PARLIAMENTARY REPORTS. 375 



Aieans of educating the Poor are 

 steadily increasing in all consi- 

 derable towns as well as in the 

 metropolis. A circular letter 

 has been addressed to all the 

 clergy in England, Scotland, and 

 Wales, requiring answers to 

 queries. It is impossible to 

 bestow too much commendation 

 upon the alacrity shown by those 

 reverend persons in complying 

 with this requisition, and the 

 honest zeal which they displayed 

 to promote the great object of 

 universal education, is truly 

 worthy of the pastors of the 

 people, and the teachers of that 

 gospel which was preached to 

 the poor. 



Your Committee have lost no 

 time in directing and superintend- 

 ing the work of digesting the 

 valuable information contained 

 in the returns, according to a 

 convenient plan, which will put 

 the House in possession of all 

 this information m a tabular form. 

 They have received important 

 assistance in this and the other 

 objects of their inquiry, from two 

 learned barristers, Mr. Parry, 

 and Mr. Coe of the Court of 

 Chancery, who have devoted 

 much of their time to the subject. 



It appears clearly from the 

 returns, as well as from other 

 sources, that a very great defici- 

 ency exists in the means of edu- 

 cating the poor, wherever the 

 population is thin and scattered 

 over country districts. The 

 efforts of individuals combined in 

 societies are almost wholly con- 

 fined to populous places. 



Another point to which it is 

 material to direct the attention 

 of Parliament, regards the two 

 opposite principles, of founding 



schools for children of all sorts, 

 and for those only who belong to 

 the estabhshed church. Wliere 

 the means exist of erecting two 

 schools, one upon each principle, 

 education is not checked by the 

 exclusive plan being adopted in 

 one of them, because the other 

 may comprehend the children 

 of sectaries. In places where 

 only one school can be supported, 

 it is manifest that any regulations 

 which exclude dissenters, deprive 

 the poor of that body of all 

 means of education. 



Your Committee, however, 

 have the greatest satisfaction in 

 observing, that in many schools 

 where the national system is 

 adopted, an increasing degree of 

 liberality prevails, and that the 

 church catechism is only taught, 

 and attendance at the established 

 place of public worship only re- 

 quired, of those whose parents 

 belong to the establishment; due 

 assurance being obtained that 

 the children of sectaries shall 

 learn the principles and attend 

 the ordinances of religion, ac- 

 cording to the doctrines and 

 forms to which their families are 

 attached. 



It is with equal pleasure that 

 your Committee have found 

 reason to conclude, that the 

 Roman Catholic poor are anxious 

 to avail themselves of those Pro- 

 testant schools established in 

 their neighbourhood, in which 

 no catechism is taught ; and they 

 indulge a hope, that the clergy 

 of that persuasion may offer no 

 discouragement to their attend- 

 ance, more especially as they 

 appear, in one instance, to have 

 contributed to the support of 

 schools, provided that no cate- 

 chism 



