12 
Condition of the Agricultural Labourer, with 
this alone can be called ' (/ood education.^ All that is beyond it 
may be considered, to a certain extent, unnecessary ; and what- 
ever falls short of it must certainly be looked uj)on as defective. 
In thus statins: the question, it must not however be overlooked, 
that whilst to fall short of the requisite amount of education in 
any case is a positive evil — an injustice to the individual, and an 
injury to the community — an excess of education does not entail 
similar consequences, is not an evil, injures no one, and may even 
become in certain cases a good, by enabling an inidividual to avail 
himself of favourable circumstances for improving his condition 
and rising in life. In arranging a system of education for the 
working classes, we ought therefore to guard against falling short 
in its quality and extent, rather than against carrying it to excess, 
in which there is in truth nothing to apprehend, so long as it is 
accompanied by proper moral and religious training. 
Whatever may be the nature of the education in other respects, 
it must always be a matter of chief consideration to imbue the 
youthful mind with a deep sense of religion, to teach the duty we 
owe to God and man, and to impress upon young persons of both 
sexes a strong conviction of the benefits to be derived from habits 
of temperance, industry, and forethought in their progress through 
life. The inculcation of these moral and religious duties consti- 
tutes the groundwork of all good education, the basis on which 
the superstructure of secular knowledge is to be raised, and 
without which it would be insecure and comparatively valueless. 
The lesson that abstinence leads to future abundance, cannot 
be too early taught to the young, nor too strongly impressed upon 
the adult. We must all make some sacrifice, encounter some 
privation, to secure affluence or sufficiency in future. Savings' 
banks, benefit societies, clothing clubs, and all associations for 
collecting contributions to be afterwards applied for the benefit 
of the contributor, are founded upon this principle, and ought to 
be encouraged by landlords and employers, who should point out 
and explain their advantages, as well as take part in their ma- 
nagement. It would be easy to adduce examples of the advantage 
arising from such institutions, but I will only cite one — the 
instance of a parish in Leicestershire, having a population of 700 
persons. There are tuo clothing clubs established in this parish, 
one for the school children, and another for adults. The land- 
lord, the rector, and principal occupiers, contribute liberally 
towards the support of the clubs, but about one-half the amount 
of the funds is subscribed in small sums, weekly or monthly, by 
the people themselves ; and the result is, that there is scarcely a 
person wlio is not well clad, or a family without good bed-linen, 
in the whole parish. What has been done here, might be done 
in other parishes, if similar means were used for informing and 
