The Statesman.
London, England, 1813-11-11 00:00:00

iies----_
*herein the duties of all the officers of the instills,
firm should be defined. Ile (Mr. H.) and some other
Gentlemen drew up, not only the code which would!,
.be presented to the Meeting, but else a complete!'l
set of bye-laws. Mr. Place and Mr. Ball; the,
friends of Mr. Lancaster, met and went over the code
regulation by regulation. It was then reprinted and
a copy sent to Joseph Lancaster, and he was requested
to go over the regulations, one by one, 'that they
.might have the benefit of his assistance. A second
meeting was then held, and, notwithstanding he had
been earnestly requested to attend, lie was not pre-
•sent. Was it then for him to say, that time had not
been given him ? He had, indeed, commissioned his
solicitor to explain the reasons why Ate did not at-
tend, but the only reason his solicitor me was, that
lie was engaged in some accounts. Surely ho might
have spared three hours to have given his opinion on
so important a subject. Nor had he attempted to
give his opinion on it, but now, whets be had come
forward, to stop its progress. Was alit love to the
Institution? lie (Mr. Hume) was afraid not. Jo-
seph Lancaster had mistaken the applause which had
been given to' the system, to be applied to ltis own
personal merit. They wished him to consider him-
self as the agent in a great work, and as such he
would meet with their support.—[Applause]
Mr. LA ex tsyte.—l will correct Fi iend flume in
one fact. I believe I was not at Kensington at the
first meeting. I acknowledge lam not in a situation
which admits of cool deliberation, and therefore I
request time for it. - As for love to the institution,
my past actions have proved it, and I hope my fu-
ture actions will ; and gladly, for the satisfaction of
having educated 120,000 more poor children, would
I take the place of shoe-black in my own institution.
I have gone through the duties of the institution from
the highest to the lowest, and can suggest more than
any other person to those who stand in my shoes.
With *emit b theory, with me it is practice, and I
impect, in return, kindness and fair dealing.
• The bake of KENT corrected the assertion of Mr. !
Lancaster, as to his not being piesent at the first',,
meeting at Kensington. Every possible exertion (he
said) had been Mule to convince Mr. Lancaster of
that error which made him the enemy of the Insti-
tution, instead of its supporter, and would cause
him to continue to be its enemy until he were unde-
ceived. At the first meeting Mr. Lancaster was con-
vinced of the state of his own affairs for the first
time, and lei, therefore, was not excused from giving
ette.ciait to the code [applause].
Mr. 1,. NG\STEN said, that the statement of his
Royal Highness was probably correct, but he begged
that in the situation under which he laboured, any in-
correctness as to dates might be pardoned.
Mr. IVIIITIBREAD said, that as his name had been
mentioned, as having been present at a meeting, by
his Hon. Friend (Mr. Hume), he hoped he might be
allowed to say a few words on the subject of that
meeting ; all that had been said of that meeting he '
(Mr. W.) could confirm. That meeting was a pain.,
fal one, the present meeting was a painful one, to all
who regarded Jos ?ph Lancaster with the reverence so
justly due to him. It is as essential, however, that
he oho raised the Institution should not be per.
mated to destroy it, and if support could not be
given both to Mr. Lancaster and his Institution,
they were obliged to support the Institution rather
than its founder. Mr. Lancaster professes that if
conciliation was held out, and he (Mr. W.) knew
not where any other spirit existed, he would give
the Committee the benefit of his practical assist-
ance—this was what they wished, they solicited,
they courted ; the poetical span of the system
was the department to which he was compe-
tent; to-the administration of affairs, to the finan.
cial part, he was not competent. There was not one
of the subscribers, from majesty itself down to the
lowest individual, who contributed his mite in aid of
the royal bounty, who did not favourably regard
Mr. Lancaster as the founder of. the Institution, and
its zealous and indefatigable supporter. It was not
too much to ask Mr. Lancaster to yield to the con-
viction of all his friends. Mr. Laticainet-had talked
of his tried friends: at one time those friends Were
the Royal Dukes; on them he fell back'for protec-
tion against the enmity of the Comthittte ;• then his
friends were Mr. Place and Mr. iblill'hittthey have
all been convinced that he was in the wrung,_ and if
Mr. Lancaster would choose any otielt4riends, he
(Mr. %V.) would forfeit all that was dear to him
on earth, if they were not convinced that the
Committee was in the right, and Mr. Lancaster in
the wrong [applause]. Now when a man was so
, philanthropic as Mr. Lancaster, was it too little to
require that he should have enough discretion and
self-knowledge to yield to what all his friends thought
reasonable? Was it too.muth to ask, in the love
which he professed to his institution, *Ain the love
which he professed to mankind, to yield' to the opi-
nion of every other being, and to takethat phoebe
which he might contribute So much to the good of his
institution : to come down from the unnatiral height +
to which he had elevated himself, and to condescend'
to take that station of practical usefulness which was
far above his idea, and in which he might do, per-
hips, more good than could be done by any other
human being? [Applause.] As to the conciliation
which Mr. Lancaster required, there .was none
waisted. lie had no enemy. They solicited, they
intreated hint to take upon him that's situktioe for
which he was best qualified, and was it toe mach
to say of any man, that he was not equally great
in all things ? lie (Mr. Lancaster) said, that if he
were to die, he could give to any ents• who should
succeed him, information of the utmost consequence
to the objects of the Society. It usigitt be so ;' but
he was alive and active, and,while that wasthecaie,
so long as he withheld his services, he woad• remain
a _clog upon the wheels of -the Institution; Which
would render it a heavy load indeed to dreg on?
Suppose those Royal and Noble and Honourable
. Persons, Who had hitherto fostered the Institution,
• Were to withdraw themselves, and ba7, " Tate your
' Institution, and conduct it as you please:" Whet
Would be the consequence ? Froinlthat monteet, it
Institution ivoolsl have no supplett: It• weal& net'
have his (Mr. Whitbread's). Ito *OM, ithetefortir
mice itiore hermit Joseph LaneasierAkyleid`brille"
-. concurrent opinions of his old Reeds*. ' „AA,
• frieeds, and thus save himself, and edit %the
benefits of the Institution. By aspiatigtellteee the*
he'aoold attain, he would lose all. 'lrtienti Mit chit-
etteristic of a great mind, to yield tirtheudrice of