[Oct. 1, 
toG Jxoyal British Education for the Boor. 
Thus defeated on every hand, the partizans 
of Dr. Beil found his claim to tins inven¬ 
tion of no avail: as far a-s related solely 
to him, they now, Proteus like, change 
the shape of their attack. They are now 
willing for Dr. Bell to claim only part of 
the system, but that the greater part; and 
still anxious to denreciate the cause and 
L 
injure the real author of the plan, they 
r/ant to make him a kind of sleeping 
partner with Dr. Bell, in his sentiments 
in favour of ignorance. Dr. Bell has 
•written against the universal dift'usion of 
knowledge, on the ground that, wlien 
men are wonted to do the w'ork of brutes, 
the more brutalized in ignorance their 
minds, the fitter fur animal drudgery. 
Lancaster has laboured amidst persecu¬ 
tion for the spread of universal know- 
Jedge, and will succeed in spite of all 
they can do. Identifying the plans 
and the men is Intended to lead to iden- 
tifv sentiments which Dr. Bell avows, 
"but which Lancaster boldly reprobates 
and abhors. Persecution may again rear 
its wounded head; but, Sir, we have one 
thing to say, one thing of wliicli I admo¬ 
nish these men, who are wise in their own 
eyes, to take notice of, theday^ of fire and 
faggot arc ended ! 
it seems, however, that the value of 
the word “ Falronage” was well known 
to the native of the north country; he 
would aspire after it though he did not 
attain it: an archbishop patronized him, 
but, since the Bishop of Lead gave liim a 
sinecure, he is not seen waiting and 
crowding at, or near, the meridian of 
Canterbury, as heretofore. 
An attempt was made at the Royal In¬ 
stitution, about two years ago, by an 
obscure poetaster, to abuse the Lancas- 
terian system. But the managers of this 
affair chose to make their assault by a 
battering ——-w'hich had a broken head. 
He trespassed on good order, and, agree¬ 
able to their intention, converted the tern 
pie of science into a station of personal 
and public abuse. This was not to be to¬ 
lerated, and those that brought forward 
their engine were the first to abandon the 
noor tool to a vote of censure, to save 
themselves from being discovered and 
brought to book. Similar attempts have 
been made elsewhere, and have met the 
punishment they deserved. Dr. Bell in 
the first edition of Ins book gave a state¬ 
ment of the tost of his school at Madras 
for the last year he w'as there, which he 
very wisely suppressed in the second and 
ihird editions; the expence was little 
short of 400L a year in master’s salaries 
only, to say nothing of books and atten¬ 
dant expences. Thus near 200 pounds 
per annum was paid in salaries to four 
masters for the tuition of 200 scholars. 
If to this is added salary of the superin- 
tendantof 4201. per annum, the expence 
of books, &c. connected with education 
only, it will be found to amount to near 
four pounds per annum each boy’s educa¬ 
tion, for twelve months; a proof that the 
IMadras school, in pioint of economy, as 
well as tuition, by one master only, never 
could afford a model to Lancaster in or¬ 
ganizing the system ; simply because it 
was conducted by five salaried teachers, 
including Dr. Bell himself. 
Dr. Bell may quote, and the partizans 
of ignorance may quote, what authorities 
they please, these things have the autho¬ 
rity of facts, and the truth of them is 
founded on the doctor’s own statement; 
surely his partizans will not say for him, 
and he will hardly be so hardy as to say 
for himself, tliat his own word is not to be 
believed. Let Dr. Bell and his bijiots un- 
say these truths; not by “ puffing and fret¬ 
ting their hour on the stage;” not by their 
idle, a.>-rogant assertions, but by facts, 
on which public opinion will at first sight 
see the stamp which makes the assertion 
of facts alone possess the currency of 
truth. 
It is a suspicious thing for a man like 
the doctor, to claim the origin of a plan 
for diffusing, and with the other hand 
object to the diffusion of it as dangerous 
to the peace of the community; this is 
not like the true parent of the system, 
but, like the false parent in the account 
of Solomon and the two women claiming 
one child, his sentiments are destructive 
to the veiv life of the thing he wishes to 
father the existence of. If he is incon¬ 
sistent in the promotion of ignorance, 
with what face can he claim the origin of 
this plan for the universal spread of 
knowledge, and this gravely, when Dr. 
Mandeviile and Mrs. Trimmer, honest 
John Bowles, and those pieces of sta¬ 
tionary and serene stupidity, Bernard, 
and Co. themselves unite to oppose him ? 
If Dr. Bell is the partizan of ignorance, 
is it any wonder that Lancaster has been 
patronized in preference to him by the 
nation at large? Lej: him go to Scotland 
and imbibe a new lesson from |he libe¬ 
rality of his countrymen, and then some 
back and tell another tale; but, Sir, there 
is reason to fear that he has passed the 
Rubicon, and that pride will not let him 
yield 
