BIRMING- GRESS ON A.D. 1877. Number of children under instruction in Wales. avoid statistics as far as possible, but I cannot give an idea of what is done for nearly the two millions expenditure spent yearly, without a few general figures. In 1876, there were nearly three millions of children registered as being under instruction, in reading, writing, and arithmetic, in England and Wales. One million two hundred thousand "passed" what is called "a satisfactory examination" in these three arts, and of this number nearly seven hunEngland and dred thousand, i.e., about one-fourth, "passed" the prescribed test without failure "in any one of the three subjects." But the Duke of Richmond and Gordon and Lord Sandon report to the Queen, that "they are obliged to repeat the remarks which they used last year, that the results are not satisfactory." And that the "nature of the results attained by many of those examined are meagre." Their Lordships say, "only thirty-eight in every hundred of children above ten years of age, were presented in standards appropriate to their age," and not twelve in a hundred presented passed in the Standards IV. to VI. Standards of examination. Mental capacity. III. Six standards of examination in reading, writing, and arithmetic are fixed, and, after the first standard, grammar, geography, and history are made compulsory subjects of examination. The returns of the report for 1876, show how the numbers presented for examination decline as the standard rises, beginning with 327'412 in Standard I. and going down to 20.763 in Standard VI. IV. This result might have been expected if we try to realize what the mental capacity of the three millions of children under instruction, is likely to be. They are the offspring of parents mostly earning weekly wages, which start from twelve shillings, and even less, and rise up to, say, forty shillings. The majority live crowded together in small rooms, badly built, badly heated and ventilated, not over clean or neat, often in the midst of debauchery and disease, poorly and foolishly clothed. Many children are not overfed, and with food not well cooked. Is it possible to train Bad physical the minds of such children, under such bad physical conditions, on any large scholastic system, to a very high standard? Genius will always assert itself without system, and even with bad food; whilst great men and women, or great individual works, never come out of any system, as Dr. Newman, our neighbour, says. But I should call that system successful, which gave to three millions the power to read, write, and cipher well, and thus conditions. start them on the way to become what their native abilities enable BIRMING them. HAM CONGRESS ON DOMESTIC A.D. 1877. Part II. system. V. Let us look into what the education system purposes to do. ECONOMY. The little child of an agricultural labourer, of eight or nine years old, is expected, in Standard II., to read with intelligence, to write Selections. a sentence from dictation, to know the four first simple rules in Education arithmetic, as far as long division. Besides, it is "to point out the nouns, the definitions, the points of the compass, the form and motions of the earth, and the meaning of a map!" The very enumeration of these demands appals me. How many, even of this audience, will come forth and stand this examination? Who will volunteer to be the examiner except one of Her Majesty's Inspectors? but none of these, I am told, can be present here. Shall we send into those parts of this town of Birmingham, which were lately shown to Mr. Cross as condemned to removal, and take at haphazard any ten children under thirteen years of age, in tatters of finery, dirty, emaciated perhaps, and see what comes actually out of this present system? Shall they stand as illustrative specimens in the exhibition? Do I, then, condemn learning grammar, geography, and history? God forbid. But I gravely doubt if the teaching of them takes its right place in our present system of State education. VI. I believe the three arts-reading, writing, and arithmeticshould be practised, not on the moon and sun, but on objects which come within the daily life and experience of the poor, which would influence the child's well-being and conduct all through life. The child's reading and writing should be exercised on those subjects of first importance, as laid down in the Code, "habits of punctuality, good manners and language, cleanliness and neatness, cheerful obedience to duty, consideration and respect for others, honour and truthfulness in word and act ;" and the knowledge and practice of these virtues will not end at thirteen years of age, when the child goes to the field or factory, where he will probably ponder very little on the metaphysics of language, the nouns and verbs, and parsings and complex sentences, or on the compass, or the motions of the earth, or the conquest of England or Henry VII., unless he has a leaning towards them. The Code places properly these moral subjects before reading, writing, or arithmetic, but does not lay down definite rules for their being taught. Instruction in moral sub jects before the three Arts. BIRMING- GRESS ON A.D. 1877. in schools, VII. I now come to what the Code calls "Domestic Economy" for girls, which it places as the last and tenth division after nine others, being-1, English Literature; 2, Mathematics; 3, Latin; 4, French; 5, German; 6, Mechanics; 7, Animal Physiology; 8, Physical Geography; 9, Botany; and 10, Domestic Economy. Will anyone venture to say that a knowledge of health, good food, thrift, and the like, is not of much greater value to every one of the three millions of children of working people (under thirteen years of age), than Latin and every other of the subjects I have named, and yet the teaching of domestic economy is discouraged unless the child "parses a simple sentence, and knows the geographical outlines of the colonies!" VIII. Daily attention in schools to one or more of the subjects of domestic economy, will lay the foundations of knowledge the most useful throughout a whole life. This knowledge is easy to acquire; it is not abstract, but practical, and not easy to be forgotten. It cultivates all the faculties. Its elements may be taught in the in the infant infant school, and may be made most interesting. Children may begin with it even before attempting the three great arts. over, domestic economy will impress the value of public education far beyond anything else on the minds of the working classes, and make them friendly to it. school. More IX. It is my conviction that if the several subjects embraced under domestic economy, and none others, were connected with reading, writing, and arithmetic, throughout all the six standards, and all other subjects whatever, of grammar, geography, and history, were made optional, and left to night classes, the results of the State systems would be much less meagre " than my Lords of the Education Committee, at present deplore that it is. X. But we ought to be grateful to the Duke of Richmond and Gordon and Lord Sandon for being the first to introduce domestic economy, even in its present humble and mis-recognized position, and I, for one, heartily am so; but if they desire to see the work done effectively, I think they must seek for better advisers and far more earnest administrators, who really know what the children of the labouring classes are. XI. I venture to suggest that Her Majesty's Government refer the question of the practical value of a knowledge of domestic economy in the cultivation of the three primary arts, to a small HAM CON DOMESTIC Commission of five persons permanently sitting, two of whom BIRMINGshould be women, which might also consider the use and economy GRESS ON of the present public examinations. I have no doubt that a result would follow which would commend itself to the judgment of the A.D. 1877. Government, the Parliament, and the people. XII. Every branch of domestic economy is directly connected with the health of the people. I conclude with reminding you the eloquent words which the most powerful man in this country at the present time, lately uttered:-"The health of a people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their power as a State depend. It is quite possible for a kingdom to be inhabited by an able and active population; you may have successful manufactures, and you may have a productive agriculture; the arts may flourish, architecture may cover your land with temples and palaces; you may have even material power to defend and support all these acquisitions; you may have arms of precision and fleets of fish-torpedoes; but if the population of the country is stationary or yearly diminishing—if, while it diminishes in number, it diminishes also in stature and in strength, that country is doomed. The health of the people is, in my opinion, the first duty of a statesman." So said the Earl of Beaconsfield. I say Amen! and add that the pathway to health is found in a knowledge of the principles of domestic economy acquired through the three arts-reading, writing, and arithmetic. Part II. Health of the people. Lord Bea consfield on health of the people. MAN CHESTER CONGRESS ON DO- A.D. 1878. ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL COLLEGE BY SIR HENRY COLE, K.C.B., LATE SECRETARY OF THE SCIENCE AND ARGUMENT.-Introduction of the teaching of Domestic Economy into Public I. HE introduction of "Domestic Economy" into the teaching of public elementary schools is of the first importance to the future well-being of the people, morally and physically. The training of the child, of three years old, to begin to live rightly, comes before learning the alphabet and reading. Our ancestors were a great people, really cultivated in the arts of home-life, before reading was common among them. Now, changes in industry have nearly abolished old home-life, and deteriorated it in many respects. It was only in 1874, that the importance of training school children in the conduct of life, was first made part of public elementary education. With great political wisdom and foresight, Introduction Lord Beaconsfield's administration first introduced Domestic Economy into the Code of 1874. of Domestic Economy in Education II. It seems to me, that the first principles on which Domestic |