THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



27 



THE EDUCATION OF THE LABOURING C L ASS ES— CONS I DER ED 

 AS A NATIONAL QUESTION. 



The education of the poor has ever been a stumbling- 

 block, and so it must continue, so long as sectarian 

 difFerences continue to exist, and to counteract the 

 etlbrts of each other. An exemplification of this took 

 place at the last discussion of the London Central 

 Farmers' Club, where the different speakers took 

 entirely different views of the question; while the 

 testimony of what had taken place in their localities ex- 

 hibited how badly the present plan worked, and the 

 necessity of a general revision of the whole system. 

 The Rev. Mr. James appears to have imbibed the same 

 opinions that pertain to his class, that it is thebounden 

 duty of the upper classes to provide education for the 

 poor. As a Christian duty, it undoubtedly is so ; but 

 at the same time we must admit that it is thetirstduty 

 of parents to provide education for their children, and 

 when unable from poverty, it then becomes the duty of 

 the state to supply it. It is to the wellbeing 

 of a civilized community, that all its mem- 

 bers should be educated and trained in their re- 

 ligious and moral duties, as well as provided 

 with the means whereby afterwards to obtain a subsis- 

 tence. So that the present system, as supported by 

 voluntary subscriptions, which always press heavily 

 upon the charitable and well-disposed portion of the 

 community, should be equalized, and borne by the 

 property of the country, and be paid through the same 

 channel as other national charges. Until this 

 system is adopted education never can become general. 

 We cannot admit that knowledge is power, without at 

 the same time admitting that knowledge is wealth — 

 therefore the educating a child is in fact conferring 

 upon it the benefit that it would derive were it given 

 the sum of money considered as the equivalent. 



The middle classes of this kingdom are sufficiently 

 aware of the importance of education as to induce 

 them to bestow it upon their children sufficiently to 

 enable them to enter into the pursuits of after life, 

 similar to their own. It is one of the most ex- 

 pensive charges that they have to contend with, 

 as it very frequently happens to persons of slender 

 means, averaging from £100 to £200 per annum, that 

 the education of their children, even when carried out 

 with economy, amounts to one-third of their entire 

 incomes. In times of pressure, suchhave fallen upon the 

 farmer, the amount of education conferred on their 

 children has been totally inadequate to their require- 

 ments, and far below that frequently bestowed upon 

 the children of their labourers, in such parishes as 

 have schools endowed, or supported by the donations 

 of well-disposed persons. 



Wo maintain, therefore, that it is the state that is 

 bound to provide education for the poor — not only to 

 insure it — but also to compel all persons having pro- 

 perty to contribute in fair proportion to their means, 

 whether inclined or not, to promote so desirable a 

 result. As a state necessity, and still further to ensure 

 it, parents ought to be assisted, to enable their children 

 to be educated until they attain the age of twelve 

 years at least, or until they are enabled to read and 

 write sufficiently well. 



We are of opinion that it is unnecessary to teach 

 the chilili-en of the poor anything beyond reading, 

 ■writing, and simple arithmetic, accompanied with 

 sound moral inculcation and religious teaching, such 



as the state is bound to provide ; beyond this, it is the 

 duty of the parent to provide, as the means of fur- 

 thering the progress of his children through life; 

 neither is it necessary; as it cannot be expected that all 

 men and women should be equally endowed with 

 mental ability — the difFei-ent grades of society do not 

 require it, neither would it produce what Mr. James 

 so strongly contends for — skilled artizans and labour- 

 ers. That department of education does not pertain 

 to the schoolmaster, but devolves upon the parent to 

 complete, either by his own tuition, or that of others 

 appointed by him to the task. 



In rural d istricts the necessity or carelessness of 

 parents is the main obstacle to the education of their 

 children. We know that the utmost difficulty exists 

 in procuring scholars for the schools, and even when 

 procured the irregularity that prevails prevents the 

 education of the child proceeding steadily, or con- 

 tinuing long enough to become of any material 

 advantage. The ideas that prevail among the 

 dissenting classes of the poor too frequently operate 

 to their own injury, especially if the school happens to 

 be an endowed one, or in any way under the control 

 of a clergyman. On the other hand, the strict disci- 

 pline enforced by the latter in the teaching of children 

 has the effect of driving away many from the school 

 that would in its absence have been too glad to have 

 attended. 



Such is the difference in the natural endowment of 

 the human mind, that education becomes only the 

 stepping-stone by which men become advanced — the 

 most skilled artizans are those who frequently have 

 been the lea^t educated — the same also holds good with 

 our agricultural labourers; and so long as the one con- 

 tinues an artizan and the other a labourer, education 

 simply considered would not have produced a better 

 workman. Not that we advocate the opinion of some 

 masters that the " weak in the head and strong in the 

 arm make the best labourers," but we contend that 

 skill and tact are natural abilities that become advanced 

 by practice, rather than by education. But if we look 

 more deeply into the question, we believe that educa- 

 tion by teaching a man his duty, enables him the better 

 afterwards to fulfil it ; and if the education of the 

 school is supported by the example and teaching of the 

 parent the greatest benefit must inevitably follow. 



The greatest obstacle to morality with the labouring 

 youth arises after they have quitted school, and before 

 they become settled in life. So soon as they can earn 

 sufficient to emancipate themselves from their parents, 

 an era which usually commences at the age of fifteen, 

 they become their own masters, and without any control 

 from their parents, seek at the alehouse, that com- 

 fort which in most instances could not be found at 

 home— a comfortable fireside and "jolly companions," 

 During the interval betwixt that period and man- 

 hood, the good instruction bestowed upon them pre- 

 viously becomes too frequently lost. 



The advantage derived by evening schools has 

 been insisted upon, but this would be made avail- 

 able to a large proportion of the labouring 

 youth; during the winter months only, could any 

 attendance at all be obtained, and even then many 

 hours would require to be filled up beyond those 

 actually spent here. In all populous villages the school- 



