The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-12-11

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James Wall. q ajourueymuu printx, publish
cd 10 1858. The objections TO Mechasics
institutes on the part Of the working class,
he says, are-1. That the management i
not IN the hands Of the mechanics. 2
That politics and religion are excluded. s
That the institutes are only one i'm escl
town. and centrally situated. 4. That they
are closed on SundayA 5. Thss the, IN
struct'on gwen is desultory, unconnectsd
and more scientific than elementary. 6
That weekly payments are mot taken.nH Il
is obvious that three of these six cbiecsious
-as to the non n-participssion Of the WORKING
man In management, the desultory and nm.
elementary character Of the instruction, and
the absence Of weekly payments, are avoid:
ed by the Yorkshire institutes, or some ol
them. But The real faet seemss 10 hc thai
the " Mechanics Institute, y instead Of beins
too good for the working man. ia often
beginning to be not good enough. he wants
70 reach into the education Of the classss
above him IN the social scale; he wants,
above al, tbongh4 h may not oilsa sxplsii
Pc own wants to himself, TO- feel himself
united with bis hllorspsa n spns .csusss
bond than that Of merely meeting together
10 an institution. Hence the Working
Msn's > Colleses,'' Of which many have
sprung up OF laae years. y NJ
The oldest college of the kind ID the
Peoples College" st Sheffield, now .
quarter of century old (founded 1927.
For the first six years, its founder, an Id
dependent minister, was almost the only
teacher $ bat his teaching has such good
fruit, that his pupils. have become teachers,
and have kept the college selEgoverued and
selfpayiug. Il was followed, twelve years
later. BY the London working Mems Col
lege." which has taken higher ground than
any other, especially in is cultivasiou Of 4
college social life, and in refusing to allow
is stadeats. as such, 10 attend any exan,ina-
tons but those connected with the Uuiversi-
ties o. the Prvy Council, and has received,
since 1854. over four tbeusand students /;
and soon after BY the Halifax College. de-.
veIoped from q night school. In 1853, the
Stafford College was founded. The 'still
later College ut Ipswich has had remarkable
success in point of Numbers, fthere being now
more than q thousand members. Besides
the =" City ofLondon College" there are,
we believe, one or two other Working
Mems Colleges Hull. etc.) Of which we
have no details. Several have ceased to
exist after short duration one at Man
chester has merged into the Owens College,
losing somewhat Of its working man element
The government Of these bodies is very
various. some being ruled by . seifre-
newed council, which in others contains re-
preventative students, whilst the Sheffield
College is essentially democratic in constitu-
ton. Every College teaches more or less
Of each Of the five great branches Of study
Art, History, Languages, Mathematics,
aud Physical Science, but there great differ
enees in the extent and success Of the work.
Halifax may be called a very successful
adult school Of big b character, doing its work
in thoroughly practical manner. Ipswich
has, apparently, teaching Of o somewhat
higher character, and q more extended pro-
gramme; while Stafford has deveioped its
work 60 the utmost sxteut, having attached
to il two very large day-scbcols, and pre-
paratory class. and giving practical and sue
cessful teaching in art and physical science.
The London College puts forward the most
programme Of studies, and
has also large elementary class, an adult
school, and middle class girls schools.
Notwithstanding their name, these bodies
are not exclusively composed Of operatives,
but even in those which are most largely
attended by other classes, as the two Lon.
don ones, the number Of genuine working
men who ,sil themselves Of them is consi-
dersble. Speaking generally. the students
may be said to be one-half genuine hand
workers, the other half belonging almost en-
clusively to the class Of clerks, warehouse
men, and others earning about the same
wages as the artisans If there be any pre-
pondera noe, it is in favor Of the mechanics.
who certainly have gained OF least rs much
distinction in the examinations. Perhaps
from 5000 to 1000 may be reckoned as
The number Of workingmen who attend
yearly the classes In thess institutions, and
are gradually feeling their way to the high
est brancheh Of education.