The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-07-05 00:00:00

ice on tl

council paper, alleging charges against,
system of education now happily adopted in the
Schools, I thought that he and all who supported him were
at least premature in their demand for inquiry. I conceived,
in the next place, that Mr. Yates was acting not so much

poratio

from personal conviction, as under the influence, if not the
advice, of a gentleman who affects, in his public communi-
cations on the subject, to be a disciple of Socrates. Lastly
I imagined that the motion was one of the resources of f
tion, concocted in insincerity, and intended, whit

it ended, to serve theepurpose of faction. On these grounds
I considered that the proposition ought to be rejected. A
little more mature consideration, however, has materially
modified my opinion ; and, without assigning motives or al-
leging suspicion, I now think that the charges advanced by
Mr. Yates ought to be deliberately investigated, and the evi-
dence of ALL the witnesses, in the form of question and an-
swer, laid upon the council table.
Among the many considerations which have had weight
with me in forming this opinion, there are two which, to my
understanding, appear conclusive. The first is justice to the
public; and the second is the existing necessity for putting
an end to what has really become a rexala qwestio.
The first of these considerations is, in truth, the most im.
portant to the council ; and it being in the nature of an ab-
stract proposition or self-evident truth, it is not likely to be
seriously contested in argument. I shall therefore content
myself with observing, that it is not sufficient to say with
Mr. Birkett, that a decisive majority of conservatives havino.

been sent to compose the council, all the acts of the majoVl
are necessarily just towards the public. As to principi,
no doubt Mr. Birkett is right ; but in the practical applic
lion of all principles, wrong may be committed without t

veracity, so to speak, of the principle itself being
Let Mr. Birkett take an illustration of my m

iron].
himself. In social and commercial iife he is a man of honour
and integrity. No person who has any knowledge of society
in Liverpool would think of doubting either. Honour and
integrity constitute his principle of action towards all the
world ; but suppose artifice and misrepresentation cause him
to prosecute an innocent man—what then ? Why, even then,
nobody questions the uprightness of his intentions, but every-
body must regret that his acts have, more or less, produced
injustice. In like manner, the Education Committee—
strong in the conviction that their motives are pure, and
their principles of action founded on the very highest of all
duty—perhaps forget that what is right in the aggregate may
include something wrong in detail. The habits of mankind
are but a consolidation of their thoughts; but although, hu-
manly speaking, their habits may be right, who will venture
to defend all their thoughts ? Therefore, with all due defe-
rence to the opinion of Mr. Birkett, I am bound to say that,
without having any such intention, the Education Committee
may, in some way or other, by their agents, whether inferior
or superior I care not, have done injustice. Mr. Yates, on
the part of those whom he represents, affirms that they have ;
and a minority—not to be despised because they differ from
the opinions held by the majority—believe him. The coun-
cil is a legislative, not a partisan assembly ; and on these
several grounds I venture, in opposition to my first opinion,
to declare my conviction that tiler will fail in their duty to
the public if they refuse to institute a full and an impartial
inquiry into all the allegations of Mr. Yates which involve
the sacred principle of justice.
The other ground on which I recommend an investigation
is the opportunity it will afford of setting the question at
rest. I most conscientiously believe, that nothing but a

solemn act of the council, founded upon a deliberate, irr
tial, and complete inquiry into all specific charges that
be advanced against the mode of working the system,

system itself, '(for, in order to obtain rest from future agi
tion, I would even enlarge Mr. Yates's motion),. will l
that desired effect. Nothing of the kind has yet been
posed, yet there is nothing that appears so promising
conciliation and peace ; end when once a decision has
so made by the council, in its combined legislative, al
late, and judicial character, let the responsibility of agitt
rest upon those only who have the indecency to c"-- -
The time that the education discus
become a very serious, and almost

members of the council. The frequent displays
feeling by which they have been marked more than an,
discussions, are to be regretted by all who take a proper 171,,
of the matter; they compromise the dignity of the council
in its deliberative more than in its executive character, and
they engender feelings which I know have more than once
been most injurious to social intercourse. These are two
very obvious reasons, which, I should think, would convince
almost every member of that body of the wisdom of putting,
or endeavouring to put, this question at rest.
I have taken the liberty of offering these suggestions
through
ssi
through your columns, from a desire that
those as far as, Possible,
evils
strife and contention should cease. Toy banish
entirely is impossible, but I do not see the
al impossibilityrancour
of
preventing party warfare from leading to personal
and perpetual excitement. Let both sides
anlte in somewill then have
such manner as is here pointed out, and both
an honourable, comprehensive, and united staters, as far as
corporation education is
concerned, from which to make
their annual appeal in November. _ .

of personal

I have the honour to be, sir,
Your humble servant PE.
NSATORI

Great George-street, Thursday

[We have readily given insertion to the above letter of o
valued correspondent ; and yet we must take the libert,
expressing our dissent to the ground upon which his e
at hi en
argument is based. " Pensatore" urges inquiry i,
charges brought by Mr. R. V. Yates—that emb
of mawkish tom-foolery—in the hope that sue'
up": tol.iiiesvfeerrt,i,leet
e iteration
will tend to put an end to the vexata qua,stio
cation system in the Corporation Schools.
as popery retains such thing. It will not either shorten the th
monthls• council meeting; but, on the contrary, is
cessions which take place
more likely tomooperea
baitfiteelrdrefoorrimmionraetitoinreosofm :'
rest the edu•
stale charges,
ties, and greater private ill-feeling, Conflicting par
No discussion—no inquiry
and gentlemen of the peculiar organ' ns her serpent form,
cation question, so long
Earle and Mr. R• V. Yates are organisation of Mr. William
infirmities, or sillinesses, in the permitted to display their
these Arcadian twain —tl council chamber. , le one t Dismiss
shades of Abercromby., u 0 rusticate
racter of Daphne to the q are, the other amongst the
the retirement of the phi
fair Pll'l ' to enact the ch
1 lades who seek on I a-
peace and order in gle )lidays
,—and there
our local legislature. —En. possiblyma be
—ED. L. s.]

It will

-~.

EXCRUCIATING.—We found the following item about a
Quaker in some paper yesterday :—" What do you ask for
this article ?" said Obadiah to a modest young Miss in one
of our shops. " Fifteen shillings, sir; it is a superb article."
all the .
"You are a little dear young men tell me so," she replied, dropping her
, are you not?" said Obadiab. "Why,
eyes and °lnching. Obadiah came straight away.—c/asguiv
paper.