The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-13 00:00:00

Jact. The menu here will not be so
.small, but it
will he inconsiderable. Secondly, the ease, facility,
pleasure, and satisfaction, with which children are
taught in these schools, must greatly advance their
progress in their studies. Thirdly, the rules of the
school are such, that the habits and regulations to which
attention is given, will be of coesequence to them
through life. A fourth advantage, is its mild and effi-
cacious discipline; with disgust, with horror, and
with indignation, do we witness cruelty towards chil-
dren ; witich is culpable from preceptors, and despi-
cable from parents. Mal-practices such as these
I consider as the most abominable folly, calculated
to destroy that close confidence and unbounded
tender attachment, which should subsist between
children, and those from whom they received their
birth : they are contrary to justice and humanity.
I may appeal to the hearts of all who hear me, whe-
ther you do not.consider such acts of cruelty as
fla-
grant violations of the duties you owe to GOD and
your children? Gentlemen, It has been supposed
that this school, which is so well adapted to this par-
ticular district, will take away from the Sunday
School already established some of the scholars, or
at Vast will interfere with them. We have no wish,
we have no right whatever to do so, and we even

think they cannot interfere together. They cannot,
as 1 conceive, injure each other ; for by this means
The children will confine themselves on that day to

religious exercises, without attending to the mecha-

sical parts of oducation, which at present occupy
them. His Lordship then stated, that the Meeting
was deprived of the pleasure of seeing among them
their two represeutatives in Parliament, who were
both the subjects of indisposition; he read a letter
from each of the host. Baronets, in which they de-
clared Weir hearty approbatioe of the int nided
school, and their determination to support it ; after
which, his Lordship introduced Mr. JOSEPH Fox,
from London, the .Secretary to the InAtitution for
promoting the Royal British System of Education,
who a poke to the following effect I--
MY LORD, LADIES, AND Geseriestre,—l feel it
a very great honour at being invited to this meeting :
had Mr. Lancaster beets in town, he would have at-
tended with far greater advantage from his peculiar
knowledge of the subject; but 1 hate seen the good
effects of his plan upon thousands and thousands of
children, who, but for the existence 'of his schools,
would have been in the streets and fields learning to I
become abandoned members of society. We are all
`the subjects of education ; and if we do not learn that
which is good, we must learn that which is bad. It
is instruction which removes the baneful impressions
which surrounding objects are calculated to produce..
By it the moral condition of this country will be im-
proved, and I hope its benefits will extend to all
parts of the world. In America this plan of educa-
tion hasbeen received withgreater eagerness than even
in England ; because happily, on that continent, cer-
tain prejudices do not exist. The object in view is
to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, on the
great civility of widen it is Rot needful to dwell.
Dorit.g an occasional residence at a neigbouring
village, to my great astonishment, I found grand-
fathors and grandmothers not capable of read-
ing a single letter : now, it is evident, if persons be
incapable of reading, it is impossible that the stores
of learning, and particularly that sacred source of all
religion, the able, can he known and enjoyed.—
The u n:sincated poor are unable to understand what
tl.eir Milisters declare, when they preach to them.
The preaching of the Gospel makes little impression,
because the understanding, which is the avenue to
the heed, is uninformed.
Wi is regard to the mode adopted by Mr. Lan-
caster, he himself could best explain it ; but of its
effects I can speak from my own experience. I will
•etion one instance in the case of the son of a gen-
Ceman, who formed a Lancasterian school for the
poor living in the vicinity of his estates : his own son,
under the family tutor, scarcely made any pregress
in learning, and his parents thought tl-7 should be
under the necessity of giving him up for a dunce.—
He was, however, sent to their own free school,
under the discipline of which, he soon discover in-
tellects as strong as other chil‘lren : some have called I
it magic—l mean the quickness with v ..'tit they
learn, compared with the old plan. The effects of
this system, are produced from the arrangement eel
classes. All the children are actively engaged, from
the boy who cannot distinguish his letters up to the
head scholar. The meutal improvement which is
produced is like the raw material in a maeuteLtory,
being wrought up and prepared for the market.
I have also observed the happy effects produced on
the conduct of children—those of bad morals and bad
la-guage have been reformed. It !,as been said, that
no religion is taught in these schools ; but certainly
to promote morals is to promote religion. The chil-
dren also exhibit in their countenances a degree of
intelligence, and acquire a respectable demeanour,
which do uet belong to children in general.
It has been objected that the promotion of schools
will tend to diminish the labouring classes of socie-
ty; but we must all earn our livelihood by labour in
some calling—in agriculture, in trade, in arts, in
professions, or manufactories.
Let education become general among the poor, and
this kind of emulation which many fear will cease •
we may look to Scotland for a refutation of this ob-
jection, where labourers may be found capable of
reading the Latin Testament. By instruction, man-
kind will he made obedient to the dictates of con-
science, and the Precepts of the Almighty, and by
pursuing this plan, England will become the glory
of the world; for every Englishman will become
perior to every other man, who is not instructed.
The fatal consequenc‘s of ignorance have been seen
in a, neighbouring nation, and it is owing to instruc-
tion that our own country has been preserved. I
have been informed by a Captain of a man of war,
whose ship joined the alarming mutiny at the Nore,
the mutineers consisted for the greater part of those
who could neither rend nor write. They were acted
upon by the demagogues, and remained obstinate,
because they could not read declarations and procla-
mations, whilst those who had some education re-
mained subordinate, or were easily reclaimed.—This
fact is a considerable argument, and shews that men
will obey the laws, when they are able to understand
and appreciate them.
The great thing which recommends this plan, is
its cheapness, as it is u easy to conduct a school of
sue thousand as of one hundred children) because