1 86 Edward Livingston Youmans. 



was unsuited to the needs of our people ; and that in 

 so far as our universities gave direction to general 

 education, the influence of " classicism " was extremely 

 injurious. His design, pretty fully sketched, was 

 never completed, but he afterward made much edi- 

 torial use of facts and arguments gathered with refer- 

 ence to it. 



In the course of the summer the party made a 

 journey to Switzerland. I give a few extracts from 

 the correspondence of the spring and summer. Miss 

 Youmans was at that time in rather poor health. 



LONDON, May 20, 1865. 



DEAR FRIENDS : I yesterday morning breakfasted with 

 Mr. Forster, M. P., the great champion of America. I had 

 a note to him from Minister Adams. I am having the op- 

 portunity I have so long desired of informing myself upon 

 educational facts, points, and questions, and I think I 

 shall profit by it. I was yesterday present in a committee 

 room of the House of Commons, or rather Westminster 

 Hall, in which both Commons and Peers came to witness 

 the examination of Archdeacon Dickinson, who appeared in 

 behalf of the High Church to oppose the new " conscience 

 clause," as it is termed, which it is proposed to introduce 

 into the school management. The national schools are in 

 charge of the Church, superintended by the clergy, and no 

 child is permitted to enter them unless he has been first 

 baptized by a Church clergyman, and attends the Church 

 and Church Sunday-school. The "conscience clause" pro- 

 poses to abolish this, and let dissenters' children in with- 

 out requiring this of them. The archdeacon opposed this 

 to the bitter end: it was dangerous and wicked; there was 

 only one Church, the Episcopal, and therefore but one re- 

 ligion, and the business of all education is to teach religion. 

 It was curious and highly interesting. 



