NATIONAL EDUCATION.
THE contents of Mr. Hi LL's volumes on this important subject may be divided into two distinct heads,—one consisting of a valuable collection of specific facts connected with education as at pre- sent furnished by public institutions to the masses of the people; the other a view of the education of the middle and higher classes, with suggestions, or speculations rather, on what it ought to be. The first part of the work is by far the most valuable. Mr. HILL has the industry and observation necessary to collect individual facts : he seems to want the comprehension which is indispen- sable to extract a general view from an induction of minute and various particulars. Still less is he capable of laying down a
scheme of education for the more leisured classes, or settling that queestiovexata, Are languages or natural philosophy—the science of words or such knowledge of things as children can be taught— best fitted to train the mind and assist in forming the character?
The sources are threefold from which the very interesting accounts of the existing schools in England are drawn,—Parlia- mentary or other public documents, the reports of various educa- tional societies, and the personal inquiries of the author and his friends. The various classes of schools which Mr. HILL passes under review are seven. (1.) Schools of Industry ; in which the acquisition of some mechanical trade is made of even greater im- portance than education in the usual meaning of the word. (2.) Day Schools on the plan of BELL and LANCASTER, either in con- nexion with the institution called the British and Foreign School Society, whose basis is perfect equality amongst all sects of Chris- tians, or the National Society, which requires compliance with the formulas of the Established Church. (3.) Sunday Schools. (4.) Factory Schools; meaning those which have been spontaneously established by the proprietors, and not those set up in compliance With the Factory Bill, which are represented as having turned out failures. (5.) Schools for Paupers; of which a most deplorable picture is given. (6.) Infant Schools ; w hose use seems rather to keep the infant out of mischief and prevent its mind from running to seed, than beneficial either in teaching any thing or so disciplining the mind as to fit it for being taught hereafter. (7.) Adult Schools. And throughout this extended examination, Mr. HILL'S mode of proceeding is the same, although considerably modified by the fulness or scantiness of his information. He de- scribes the nature of the schools ; the objects they profess to have in view, and whether their fundamental principles are catholic or sectarian; the probable or actual number of pupils is estimated; we are told what is taught or attempted, as well as the modes of teaching ; the amount of the funds is stated, whence they are de- rived, and the average cost of education per head. And finally, an endeavour is made in several cases, roughly to trace the effects produced upon the future conduct of the pupil ; the tests of ill-doing ranging from application for parish relief to conviction for felony.
Except in the case of single schools, much of all this is only approximate; for the impression derived from what Mr. HILL tells us is, that educational statistics are very defective, if indeed they can be said to exist at all. There is no organized system for collecting and registering facts connected with the subject ; the special returns to Parliament are collected by slo- venly indifference; and those which are made either to the Legis- lature or to educational societies, are drawn up by parties whose vanity and whose interests are alike operative in exaggerating the number and acquirements of the pupils. The number of persons in Great Britain who can read or write, it is of course impossible to ascertain; the number of children who are now in the course of
teaching is also unknown. Speaking generally, Mr. HILL conceives that the rural inhabitants of Scotland receive the best education in the island. He inclines to consider the population of towns as not better educated than the same class in England, if they are so well. Wales is supposed to be in a backward state; and there is no supposition at all about the deplorable ignorance of the Irish people. The amount of crime corresponds with the extent of education; being less in Scotland than in England ; and if greater in England than in Wales, this proves but little,—fur before theft can be committed, says Mr. HILL, "there must be something to steal ;" and as the facilities for committing crime or escaping with impunity are far less in Wales than in England, we must not too readily decide in favour of Welsh morality.
But in addition to the difficulties of procuring specific informa- tion on the question, it seems that any return as to the numbers capable of reading and writing must often be received with con- siderable caution. In the few searching examinations that have been made, many have been found who once had the power of reading but who had lost it; and the same remark holds good as to writing,—though the parties, rather than confess their deficiency, claim one or both accomplishments. Persons intimately connected with education, too, continually draw a proper distinction between the mere capability of reading by an effort, and the power of read- ing with fluency soas readily to understand what they peruse. It may be noted as a singular fact, that where an individual is unable to write at all, he is not able to read with sufficient ease to enjoy the occupation. It is also a cimumstance worthy of notice, that adults prefer writing to reading, and are never weary of plodding through copies. The most gratifying impression of the book, however, is the universality and hardihood of virtue. It will nourish anywhere, requiring only the opportunity of growth. We are not zealots enough to assert that individuals can in all cases be reformed; but the statements in the volumes before us will bear out the opinion, that if a number of the ignorant and vicious be instructed and given sonic slender means of reformation, steady persistance in reform will be the rule, and relapse the exception. Of the diffiirent classes of schools which Mr. HILL describes, the most complete, and therefore the most interesting account, is the section relating to Schools of Industry. This arises from their smaller number, which admitting of each being visited, has given more circumstantiality to the descriptions. Of these, Gower's Walk School, in Whitechapel, and the Asylum at Hackney Wick, are the best done. We will extract the former; not, however, shutting our eyes to the tendency of the training—which is to foster a love of money : so mingled are good and evil.
GOWER'S WALK SCHOOL OF INDUSTRY.
Placed in the heart of a district densely peopled with the poorer classes, the school owes but little to situation for the contentment and cheerfulness observ- able in the scholars, whose lively appearance cannot fail to strike every visiter ; while the value of the acquirements they are making is amply manifested in the eagerness shown on the one hand to procure admission to the school, and on the other to obtain the departing pupils as apprentices. When we visited the school (in July last year), there were two long lists of applicants, the one of masters waiting for children, the other of parents wishing to send their sons and daughters as scholars.
The industrial occupation of the boys is printing ; that of the girls, needle- work. There are altogether about two hundred children in the school, rather more than one half of whom are boys. Both boys and girls are in attendance during seven hours each day. Four hours of this time are given to the usual business of a school,—naniely, reading, writing, and arithmetic ; the remaining three hours are employed by the girls in needlework and the boys in iirinting ; with this restriction, however, that no boy is allowed to join the class of printers (a privilege much coveted) until ha can read, write, and cipher, with a certain degree of facility. This regulation is found to act very beneficially in furnishing a motive for increased diligence in the school-room. The printers, in number about sixty, are divided into three classes ; some one class being always in the printing .office, and the others in the school-room. Thus the boys are refreshed and relieved by an alternation of manual and mental labour, and both the school-room and the printing-office are constantly occupied.
We were much pleased with the scene of life and bustle among the little printers. No lolling and yawning, no wistful looks at the slow.moving hands of the clock ; the signs of cheerful industry were visible in every face, were apparent in the quick motion of every limb. The last time we called at the school happened to be on a holyday afternoon ; but no stillness of the printing.. office notified the term of relaxation. The busy hand of the compositor was moving to and fro as usual, and the pressman was tugging at his screw-bar with as much energy as ever. On inquiry, we found that the boys engaged were a class of volunteers, who, incredible as it may appear at Eton or NVin- chester, preferred passing their holyday at work to spending it in play. We particularly inquired whether the little printers entered fairly into com- petition with their elders in the same profession; or whether, in point of fact, there was not some protection, some favour of friends conceding better terms than are allowed elsewhere. We were, however, assured that the school de- pends on no partiality of the kind ; that, on the contrary, a prevailing preju- dice against work done by boys depresses their prices below those usually given for work executed in the same style. It is of course necessary that the little fellows should work many more hours than an adult printer in order to obtain an equal remuneration : what the latter would get through in a day may occupy one of them a week, a fortnight, or even a month ; but as the work is paid for by the piece, it is evident that the increased time is followed by no additional recompense. As evidence of the neateess of the work, it is sufficient to refer to the Re- ports of the National Society, which are always printed by these children. So far as appears to us, the typography of these books bears no mark of inferiority, and we believe it furnishes no clue to the age of those by whom it was executed save what is found in the imprint—" School Press, Gower's Walk, White- chapel." It is proper to iemark, that the boys receive a good deal of instruc- tion and assistance in the practice of their art ; but the cost of this aid is taken out of the proceeds of the printing ; which, even after this deduction, furnish considerable sum towards the general expenses of the school, and finally give a handsome surplus to be divided among the boys. With these and many other iatelesting particulars we were furnished by Mr. French (the very intelligent master), who now gives an example of the value of the institution, by the ability with which he conducts the school from which he derived his own education. It appears that the school has existed on its present footing for nearly thirty years. The building, which was formerly a sugar bakehouse, was applied to its present use by the benevolent and enlightened founder of the school, Mr. Davies, who also endowed the school with the sum of 2000/. in the Three per Cent. Consols. The income of 60/. a year arising from this sum, and the use of the building rent free, are all that interfere with the self-supporting character of the establishment: Yet with this moderate help is a school carried on, in which two hundred children receive a comparatively good education, being trained in habits of cheerful industry, taught a useful art, and moreover in- structed in the ordinary branches of a school education. And not only is all this effected, but asum of money averaging more than 1001. a year is divided among the children according to their respective savings ; one half being immediately distributed in the form of pocket-money, and the remainder set aside to meet the expenses of outfit, apprentices' premium, &c. at the time of departure. A boy will in this way accumulate 4., 5/., or 61., or even 10/. before leaving the school,—no inconsiderable sum for a lad in this rank of life to start with in the world. The monthly gains of the little printers average about three shillings per boy. though sometimes an individual will have to receive as touch assix shillings. .A savings bank has lately been opened in the school, as an additional encourage- ment to thrifty habits; and the smallest sums down to a single halfpenny are
received. Most of the children have become depositors, though they are quite It liberty to keep their money in their own possession. The bank was opened last February ; and when we visited the school in July the deposits amouuted to 2.31. One boy, a lad of thirteen years of age, was pointed out, who alone had de- posited 1/. in this short time. This little fellow was of course one of the vo- lunteer workers on the holyday afternoon ; and we learnt that, not satisfied iv it h the labour of the printing-other, he was in the habit of carrying out milk be- fore he came to school in the morning, and of helping his father, a gunmaker, in the evening. From time to time the money collected in the school savi sc ngs bank is placed in the public savings bank of the district, and the interest received is distri- buted in just shares among the boys. Each orw is periorlieally furnished with a full statement of his account; and it is needless to say that, on passing into his hands, the document is certain to be subjected foi thwith to a must rigorous audit.
The points that will be most strongly impressed upon the reader of these volumes are, the zeal displayed by 2.m/iv/duds in the cause of education, the amount of goo l that may be accom- plished by scanty means, and the very trilling assistance that is given by Government for the instruction of the People,— so trifling, indeed, that it is scarcely worthy of the name. The two first points are indicated in the following hearty description of Spitalfields Infant School; supported by the liberality of one individual, a Mr. JOSEPH WILSON.
When the bell rang, all the children (apparently with the greatest good-will) ran into school. Having ranged themselves in order muml the room, the master and mistress went in different directions to examine them, and see that every one had clean hands. Some were taken out to wash their hands while those who were particularly clean and neat were honoured by being allowed to ac- company their master or mistress in their procession. This business being ended, the school exercises began. The first was called a lesson in spelling.. Had it been SO in fact, the task would probably have proved as irksome as It must necessarily have been useless. In truth, however, it was an exercise in general knowledge. A little fellow, with a list of words in his hand, mounted a box, dignified with the name of rostrum, and spelled one of the words aloud, as halter. This was followed by a number of questions, as—What does the baker do? what is the place called where the bread is baked? what is bread made of? &e. Any child, or any number together, being allowed to answer, the interest of all was kept alive. When a number of words had been taken in this way, a new exercise was called for. This, like several others that followed it, was very properly arranged, rather for the agreeable occupation of the children and the development of their physical powers, than with any view to the communication of what is ordinarily c.illed knowledge : the latter was at least made quite a secondary object. The proceeding would have sadly scandalized a governess of the old school ; many a time, when the children and ourselves were in the highest glee, her fingers would have itched to grasp the rod. One of the most popular of these divertisements consisted in rudely imi- tating the motions of the different tribes of the brute creation : the birds flew, the beasts ran, the insects crawled ; the performative elicited much arch humour, and the merriment was quite infectious : the last manoeuvre of the game brought the little creatures into one joyous group, in the middle of the room ; and in the roar of laughter which burst firth, we confess we heartily joined. But the use of all this ?—Muell, if it only produced the enjoyment we wit- nessed; more, if it aided in preserving the temper from the can4ering effect of sloth, or the evils that follow contention. lint there were other ends to be an- swered, which probably would net suggest themselves to our readers and of which the bare idea never crossed our mind until we visited the school in the winter : we found, then, that the vital warmth had to be maintained. The school. room is lofty and without ceiling ; and the funds of the institution are not sufficient to provide either for an adequate supply of fuel or u complete re- pair of the windows • and though the visiters' seat, which we occupied, is one of the warmest, atal though in our thermometer the comfort point is not marked very high, yet, after a stay of two or three hours, our thoughts began to turn towards Captain Ross and the North-west Passage. We heard no com- plaint from the children; and we hope that their activity preserves them, at least in great measure, from the extreme of a sensation which to infancy is so fun of present pain and danger for the future. And yet, when we contrasted our own warm clothing with the half-nakedness of some of the little pupils— and when we heard, as we did with a shudder, that certain of their number, whose parents were gin-drinkers, not unfrequently came to school without having had a morsel for breakfast—and when we gazed at the shrunken limbs and hollow cheeks of two little brothers whose case the master had lamented as particularly distressing—we could not but consider the absence of complaint as a wonderful instance either of patience or of the benumbing effect of con- tinued suffering ; and we looked with increased admiration on plans which had thus reared up cheerfulness in the midst of misery.
After a variety of other exercises, singing began, and was carried on with great spirit ; the very least of the infantile group singing occasionally fur a bar or two, and imitating, as well as he could, the motions of the arms and body by which the words are sometimes accompanied.
Our descriptions and remarks upon the work thus far relate only to the first volume. Into the contents of the second we have not left ourselves room to enter. It consists of a brief view of the present state of education in the United States, Prussia, and Spain. The first is chiefly drawn up from American statistical works, and the accounts of travellers in that country. The de- scription of Prussia is taken from COUSIN'S Report ; that of Spain, from the works of JACOB, INGLIS, COOKE, and MOREAU DE JONNE'S Statistique de l'Espagne. There is also a mingled sum- mary of the facts and conclusions which are the results of Mr. Hues labours, and an appendix containing some information on Mechanics Institutions, which circumstances prevented the author from embodying in the book itself.
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