invented a more effectual plan than the degradation of marriage into a state of mere occasional cohabitation, or licensed concubinage."

NOTE (B.) Page 10.

NATIONAL EDUCATION.

As I have ventured to object to the System of Education that appears to have received the sanction of government, it is only just that some statements should be offered of what that System is, and of what appears to be the more objectionable features of its principles and details. In doing this I shall refer to three Documents. 1st. The Letter of the Secretary of State, Lord J. Russell, to the Marquis of Lansdowne, dated Whitehall, 4th February, 1839. 2nd. The Minute of Privy Council, presented to the House of Commons, 11th April, 1839.* 3rd. The Publications of the Central Society of Education. These last-mentioned are, it is true, not the authorised document of Government, but they may be taken as an exposition of the System developed in the former two-and when it is recollected, that several of those Members of the Government whose names (Lord Lansdowne and Lord J. Russell) appear in the Government Plan are Members of the Central Society of education, the connection is not one which they would wish to disavow. At any rate, there is such a similarity of view, both in principle and detail, between the public docu

* Since the above was written, and while these sheets have been passing through the press, another Minute of the Committee of Privy Council for Education has been made public, in which, altho' the scheme of establishing a Normal School, on the principles stated in the former minute, has been for the present relinquished, yet, it is provided that the Board shall have the power of making grants of the public money, not only to the two existing Societies,-the National Society, and the British and Foreign School Society,-but also in any other cases, according to their discretion: thus, I fear, insidiously contriving what they have not found it expedient, to attempt openly-whilst public opinion is so unequivocally expressed against them, in numerous petitions to the House of Commons-namely, the support of the Legislature to Popish or Socinian Schools, and, in short, if the said Board think proper, to Schools from which, either the Scriptures are altogether excluded, or used in corrupt versions, and mutilated extracts.

ments and the publications of the Central Society, that one is almost tempted to believe, that-if not drawn up by kindred hands, or extracted from the publications, at least,—the Government plan meets the views and wishes of the Committee of the Central Society.

1 st. From the letter of Lord J. Russell to Lord Lansdowne, already referred to, we learn that " a Board or Committee for the consideration of all matters affecting the education of the People" should be formed, consisting of

The Lord President of Council,

The Lord Privy Seal,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer,

The Secretary of State for Home Department,

The Master of the Mint.

This Board is to have the Controul of all sums voted by Parliament for education in England and Wales:-and its first object is the establishment of a Normal School, in which a body of Schoolmasters may be formed, and the best modes of teaching be introduced. In such Normal School, four principal objects are to be kept in view.

1. Religious Instruction,

2. General Instruction,

3. Moral Training,

4. Habits of Industry.

Three conflicting systems and parties in education are named; those who would connect education with the Creed of the Established Church, those who would inculcate religion but without a creed, -and those who dissever education and religion entirely.-Among these parties and systems the Board is to be an arbiter. It recommends that Pauper Children (through poor laws,) and the Children of Criminals, should be taken under the educational controul of the Board.

2nd. The Minute of the Privy Council contains the Scheme of Education proposed. It projects the establishment of a Normal

School for the formation of a body of Schoolmasters-with Model Schools where children may be instructed from Sto 14.-It declares, that Religion is to be combined with all the instruction, and regulate all the discipline. It divides religious instruction into General and Special. The Special to be imparted at certain periods, by a Chaplain of the established Church, or licensed Minister of each persuasion, appointed. A portion of the Scriptures is to be read daily; and Roman Catholics to be allowed to use their own version.

A Rector is to be appointed over the whole establishment who is to give lectures on "the method and matter of instruction," (but not said whether he is to be a Churchman or dissenter, layman or cleric.) The religious instruction of the Teachers to be a prominent feature of the system, and this is to be imparted by the Chap. lain, or other licensed Minister of the Institution.

Grants to the existing Societies, the National, and the British and Foreign School Societies, to be withdrawn, except £2500, for their Normal Schools. £10,000 a year to be expended in the erection of Schools, and grants not to be any longer confined to such Schools as have the largest proportion of subscriptions.

Remarks.-The most remarkable feature of the foregoing plan, perhaps, is the attempt to divide religion into two departments, General, and Special, grounded upon the assumption, that religion may subsist, not only independent of all Creeds and Formularies, but that it may be inculcated without the aid of Doctrines. This may be called the abstract idea of religion-a mere nonentity which no man can define or understand, and which can only lead to what the Bishop of London justly describes-" indifference, generalism, and, lastly, to infidelity." "It is "in his Lordship language, the " essence of latitudinarianism."

The second feature of this plan is, that the Candidate Teachers are to be instructed in Religion in the Institution, as well as the Children. No matter what the Candidate's previous character or attainments in religion may have been, before he can become an accredited Schoolmaster, he must receive a Certificate of approval from the Rector of the Normal School. Thus the certificate of his parochial Minister is neither required, nor will be accepted, even for Members of the established Church. A more determined

attempt to produce religious uniformity probably never proceeded from the Czar of Muscovy. A more barefaced effort to cast contempt upon the Clergy at large was never made by their enemies.

Who is to decide the qualifications and character of the Chaplain thus selected to form the religious principles of the Schoolmasters of the Kingdom? On the religious character of one individual, the religion of every Church Schoolmaster is to be moulded.

It appears from the plan that £10,000 a year is to be applied for building Schools: It appears also that this will be in the form of grants to local parties applying for aid. A question naturally occurs-Are the Schools, thus built, to be under the Controul of the parties applying for aid? Or is the Board to declare them public Institutions, and place them under its own management, or under managers from the Members of Literary Institutes, &c., as proposed by Lord Brougham?

If the Board judge that there are a sufficient number of Scholars to authorise it, they will appoint a licenced Minister of that particular persuasion. Does this include all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics?-or is it to be confined to Romanists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Independents, and Methodists? What provision is to be made for the Annual expenditure of Schools built by this Board? Parochial Rates?

3rd. Extracts from the first publication of the Central Society of Education.

Education substituted for the Gospel in the regeneration of the World.

"Attributing the great misery which exists, and ever has existed, in the world, not to the design of Providence, but to the erroneous direction of the energies of mankind; and considering, that, by the aid of education, the condition of humanity is capable of an improvement which has never yet been known-the Society has resolved to endeavour to combat some of the many difficulties," &c. page 3.

E

The perfectability of human nature was a doctrine held by the infidel Philosophers in France just previous to the Revolution; and the regeneration of man was proposed to be achieved-not by the Gospel-but by sweeping away all the ancient Institutions of the State, both civil and ecclesiastical, and by bringing men into a condition of civil equality. The Illuminati of Germany, and the Carbonari of Italy, appear to have had the same object in view. The Freethinkers in England were kindred to them. In the present day, Owen of Lanark has sought the same end, by introducing a social and moral training on principles not drawn from the Scriptures. All such Systems are essentially antichristian and infidel.

Neutrality in Religion advocated:

Important a part of education as Religion forms, it is one upon which the Society, if it intends to effect good, must observe a strict neutrality; religious controversy must be avoided. The contributions to the publications of the Society must, therefore, be confined to observations upon the cultivation of religious sentiments, without touching upon points of difference." page 9.

Here we see the distinction of Religion into General and Special, as indicated in the scheme of the Board of Education. That religious sentiments cannot be effectually inculcated, except in connection with religious doctrines, will probably be admitted by all "Persuasions" of Christians. They are all in the habit of so inculcating them, in their repective places of instruction. Whether they can be inculcated by other modes is a problem not yet solved-never before attempted-and which seems of too great magnitude to be hazarded on such a scale as an experiment on a whole Christian kingdom.

Compulsory Education.

Mr. Duppa quotes the following passage from a work on Education in Prussia, by M. Cousin. "The state has long imposed on all parents the strict obligation of sending their children to school, unless they are able to prove that they are giving them competent education at home." And then adds, "whether the ideas entertained in this country, with regard to the liberty of the subject being infringed by such an obligation, would for the present per