discovery that schools, in order to be efficient
for any good purpose, must have good teachers, and that
men and women in order to be good teachers must be
taught--taught not only to learn but to teach—taught not
only to acquire knowledge but to communicate what they
have acquired, and that consequently if schools were to
be efficient for training they must have efficient training
schools. He proceeded at considerable length to explain
the important difference between efficient and inefficient
teachers, and the difficulty of expanding the youthful
mind in the correct manner; and after requesting atten-
tion to Mr. Close's lucid statement, he resumed his seat
amid much applause.

The Rev. Mr. CLOSE then proceeded to explain the
principles of the system of education he advocated. He
observed that without the church and the pastors, the
schools must necessarily be deficient. He believed that
the subject of scriptural school education was one of tho
most important; and he observed, that important as the
subject was, it was only twelve months since that he first
began to see it in its true light. Our Protestant fore-
fathers, though they had done much for the liberty of
conscience, yet they had taken no pains to elevate the
minds and cultivate the hearts of the people of this country..
He then explained what he meant by education, as enlarg-
ing the powers of the mind and body, and educating for
immortality. The first step in the way of education in
the present century was the establishment of Sunday
schools. Then the Bell and Lancaster Sunday schools
were established. In 1820 infant schools were established ;
and the infant schools were decidedly the best, and most
intellectual of all three, and had done incalculable good
throughout the land. It was not until 1833 that the
government first stretched out its hands to give pecuniary
support to Scriptural schools ; but it was not until after
1839 that the government formed an institution and made
education a part and parcel of the government systeni.
Whatever might be the fate of the Church and State, at
least this great fact was established, that it was the boun-
den duty of the government Scripturally to educate the
children of the people.. From 1839 to 1846, various
schemes for the heterogenous education of the people were
propounded ; but to all of these he (Mr. Close) gave a
strenuous opposition, because he believed, and indeed the
government had since acknowledged it, that the conscien-
tious scruples of the people of this country were too strong
to permit the children of various religious denominations
to be educated together. Now, the amount of deplorable
ignorance in this country was fearful to contemplate.
There was, for instance, in some schools, ignorance quite
as great as amongst the Bachelors of Arts of Sarbonne.
How was it that ignorance so greatly increased ? One
cause was the vast annual increase of population. In
London alone, 46,000 a-year. Another cause was, because
the education given was a downright deception. He re-
lated instances of the deplorable ignorance which prevailed.
in Birmingham and other parts of the country. He re-
ferred to Morley's reports of the schools in the midland
districts to show the poverty and ignorance of the masters,
, and that, on an average, not one child in six could read.
How could a population be expected to be loyal men when
only one child in one school could tell the name of the
Sovereign of England ? In one of the midland counties;
5,000 miners spent £50,000 annually in. spirituous liquors.
It was therefore plain that the education hitherto imparted
was faulty and defective. The reason was twofold—first,
in the teachers, and second, in, the system. Many of the
teachers were persons who bad failed in business as shoe-
, makers and tailors ; and the reason such persons offered
thejuseives as teackers was, because tie salaries hitherto