British And Foreign Schoo...
The Times, 1824-05-11T00:00:00

Ycsterday the annual meeting wis held at the Freemasons' Ta- vern. The system of education is the Lancasterian. There must have been upwards of 2,000 persons rresent, and they were of the most respectable description. His Royal Highness the Duke of SUSSEX in the Chair. The report stated, that the committee had proceeded in multiply- ing the central schools, and that auxiliary societies had been insti. tuted in the chief manufacturing towns. The labours of the com- mittee were not limited to anv sect, persuasion, or religion, but pur- posed toextend education through the world to all nations and reli- gions. Their general plan was, however, to give a Bible education. The society's books of instruction had been translated, and printed in the French, Spanish, German, and Russian languages; and edu- cation was, through their means, making rapid strides in Ireland. There were more than 1,000 schools in connexion with the society for the education of the poor in that country. Alost of the outrages which had taken place in that unfortunate country were committed in those districts where the poor were worst educated, and the society considered the call for education most powerful upon looking to the calamities of Iroland. (Cheers.) In the Scotch islands education was adrancing: but in France and Spain, strong repug- nance appeared to be felt to the propagation of the British system. In Paris, however, there were 6,000 scholars on the system, and it was to be hoped that the establishment formed there and in Spain before the late changes would not be permitted to be extinguished. From Greece, and several of the islands of the Grecian Archipelago, the accounts of the preparation for the general education on the sys. tem were most flattering; and there was no doubt that, in the event of the success ef the Greeks, (for which every friend of Christianity and human improvement must pray,) Greece would be regenerated, and prove once more conspicuouts for alU that wras great and good. ( Loud cheers ) In South America tbesystem wvas generaUy adopted, and, in fact, it went hand in hand with every effort for the improve- ment of the condition of man. Lord JOEIN RUSSELL moTed that the report should bereceived, and said, that in promoting the object of the society, every one was subscribing to the happiness of the human race. . No man who had received an education was ever known to regret it; and no man who had not receivedan education waseverknowntoexultin his ignorance. This wasone great argument for proceedingon the great plan of uni. versaleducation. (Clheers.) Of all the ircumstances aUuded to in the report, none gave him greater pleasure than the announcement of the progress of education in Ireland. Upwards of 72,000 chil- dren and adults were now in progress of education, upon the system carried on by this society. This was the way in which Ireland would be reimbursed the enormous debt contracted by centuries of oppression and cruelties. His Lord.ship concluded by expressing his regret at the check with which the Societv had met in some parts of the continent, and by generally commeniding the advantagesof the plan as toall the relations of life. F. BUXTON, Esq., ill.P.,secondedthemotion. Hehadbeenorigi- nally a cold contemplatistoftheobjectsofthesocietv. It had been his misfortune when very young to live witl agentlenian whose prejudices against the improvement of the poor were numerous and inveterate. There were, in that gentleman's opinion, three great causes of the tlemoralizatnon of the poor-reading, writing, and arithmetic (laugh- ter); and whenever a quarrel took place in his neighbourhood, he was in the habit of saying, " That is the effect of education." If a theft or a murder were committed, " There," he would say, " is arn. other test of the bad effects of education." In speaking of his own steward, this hater of humani improvement would say, " That man, to his credit be it spoken, is not able to read a word, or to write a figure; and yet he is, perhaps, the best accountant in the county." It was nateral to inquire by what process of memory the steward kept his accounts. TL'his was shown. A drawer was produced: in one compartment there was a parcel of beans, in another a parcel of peas, and in the remaining divisions there were va- rious descriptions of grain. These werc the symbols of va- rious debts and payments, which, with the aid of a strong me- mory, the steward kept with great exactness, until one night a rat broke into his account box, and down went the accounts of what was due from various tenants, and all was thrown into the wildest confusion and doubt. (Loudlaughter.) From that mement he (Mr. Buxton) had been a convert to the superiority of written ar printed symbols. ktr. Buxton then dwelt upon the necessity of mix- ing up a strong morality in the education of children, and instanced the society's school as a place in which the elements were most pow- erfully instilled. Hie had'examined some of the childres, and found them in every branch coniprehended in the course most wonderfully profcient. Unfortunately, very ncar London there was a spot which called loudly for the effbrt of the society, in which were thousands who were uneducated, and consequently brutalized. The report was agreed to unanimously. F. BvaNs, Esq., moved a resolution expressive of the approba- tion at the incrCase of auxiliary socleties. Hehadlately visited Italy, and ascertained that schools on the British plan were flourish- ing. In Tuscanya plan had been adopted which was worthy of imi- tation. When a boy comniitted art offence, he was tried by a jury of his schoolfellows. It was remarkable that it waS generally found necessary to restrain the severity of the jurors; but the master was placed in the amiable situation of mediator. T. GURNEY, Esq., seconded the motion. He regretted that the public contributions to such a sodety amounted to no more than 1,0001. a year, whilgthose for the Bible Society amounted to 97,0001. Lord IVII.TON hoped that in our colonies the system wouldl be adopted with success. The Rev. Alr. MORRISON (from China) stated, that in some of the Chinese provinces, under the government of Christian authori- ties, the British system was adopted. S. RICE, Esq., ALP., and several other gentlemen bore testi- mony to the admirable effects of the system, and the resolutions hav- ing been all agreed to unanimously, the meeting separated. BRITISH ANDTPORE/id aSC HL SOCIETIES.