Glasgow Courier. — 1864-12-08 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

LORD STAN LEY ON MECHANICS' INSTITUTES. Lord Stanley, M.P., distributed prizes and certificates of merit last evening to the more proficient pupils of the Manchester Mechanics' institution. His lordship, in the course of a thoughtful and suggestive address, reviewed the history of mechanics' institutes, their rise, vicissitudes, and present position, and then spoke of their relation to the general education of the people at the present time. He protested against the practice of overworking children in schools observing that it was positively hurtful to a young child, both mentally and bodily, to keep it learning or pretending to learn the greater part of the day. Three or four hours of attention, he thought, was enough for any child. His lordship also pointed out the advantage of keeping educational and mechanics' institutions free from State aid and State control. Even as regards the government prizes which he had just been distributing, be believed they would be as well or better without them.—litandlestcr Courier.  A laughable affair occurred at Norwich last week. A lady residing in the parish of St. Giles I received a pretended application for funds to assist in the erection of a new monastery on the site of the 1 old one, and she returned the following very curt answer to the monastery :—Miss desires to have nothing to do with the monastery at Elm hill, as she entirely disapproves of the proceedings of its , inmates in every particular. Any further communication will not be replied to. Brother Ignatius, in something like a passion, returned a furious reply, expressing his surprise at Miss —'s " gratuitous impertinence," as he termed it, and stating that "some prayers will be offered in the convent chapel ' for Miss special good, her enlightenment and ' conversion to the faith of the Church, the truth as it is in Jesus." Brother Ignatius added that he hoped "Miss might be somewhat humbled, and taught to be more lady-like in future." Both Brother Ignatius and Miss appear to have been most ludicrously hoaxed. On Thursday, at the Clerkenwell Police Court, London, a young man named Alfred Jackson, was brought up, charged with the wilful murder of a shop-mate, named Francis Plowman Roberts. The two young men were in the employ of Messrs. French, jewellers, Clerkenwell, and a few nights ago they were working on the premises till a late hour, when some of the neighbours heard cries of "Murder," and groans proceeding from the place. On looking to ascertain the cause, they saw Jackson make his escape from the premises over a wall, and they found the lad Roberts weltering in blood, with his head and face severely beaten. He was taken to the hospital, where he soon after "died, and Jackson was taken into custody. There was no one present but the deceased and his assailant, and the case is therefore involved in some obscurity. The blows were inflicted with a broom-handle. It is not known whether Jackson meant to commit murder; and beyond the fact that ha was £8 or £lO in debt to Robeits, no motive has been suggested for his making the attack at all. The prisoner has been committed for trial on tbe capital charge