Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-23
John Bright on Education.

At recent Sunday School Conference in
Rockdae, Mr.. Brig spoke on the subject OF
education, citing examples from the common
school system of the United States. He pro-
duced statistics to show that in Manchester ard
Stafford there are more that fifty housand chill
dren who are receiving no instruction whatever.
OF these vast numbers are not even reached by
the agency Of the SUNDAY school, which seeks
to descend to The 10 est ranks of the people
He added:
"Now, shall give you the contrast 10 this.
TO show what mas been done elsewhere, ana
what might oe done here. | ask you just TO go
with me 10 d portion of the United States OF
America, which was peopIed from this country
some TWO hundred and forty years 20.
mean, the New England States. A. you ok
upon the map of the United States you will
6ud cluster of states to the northeast Of the
,tate OF New York Those six states are those
of New Eogland, which were originally peopIed
by the Puritan emigrants from England who
settled there. This is the districl 10 which /
wish to coutine Your attention, and | am not
asking YOU 10 lock over the whole of the l United
States. though IN all the free states the same
system is extended to great degree, and Ii
gradually producing similar fruits.
As to the results | might give you the
statements of travellers, and L will give you
the statement IF one friend Of mine who Is now
40 longer living. | reier TO a very eminent
member Of the House Of Commons, the late
| Mr. Eiiice, ;he member for Coventry. Mr..
Eihce Travelled in America, as be nd done two
or three times before. very the c.ose OF
mis- life, some seven years ago. He visited
Canada and the United States, and in conver-
| satiOu which had with him after his return, :,
be said that iu those New Elgl land states there
VAS the most peTfect government IN The world,
there the most universal comfort amongst
tbs people and he said that the whole popuia
ZION, be believed, were more instructed, more
moral. and more truly hsply, than any Other
equal population had been 10 any country and
any age of the world. Cheers Tne
whole of this is to be traced, not TO the soil,
and not IN the CT mate, but II Is 10 be traced,
believe, to the extraordinary care which the iop-
uation. from The days OF the Pilgrim Fathers
until now. have .oken every ohild, 0oy and gr.
that that they should be Instructed, at least IN
the common branches of learning. Hear,
Hear
u met man once VINO told NE that until
he was ao jut twenty Years of age he had never
seen ulan that coulC not read and write, and
when he nd one, believe he had conn
from Europe, he looked at him with amaze
ment 3. you look with as;oni>hment sometimes,
and alec win great sympathy, upon persons
who have some extraordinary natural defect.
The cens.s shows that speaking generally.
there is scarcely TO be found person,
nauvs American certainly, and you .ould
fnd one out of many hundreds in the New Eug
land states, mo cannot read and write. Hear,
hear Now the influence OF those stte, is
enormous. Though only small states, contain
ing not more ti.sn onc-tenrh of the whole popu
la,ion of The American Union, yet the Influence
OF their opinions is felt tn the r-motrst corusrs
of that vast territory. Hear. hear In New
~,,Fs.,,
plan. They have tried il for TWO hundred Years
It's success is beyond all contest-it is abs lute-
ly complete [Hsar. hear Tnere is nothing
ike it that has been equally successful in the
world. And whlt our Puritan ancestors have
dene q know they s.re our ancestors as well
theifs) in the States, il the people of Eng
land had the scn-e to comprehend their true
interests, they might compel 10 be done in the
country IN which live - Loud cheers.J