"The work is, however, retarded, and is in danger even of receding, from the want of an adequate supply of trained and properly qualified teachers. The deficiency of such a supply occasions many of the existing schools to languish in a state of inefficiency, and, at the same time, renders the establishment of new schools impracticable. "We estimate that there ought to be not less than 200 British Schools in North Wales, and that this number would absorb at least 20 trained teachers every year. The needed supply cannot be looked for from the Normal College of the British and Foreign School Society in London, as that institution, which has already acted with noble generosity towards Wales, is unable to meet the demands made upon it in England, and hence the necessity for the establishment of a Normal College for Wales. "We earnestly commend this matter to the thoughtful consideration of the friends of education in Wales, whether resident in the Principality, or in England, confidently believing that it will not fail to secure their hearty and liberal support." The address containing these clauses, and other statements bearing upon the question, including the names of the treasurers, secretaries, and the Provisional Com. mittee, was printed in London, and sent by Mr. Hugh Owen to all the gentlemen named at the July meeting. A meeting of the Provisional Committee was convened on Monday, the 15th of September, and held at the Town-hall, Rhyl. Mr. Richard Davies, of Menai Bridge, was called to the chair. The communication addressed by Mr. Owen to the gentlemen alluded to above, the object of which was to obtain their consent to act on the Committee, was read, and also the replies received. Although most of these parties were unable, from distance and other causes, to act on the Committee, they expressed, with few exceptions, their cordial approval of the undertaking, and their purpose to contribute towards it. In no instance was disapproval expressed. The gentlemen present then, with the utmost spontaneity, announced the sums which they were respectively prepared to subscribe. These sums, with those communicated by letters, amounted to £1,559 11s. After some discussion, in which the several gentlemen present took part, the following resolutions, amongst others, were unanimously passed. On the motion of Mr. Salisbury, seconded by Mr. Richards "That the offer of Mr. Gold Edwards to transact the law business of the College gratuitously be accepted, and that the thanks of the meeting be conveyed to him for the offer." On the motion of Mr. Hugh Owen, seconded by Mr. James Maurice "That on a full consideration of the relative advantages of the several places named as being desirable sites for the College, it is the opinion of this meeting that Bangor is, upon the whole, the most eligible, and therefore that the College be established in that city, or its immediate neighbourhood." On the motion of Mr. Salisbury, seconded by Mr. David Roberts "That public meetings be held, as early as practicable, in the principal towns of North Wales, and also in Liverpool and Manchester, for the purpose of bringing before the country the claims and requirements of the proposed College, and obtaining funds for its establishment and future support; and also that local committees be formed as extensively as possible in furtherance of the obfect." On the motion of Mr. W. H. Darby, seconded by Mr. Evan Lloyd "That the following gentlemen be requested to act as deputations to attend the public meetings to be held, viz.,-The Rev. Henry Rees, the Rev. J. Phillips, Mr. Salisbury, Mr. Hugh Owen, and Mr. Thomas Jones." Trustees also, and an Executive Committee were appointed. "Thanks having been voted to Mr. Robert Davies for his munificent contribution; to Mr. Forster and Mr. Owen for their attendance; and to the Chairman for presiding, the meeting, which was one of the most earnest in spirit and effective in purpose witnessed in Wales for many a day, separated." Since then, public meetings in behalf of the proposed institution have been held at the following places, presided over by Committees have been formed in all these localities to carry out the object of the meetings, and are now engaged in canvassing for contributions. The deputation were well received everywhere, and in some places enthusiastically The undertaking is now in the hands of the following gentlemen :- Robert Davies, Esq., Menai Bridge... 1000 00 Richard Davies, Menai Bridge Charles Darby, Esq., do. Robert Forster, Esq. (engages to raise) Eleazer Pugh, Esq., Liverpool Hugh Owen, Esq. (engages to raise). Samuel Dew, Esq., Llangefin 100 0 0 50 0 0 50 0 0 John Roberts, Esq., Liverpool John Jesse, Esq., F.R.S., High Sheriff of the County of Denbigh. Sir John Hanmer, Bart., M.P. James Maurice, Esq., Ruthun John Jones, Esq., Machynlleth 50 0 0 David Roberts, Esq., do..... 50 0 0 E. G. Salisbury, Esq., Chester 50 O 0 50 0 0 Lewis Pugh, Esq., Dolgelley.. 40 0 0 25 00 John Williams, Esq., Glanbeuno 25 0 0 Miss Mary Darby 20 0 0 The Rev. J. Phillips. 20 0 0 Hugh Pierce, Esq., Liverpool 20 0 0 H. Robertson, Esq., Brymbo..... C. H. Rawlins, Esq., Liverpool......... 20 0 0 £2015 O 0 NEWPORT. The new British Schools at Newport were opened on the 28th of October last. The schools are built in the Italian style of architecture. The ground plan consists of school-rooms for boys and girls, each room being 54 feet long, by 24 wide; and these are divided by an infant school-room, 40 feet long, by 24 wide; at the rear of which are commodious class-rooms. Suitable and extensive offices are attached to the building, and there are good-sized play-grounds for the children. The front façade is executed in grey Newbridge stone, with Bath stone windows, rustications, entablatures, and bell turret. The contrast of colour between the two materials gives a pleasing harmony to the whole. There are three separate entrances; the central one is surmounted with a remarkably fine bell-turret, the admirable proportions and richly moulded details of which give an imposing effect to the structure. The side entrances open into lobbies, leading to the boys' and girls' schools respectively; these flank the large central entrance on either side, with bold pedimented gables and entablature. Each school-room is furnished with two large fire-places, and a strict regard has been paid to ventilation, by the insertion of Moore's patent ventilators into the windows, acting in connexion with other appliances. The rooms are lofty, and being ceiled on the face of the rafters, allow a height of more than 22 feet to the ridge; and the trusses of the roof being of iron, and of a very ornamental design, the whole effect of the interior is of a light and pleasing character. The cost is £1800. Sir Charles Morgan, Bart., of Tredegar, occupied the chair at the opening ceremony, and was accompanied by Lady and Mr. Godfrey Morgan; and supported by Captain Paynton; Mr. O. Morgan, M.P.; the Mayor of Newport; Dr. Humphreys, of Cheltenham; and a large gathering of the neighbouring gentry and clergy of all denominations. The balance-sheet of the treasurer showed that a sum of rather above £200 was required to complete the schools, and subscriptions to that amount were raised during the evening. In the course of the meeting, the secretary, Mr. W. Jack, thus referred to the object of the schools: "We desire to make the education we propose to give, as comprehensive as possible. The great evil we have to contend with is, that the children are generally taken away from school before they have attained the age at which they might derive all the advantages of an attendance at school. On an average, children leave our day schools at ten or eleven years of age. At that time, their services become useful, and of marketable value to their parents. As far as possible, we desire to work against this feeling, both as to the extent of duration in, and the punctual attendance at, school; and the Committee have invited the parents to meet them to-morrow evening, to address them upon this important question, and to advise them to keep their children regularly at school, and as long as possible. We give what we call a religious education. I think that is very desirable. I cannot at all agree with merely secular education. It is educating one part of the mind, whilst the affections are left entirely uncultivated and untouched. This education we do not desire to foster; neither do we desire to give an education that is sectarian or denominational. A large number of persons look upon these schools as Dissenting schools. They are not at all Dissenting schools, but are such as may include all classes of religious persons. The only reason that they can be looked upon as dissenting schools is, that they happen to be principally in the hands of Dissenters, because our Church of England friends have schools which they regard as their own, and are very right in so doing. We do not look at their schools as rivals to ours, nor ours as rivals of theirs. There is ample scope for the exertions of all; and even when these are filled, it will be found that there is a large number of children of the poor unprovided for, and our only rivalry will be, to fill our schools, and then build other schools to provide for all." The Rev. J. T. Wrenford, the rector of the parish, referred, at some length, to the distinctive character of the schools, and claimed for them the support of Christians of all denominations, on the ground of their unsectarian character. He said— "The want of education has had very much to do with bringing persons into poverty and crime. What remedy would you propose to meet these two evils? Two kinds may be mentioned-reformatories, and schools; or, in other words, reformation and prevention. Now, reformatories commend themselves to the good opinion of all who value the welfare of their fellow-creatures. I rejoice that there is every probability of a reformatory being established in our own immediate neighbourhood; but still more earnestly would we advocate educational efforts. We believe it to be a good thing to provide a lifeboat for rescuing shipwrecked mariners; but far better is it to erect a beacon on the rocks, to prevent the mariner being wrecked. By all means have the life-boat, but do not, for an instant, delay in erecting the beacon on the rock. I need scarcely say that I mean, have reformatories by all means; but, be sure to have schools. Then, what is the reply to the question, what is the remedy for those two evils? The answer is, educate the people-show them the dangers that threaten them-convince them of the advantage of consideration, prudence, morality, and so forth. Instruct them well in the science of navigation, so to speak; enable them to steer their barque safely over the dangerous sea of the present life. But what is education? The best definition is this-'teaching a person to understand his high destiny, and the leading him to fit himself for it.' What is the high destiny of every human being? Let his immortal nature testify. Give, by all means, instruction as to how he shall act in the present world; but do not let him stop there, for you inform him only as to the present life. We must not leave the moral faculties to secular education. We must introduce the elements of religion; we must educate them on the principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I, for one, rejoice cordially in the erection and opening of these schools. It is true that there are extensive schools in this parlsh, but every one connected with Newport will see there is ample room for the British Schools which have been opened to-day. I trust, that in the course of time they will be filled with children, who will receive not only a good, sound, secular education, but also a sound religious education. I am convinced we can teach children the principles of religion, without biasing their minds to sect or party. I think it is natural for me to love the Church of England, but then it is natural for me, as a Christian, to love other denominations. I have that confidence in the General Committee of Management of these schools, that they will not attempt to rival any other schools; but there may be between us a generous emulation, and there is no reason why we should not emulate each other, whilst there is no unkind jealousy in the matter, and no unchristian rivalry." The Mayor of Newport illustrated, at some length, the connexion of ignorance with crime, and stated that, during the term of his own magisterial office, of 2100 cases which had come before him, 1429 of the accused persons could neither read nor write, and scarcely any of the rest had received the most ordinary rudiments of education. "There is no more dangerous element to legitimate government than the extreme ignorance of the people. It is this which renders him an easy prey to the prejudiced, and causes that interference, in a time of great public calamity, which is more to be dreaded than the eruption of a volcano. In the present day, men of the highest rank, and of the most splendid talents, in Church and State, lift up their voices, use their influence, and contribute their property to educate the working classes; and it is now a matter of surprise, if each successive leader of the Government does not propound some scheme for the education of the people. I feel proud of my fellow-townsmen, for the noble manner in which they have responded, in the short period of one year, to the call for the erection of so commodious and excellent, and well-nigh-paid-for, a structure as has been erected. It is a monument of the large-hearted liberality and Christian zeal of the gentlemen who now surround me. While I hail their institution for the improvement of the rising generation and the diffusion of literature and general knowledge, I especially esteem that institution because it has for a text-book an open Bible.” Dr. Humphreys, of Cheltenham, who entered at considerable length into the general question of education, remarked that— 'No system of education can ever be sound-can ever be deserving of admiration and respect-which does not pay the first attention to the first element in man's nature. We must begin with the child in the nursery, and not wait until the child arrives at school, because the great difficulty which the schoolmaster has to contend with, is the want of education in early days. I would say, in reference to this, that the system of education cannot be sound, which does not take this, and, consequently, the religious element, as its foundation and great substratum. I don't mean by religion the doctrines of any branch of the Christian church, but simply the broad basis of the Bible. And here I would say parenthetically, that it will be a happy day for England-while I avow myself a Church of England man, and will do my duty in a Church of England school-if ever we should arrive at that unity of opinion, which shall cause us to combine and unite on that broad platform and solid foundation of Bible Christianity." Mr. O. Morgan, M.P., and the Chairman, subsequently addressed the meeting, expressing their warm attachment to the principles on which the school had been founded, and their deep interest in its welfare. On Wednesday evening, a most interesting gathering of the parents of the children attending these schools took place in the same room. The Committee thought the occasion of opening the new schools was one in which the parents ought to participate, whilst it would also afford a favourable opportunity of presenting before them a few practical suggestions on the importance of punctual and constant attendance, and the necessity of home education. Accordingly, the Committee invited the parents to tea, and the invitation was responded to in a most enthusiastic manner, the large room being crowded to excess. After tea, the tables were removed, and the whole company comfortably provided with seats. Mr. Knapp (the Mayor) was called to the chair, and addresses of a most practical nature were delivered by Messrs. Graham, Griffiths, Slade, T. Jones, Jack, and the Rev. W. Hitchison. The musical party, who so kindly rendered their services on the previous day, were also in attendance, and contributed not a little to the pleasure of the meeting. BETHNAL-GREEN-ABBEY-STREET. Ar a recent public meeting o the Abbey-street Schools, Bethnal-green, over which Sir Edward N. Buxton presided, a statement was read by the master, Mr. George White, detailing the particulars of the several educational agencies which are carried on in that building. The particulars which follow are chiefly gleaned from that document. The Institution comprises three large rooms. A boys', girls', and infants' schoolroom, and several class-rooms; the building is occupied, in various ways, so incessantly throughout the week, that with the exception of a few hours on Saturday morning, there are no opportunities of cleaning it but in the early morning or at night. The Boys' School, which is in a high state of efficiency, contains 500 on the books, and has an average daily attendance throughout the year of 400. Of those who belong to the school, fifty are learning to read, 130 are learning to read easy narratives, 320 read the Holy Scriptures and other books, and 450 write in copybooks. The system of preparing home lessons is carried out to an unusual extent, it being applied even to the lowest classes in the school; so that every child, in addition to the ordinary six hours' work in the school-room, prepares some lesson regularly at home. The plan of insisting on monthly payments has been carried out in all the classes, with very beneficial effects on the attendance and general habits of the children. The school-library contains 595 volumes. In the Girls' School 245 scholars are on the books, and 205 is the average daily attendance. There are seven pupil-teachers apprenticed to the governess; and, of the children, 119 read easy narratives; 121 read the Bible and books of general information; 202 write in copy-books; and the whole are instructed in needle-work. The Infant School numbers 230 scholars, 201 being the average attendance. These are under the care of one governess, one assistant, and five pupil-teachers. Thus, in the three departments of the school, there is a total of 975 children on the books, of whom 809 are in daily attendance. These are under the care of three principal teachers, five adult assistants, and sixteen pupil-teachers. The Library and Reading Room, for the working men of the neighbourhood, is open in the evening from six to ten o'clock. It is well supplied with periodicals and newspapers and chess-boards. Connected with it is a library of 600 volumes of wellselected books. The number who subscribe is ninety, and the average nightly attendance of readers is twenty-five. There have been 910 deliveries of books in the year. The Penny Bank has been established five years. It is open in the evening at an hour convenient to working people, and has been much appreciated by them. The forms are few and the regulations simple. During the year, 22,626 deposits have been made, and 3,194 withdrawals of money. The total amount deposited has been £1,860 14s. 7d., and the balance in hand is £750. Classes for Young Men assemble in the evening for elocution, for discussion on questions of social and historical interest, and for the practice of vocal music. In each of these a small fee is the condition of membership. Occasional entertainments are given by these classes to their friends, and the orderly and decorous behaviour of those who assemble on these occasions, and the innocent and agreeable manner in which these evenings have been spent, continue to afford much encouragement to the promoters of the classes. There are also Free Classes established for young persons above fifteen years of age, which meet on two evenings a week, from half-past eight till ten, and are taught by voluntary teachers. The nightly attendance amounts to fifty-five, under the superintendence of four teachers. The Sunday Schools are attended by 600 children. Poor Man's Parlour.-On Sunday evenings the Infant School-room is lighted, furnished with tables, and opened as a free parlour or reading-room, for the reception of all persons who may be disposed to come. Here is a comfortable, welllighted, and well-warmed room, with plenty of good books and pleasing pictures, provided for the benefit and comfort of those persons who make their poverty and rags an excuse for not attending the worship of God in churches and chapels. This movement originated with Charles Buxton, Esq., at whose expense it is still sustained. It is to this gentleman, to his constant attendance in the schools, and his intelligent and unwearied interest in all the details of the important work which is being carried on in them, that much of the efficiency of the entire organization is to be attributed. In the boys' school, especially, his visits are very frequent, and are eagerly welcomed by the children as well as by their teachers. There are thus twelve separate educational agencies at work on the same spot. In connexion with all these, more than six thousand persons are registered on the books, and share, in some way or other, the educational advantages of the Institution. |