The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1867-12-26

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Mr.. Lowe, "chief Of the Adullamites,"
in his Edinburgh lecture on Education,
urged the necessity imposed on England
by the new Reform Act Of securing the
education Of the people-"our new mas.
ters"-by compulsory means, II neces
sary. This would be . splendid result
Of the extension Of the franchise. Like
Mr.. Mill and others he urged that greater
attention should be given to modern sci
ences, languages and history, and less
to the classics and mythology that is
customary. Parts of his lecture were
very racy. As an illustration Of popu-
lar ignorance he related an amusing an
ecdote: s6 as asaa s4 -
| You will remember that Mr. Bright,
in last session of Parliament, deEomin-
ated certain gentlemen by name de
rived from . cave. Laughter and ap-
plause. Well, 1 assure you, gentlemen,
there was not one person in two whom
met who knew any thing about the Cave
Of Addullam - Renewed laughterl-
and was under the melancholy and cru
ell necessity of explaining, and of point
ing the arrow that was aimed at my own
breast. Luaghter and applause.l
Mr.. Lowe gave catalogue of things
which highly educated man - one
who had received his education at the
highest public schools, or at Oxford =
might be in ignorance of
He probably will know nothing OF the
anatomy Of his own body. lie will NOT
have the slightest idea Of the difference
between the arteries and the veins, anQ
he may not know whether the spleen is
placed on the right or the left side Of
his body. He may have no knowledge Of
the simplest truths Of physics, and would
not be able to explain the barometer or
thermometer He knows nothing Of the
simplest laws of the animal or Vegetable
life. He very often does not know any,
thing about arithmetic. He may write
an execrable hand-perhaps tho most
important qualification . gentleman or
man of business can possess, is totally
neglected. He may be perfectly def
cient in spelling. knew one Of the most
eminent persons who got a first-class
honor, and in his essay-a most excel
lent essay-there were forty six mis-
spellings. He may know nothing of the
modern geography Of his own country;
he may no nothing of the history of
England. I knew an instance not long
ago Of gentleman who had attained
high honors at the University, and who
became a contributor to periodical, in
which it was suggested that he should
illustrate some fact by . reference to
Lord Melbourne's Ministry. He said he
had never heard of Lord Melbourne.
Laughter. He need know nothing
whatever of modern or of medieval
history. He knows the laws and an
tiquities Of Greece and Rome The
English laws and antiquities are bound
up with our freedom and history, and
are important to every days business;
but he knows about them nothing what
ever. We have, here say boldly, a
literature unparalled in the world. Which
of our great classical authors il . young
man required to read in order to attain
the highest honors our educational in
stitutions can give him He studies in
the most minute manner the ancient wri-
tings Of Rome or Greece. But as for
Chaucer and Spencer, or the earlier class
les. the old dramatists, or the writer's OF
the reigns OF Queen Elizabeth and
Charles /, he knows nothing Of them. and
the consequence Is that the language IL
impoverished, and the noble old Ian
guage of our forefathers drops out Of
use, while the minds Of our young men
are employed instead Of stringing to-
gether verses Of Latin poets learned BY
heart, and making them into execrable
hexameters. Laughter and cheers.l
Then as for modern languages. have
been with . party Of half . dozen
first-class Oxford gentlemen on the Con-
tinent, and not one spoke . word OF
French or German, and IL the walters had
had not been better educated that we
Laughter and applause lEand known
some other languages bssidsd their native
one, We might all have starved Laugh
ter and applause. That IL not nearly all,
but that is enough. / think you win agree
with me that, - DR.. johnson said Of the
provisions Of the Highland INN, the neg
alive catalogue 10 very oopious. laugh
ter and applause. And Whist are modern
history and languages compared with
the boundless field that nature opens be-
FIRE us with the new world which chem
istry is expanding before us-yith the