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165,000 children; the Unendowed Day schools 478,000. But this includes 53.000 taught at the Dame schools, where infants are generally sent before they are of an age to go to school, or learn almost any thing. It includes also the lace and straw schools of the midland counties, where we much fear little that is useful is in general learnt. If, then, we deduct for these schools, we shall have about 590,000 children taught at Day schools; and we must add about 10,000 for deficient returns, several parishes having made none. To this number of 600,000

are to be added the children belonging to persons in the upper and middle classes of society who educate their children, particularly daughters, at home or at boarding schools, not noticed in the Tables, though frequently in the Digest. Mr Brougham, from the population returns, considered 50,000 as a proper allowance for this class, but, if any thing, too small; and the next addition made was incontestably much too large, except that he was desirous of rather understating than overstating the deficiency. He allowed, of the 452,000 taught at Sunday schools, 100,000 as attending those institutions beyond the numbers included in the column of Day schools; the known fact being, that a greater proportion than seven-ninths of the Sunday scholars attend Week-day schools. The grand total of children educated in any way, even in the scanty measure dealt out by Sunday schools, is thus only 750,000. Now, the lowest estimate of the means of education for any country, requires that there should be schools for one-tenth of the population; but from the Digest it clearly appears that a larger proportion is requisite, especially if we include the means for all classes, high as well as low. Mr Brougham reckons rather more than one-ninth; but, taking one-tenth as the scale, it thus appears that there are only the means of educating seven millions and a half of the people in England, leaving no less than two millions without any education, and three millions without the only effectual education, namely, that obtained at Day schools. Let us shortly compare this with the state of other countries, where popular education is supposed to be well attended to.

In Scotland, taking the average of twelve counties, the population of which is 636,000, and making no allowance for the education of the upper classes, or for private tuition at all, there are schools where between one-ninth and one-tenth of the population are taught. In Holland, by the Report of the Commission of 1812, at the head of which was Mr Cuvier, it appears that there were 4451 schools, where 190,000 children were instructed, or one-tenth of the population. In the Pays de Vaud, about one-eighth of the people attend the parish

schools; and not one person in sixty is to be found who can't read. France presents a very different picture. The Report of the Commission in 1819 gave the numbers attending schools at 1,070,500, or 1-28th of the population. Yet the exertions making in that country may well excite our admiration. In two years, the numbers had increased from 866,000; the proportion in 1817 having been only 1-35th. During those well spent, and, let us say, truly glorious years of civil triumph, 7120 schools had been planted, capable of educating 204,500 children, and supplying the means of education to a population of two millions. The zeal of individuals being powerfully seconded by the Government, in a very few years France will be as well educated as Holland. Wales appears to be much worse off than England; there are not schools, even including Dame schools, for above one-twentieth--that is, there are only the means of educating half the people of the principality.

The inequality with which the education of which we have been speaking is diffused through the different parts of England, is a very striking circumstance; and affords perhaps the strongest of all arguments against leaving matters to themselves, or relying entirely upon the charit ble exertions of individuals. In the four northern counties of Westmoreland, Cumberland, Northumberland, and Durham, the average is about one-tenth; in Westmoreland it is as high as one-seventh or one-eighthbeing superior to the Pays de Vaud, and consequently the best educated district in Europe In Wilts and Somersetshire, the average is one-eighteenth, er one-nineteenth; in Lancaster and Middlesex one-twentyfourth. But before the establishment of the new schools in Middlesex, it was as low as one-fortysixth. This fact, respecting such a county, is truly deplorable. Calculating, as we before did, for the whole country, it thus appears, that at the present moment there are not the means of Education for one half the people in the metropolitan county; and that, but a few years ago, there were three-fourths of that population destitute of those means!

We cannot conclude this argument, without referring somewhat more particularly to the labours of the two most meritorious institutions which we have already mentioned. It is very far indeed from our intention to undervalue their usefulness, when we contend, that something is wanting both more powerful and more permanent, than their constitution and means enable them to accomplish, for educating the whole people of England. The Lancaster Society, or, as it is now called, the British and Foreign School Society, has long been familiar to our readers, through the pages of this Journal. We, from the

earliest period of the controversy to which the opposite plans of the two Institutions gave rise, have expressed our decided opinion in favour of the system which professes to teach the poor reading and writing, without distinction of sects, and to open schools in which all forms of worship, and all shades of faith, may indiscriminately unite in bestowing the inestimable benefits of education, alike necessary to make good disciples of the Church, and good followers of the Sects. But it never appeared to us at all maintainable, as some professed to argue, that the National Society would not be productive of good in places where there was room for the exertions of both societies, that is to say, in all places of a certain size, where the exclusive plan might be adopted in one school for the education of churchmen, and the universal plan be pursued in another for sectaries as well as churchmen. And in places where there were no sectaries, it was obvious that as much good must be done if a school was founded on the exclusive as on the universal plan,—with this material difference, that the children attending it would be taught the religion of their families, as well as the common elements of knowledge. The only harm to be apprehended from the exclusive plan, unquestionably was, that in places of a small size, which could not maintain two schools, it was likely to prevent the children of poor dissenting parents from receiving any instruction, unless they were prepared to give up their peculiar creed; that is, unless they were only dissenters in name. It is fair to add, that the experience of ten years has materially diminished these apprehensions; and the praiseworthy liberality of the Directors of the National Society has been tending more and more towards opening their school-doors wide to all. The truth is, that the New System of Education is only adapted to great towns, as we have already observed; and in those there will always be abundant room for the execution of both the plans, without any risk of their interfering with each other. But the National Society have wisely and liberally been rendering their schools more and more accessible to conscientious dissenters from the Establishment; and the value of such conces sions is not to be lightly spoken of by sectaries, when it is recollected how much more ample the means of the one Society than those of the other,

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Giving all praise to both those useful Bodies, let it be again remarked that their labours are necessarily subject to fluctua tion, and limited in extent. Thus, the British and Foreign Society has more than once depended for its existence upon the extraordinary exertions of two or three individuals like Joseph Fox and William Allen (if indeed, beside themselves, any such

are to be found), who have risked their fortunes, and pledged their credit for the common good, with a generous enthusiasm of which there is perhaps no other example on record. The Society afterwards was in debt, and we believe has only been relieved by a number of persons coming forward with subscriptions of 500l. each. The National Society, too, has been oblig ed to call upon its members, of late, for an extraordinary contribution to relieve it, and enable it to pursue its laudable course. But such calls cannot be often repeated; they drain the source from which the supplies proceed; and they make even the best of us grow weary of well-doing. The zeal of leading members may not cool; but no system can be long depended on which must. be supported by extraordinary efforts. A regular supply of means is wanted, which shall be subject to no ebbs and flows. The evidence before the Education Committee, who examined the leading members of both Societies, plainly shows how cramped their operations are, for want of funds. It is clearly proved, that the grand difficulty in founding schools, even where they are most wanted, is, the first expense, the cost of outfit, as it were. Local subscribers will be found who will support the school after it is once established; because, to raise 807. or 1007. a year, is not so hard a task; but to raise 800l. or 1000l. for building or buying a commodious schoolhouse and dwelling for the master, is not so easy a task. Accordingly, the Committee reported, both in 1816 and 1818, in favour of grants being given by Government, to enable the local subscribers to overcome this difficulty:-for it was manifest, that both the Societies together could do little or nothing towards such purposes; the one having only 1200l., and the other not, we believe, 3000l. a year to meet all demands. How the money should be distributed was another question, and of far more difficulty and delicacy. The obvious method of entrusting each Society with a certain sum, was liable to serious objections. To invest private and irresponsible individuals with large funds for a publick purpose, was, upon principle, extremely unadviseable; and to incorporate any bodies of men with this view, beside other objections, was open to this, that the State protecting a religious establishment, could hardly be said to act consistently, if it gave equal, or nearly equal, encouragement to the sectaries dissenting from that Establishment. That some such grants may be necessary for the service of large towns, in addition to the provisions of the general plan which we are about to describe, is highly probable; and in that case the distribution must unquestionably be made upon the principles of the plan itself, and through the Charity Commissioners, or some other body of re

sponsible publick functionaries.-But to return to the two Societies.

We have mentioned one very obvious limit to their benevolent operations. As the great desideratum is schools in places where there are none, and as it appears not only that in country districts those societies never profess to attempt planting any, since there the new methods do not apply, but also that in large towns they have not the means, both together, of planting half a dozen in the course of a year-it may be asked in what their usefulness consists, and how so many schools have been founded within the last fifteen years upon the New Plan, all stated to be the work of one or other Institution? The Education Digest unquestionably states a large number of new schools in all parts of the country. In England, there are 1122 Day schools and 404 Sunday schools on the New Plan--and about 70 in Walesmaking a total of about 1600 schools. This is considerably under the numbers reported by the two societies as in connexion with them; and very possibly the clergy may have omitted some in their Reports, that is to say, may have omitted to mention that a given number of schools were conducted upon the new methods. But then as those returns contain all schools so conducted, whether in connexion with the two societies or not, it seems impossible to doubt that the Reports of those societies take credit for more schools than are actually connected with them. But a further remark is necessary upon this point. It is not pretended that all, or even any considerable number, of those schools, admitted to be in their connexion, have been founded by their means. They have encouraged the foundation, by giving advice and information upon the subject generally, and by corresponding with the local asssociations; and, above all, they have educated teachers at their central schools in London, where many country schools have thus been able to obtain masters. They have also occasionally given them a number of books and lessons. But the substantial work has, of course, been done by the activity, charity, and resources of the local subscribers except in the very few instances where assistance in money has been lent by the Societies. As soon, however, as a considerable number of new schools are established in different parts of the country, the principal use of the Societies ceases; Because the funds for educating masters, as well as for paying them when they are placed, come from the local subscribers, it is far better for them to send masters to be educated in some neighbouring new school than in London.

Thus, suppose a new school is devised at Bolton, and a fund provided for planting it-the first step is to procure a master,

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