The Merthyr Telegraph and General Advertiser for the Iron Districts of South Wales

BBITISH SCHOOLS IN MERTHYR. PUBLIC MEETING AT THE DRILL HALL. A large and enthusiastic meeting in connection with this movsment, was held in the Drill Hall on Wednesday eve- ning, the Right Honourable H. A. Bruce, M.P., presiding. The meeting was announced to commence at six o'clock, but owing to a heavy shower of rain coming on about that hour, the business of the meeting did not commence for some minutes after. Amongst the gentlemen present on the platform, we observed His Honour Judge Falconer, G. I. Clark, Esq., J. C. Fowler, Esq., Handel Cossham, Esq., G. Overton, Esq., and Messrs. Davis, T. Williams, T. W. Good- fellow as well as most of the Dissenting ministers in the town and neighbourhood. The President said he quite understood the impatience which had been shown by the audience, but from the tem- pestuous nature of the evening, the committee thought it was desirable to wait half-an-hour, in order to give time for people to arrive. They were right. The hall was now very considerably filled. He would now call upon the Secretary to read the report of the school committee up to the present time. The Secretary, Rev. John Thomas, read the following report: — SECRETARY'S REPORT. Tho pruent movement was commenced about four years ago by a few gentlemen, ministers and others, who deeply dspiorca the tact that so large and important a town as Merthvr should oe without, a British School which it could call its own. For while lully recog- nizing the schools already existing, and the educational benents conferred by them, it was felt that in consequence of their being, with one or two exceptions, established by employers ot labour for the children of their workmen, they could not be regarded as the echools of the public, and that this left a vacancy wmch it was still desirable to fill. We have said "the present movement," for it will be within the recollection of many here, that this is not the first attempt tnat has been made to provide the town with a British School. 1 am unable to say when the first attempt was made, but so long ago as tne year 1850 the sfibject was for the second time brought under the notice of the public, and a small amount of money was collected by the late Rev. Enoch Williams, of Twynyrodyn, and the late waiter Thomson, Esq., manager of the West of England Bank. And as a singular instance of the slow growth of good schemes in our midst" itmight be mentioned that it was only about two montfe ago that the money collected by these gentlemen, amounting, w-tu interest, to J631 193.9d., was paid over to this committee, to ba applied for carrying out the present scheme. The gentleman who originated the present movcmeiii, lelu th. these repeated failures could be regarded as very little better than a disgrace to the town, and they entered upon their worl, with a determination that there should be no more failures. A suflicient proof of this determination, we think, is the fact t:ia.o lor toui. loi years they have continued to meet in committee, wn.n more or lesa regularity, and in very varying moods, according as their pi-ospec-s of success were hopeful or discouraging. And to lay, m view of this large and enthusiastic meeting, they cannot but congratulate themselves and the town on what they now regard as the near reali- zation of their wishes. At one of the first meetings of the committee a scheme was set on foot for the raising of funds—a scheme which, I believe, was suggested by the excellent friend of the movement C. H. JamM, Esq., who occupied the cha r on that occasion. He called it, I trimc a round, robin, in which the donations-for they were bona fide do- nations—went under the name of shares, each share being of the value of £10. And a very good scheme it was, for by keeping the donations at £10, and upwards, the little robin, by this somewiiai. elevated flight, brought back to the nest the coinrortable sum or £ 500 in promise^ The following are the names of the gentlemen who promised the above amount:— „ f* Rt. Hon. H. A. Bruec, Esq. 30 Mr. Wm. Gould 10 W. B. Smith, Esq 40 Messrs. D. Oliver and John G. T. Clark, Esq 20 Jones tor Lbenezar 20 C. H. James, Esq 20 Mr. Isaac Morgan foi /.on Wm. Harris, Esq. 20 Chapel. 20 E. M. Elderton, Esq. 20 Mr. Evan Reynolds for the The late Mrs. Morgan, Graig 10 Tabernacle Miss Gwenllian Howell 10 Mr. -John Price for High St. R. T. Crawshay, Esq 10 Chapel. Frank James, Esq 10 Rev. <». Jones tor Bethesda. 10 Mr. Thos. Stephens 10 Mr. Thos. Jenkins for Salem Mr. T. Thomas, Ironmonger 10 Chapel 10 Mr. D. Davis, Glebeland 10 Mr. Daniel Jones 10 Mr. I. Jones, Caemaridwn 10 Mr. David Davies for Zoar Mr. D.Morgan 10 Chapel. <n> Mr. John Jones, Manchester Mr. Bees Lew.s tor I ontmoi- HOUS6 10 l<i!3 Mr. Benjamin Evans, Timber Messrs. J. Ueynon and M. Merchant 10 Jones lor\nys.;au Co. 20 Mr. Davfd Joseph: 10 Mr. Daniel Roberts for Hope Mr. J. James, Cloth Hall 10 Chapel 10 Mr. J.Jones, Spirit Merchant 10 Rev. '>■ ior,Be,n,le|. ••• Mr. Morgan Davis 10 Rev.A.MatthowsforAduilam 10 The amount for Market Square Chapel is not included in this list, but we have reason to believe that a liberal sum will be received from that congregation. Part of these promises have been already paid up, as will be seen from the list which will be presently read. The great difficulty which the committee had to encounter trsm the outset, was that of obtaining a suitaule site. Much more time labour and anxiety have been expended about this matter than many will be prepared to give the committee credit tor. Three or four times, in reference to different sites, our hopes were raised only to be disappointed. At one time we were very nearly depriving our friends of the Roval 12th Glamorgan ot the piece of ground on which this hall stands; but the lease under winch the property was held being too short to fulfil the conditions ot a Parliamentary grant, and our efforts to got an extension ot the tsnns proving fruitless, we were compelled to relinquish it. At another time io was thought we m;ght, securc a piece ot ground m Wellmgton-st., belonging to the Dowlais Iron Co. We were m correspondence with G T Clark, Esq. about it, and finding him most ready to meet the wishes of the committee, an arrangement was nearly complied But there was other property aujommg which it would be necessary to purchase, and when everything came to be put together we were obliged reluctantly to conclude that it was beyond °WWlethe committee was thus in great perplexity, fearing that the whole scheme must be abandoned, three gentlemen eauu for- ward, and with a liberality which has placed the town under the deepest obligations to them, offered to give,.without fee or reward, an acre of freehold land of the value ot £ 000 at least, to be appro- priated for ever as a site for the British School. These three gentle- men are David Davis, Thomas Williams, and Thomas Phillips, EItUise unnecessary to say how readily and gratefully this most libera! offer was accepted. This site, which is m a most heal; hy and convenient position, has now been conveyed in trust to the following gentlemen, for the purposes speeiiied m the deed Messrs. C. H. James, Thomas Williams, William Harris, W. R:)o;n- son Smith, Morgan Davis, John Jones, T. W. Goodfellow, David Evans David Oliver, Timothy Evans, Thos. Phillips, Dd. Morgan, R. J. Jones, and the Revs. D. Jones, C. Griffiths, J. Thomss, Pryse Howells, and J. G. Phillips. The question of site being at length so satisfactorily settled, a correspondence was at once undertaken with the Committee of Council on Education, with a view of obtaining a grant in aid of the building. And, after a little necessary delay, the plans and specifications, prepared by Mr. John Williams, were approved, and their lordshIps were pleased to award a grant of £ 1070 3s. 9d. towards the erection of the school-room3 and master's house. The next step was to advertisa for tenders, This was done, and six tenders were received, the lowest of which was that of Mr. W. Williams, St. Helen's Works, Swansea. The committee regretted exceedingly that the loweit tender was not that|of a builder from this place, as it would have been much more agreeible to them to have seen the works executed by a fellow-townsman. But considering that they were entrusted with the expenditure of the public money, they felt it to be their duty to sacrifice all personal preferences and to accept the lowest tender. The sum for which Mr. Williams engages to complete the works to the satisfaction of the com- mittee's inspector is JB3199 9s. 9d., to which sum must be added, no doubt, £200 or £300 for extras, so that the whole cost of the build- ing will be somewhere about £3,500. It is now necessary to lay before the meeting a short statement of our present financial position.. e Of the amount mentioned above as being promised, tha sum oi jE243 has been paid. The expenditure has ocen £210. The present position of the committee then is this £ s d Promises not callid in, i.e., supposing they are all good. 300 0 0 Parliamentary, Grant, which may bo had as soon a3 its conditions are fulfilled .1070 3 9 In addition to which there is property, in the shape of a freehold site, of the value of 800 0 0 Making a total of.£2170 3 9 Which sum may be regarded as the assets of the committee. Their liabilities arc dB3,500, from which deduct Parliamentary grant and what may be considered good promises, and ther;) will renuin £2,229 16s. 3d., or say, in round figures, £2,300 to be raised by voluntary contributions. Before closing the report it may be necessary to say, in expla- nation of this apparently large amount, that the schools which the committee contemplate erecting will accommodate 1000 children. At the outset we were not so ambitious. When the £ 500 was promised, the intention was to erect a school for 200 or 300 children. But on coming to look at the question seriously, and considering that whilo there ought to ba accommodation for one-sixth or on3- oighthofths population, and that there is not now for one-fifteenth, the committee unanimously concluded that such a provision w:i > necessary at least. They felt that the honour of the town was entrusted into their hands. They determined not to betray that trust. And they are very sanguine that the result will show that they correctly interpreted the feelings of the people at large. The President saidhe was sure that the meeting would agree with him that the report just read was both an interesting &nd important document. It was now his turn to address them, and frequent and interesting as had been the meet- ings already held in the Hall during the short time it had been erected frequent and interesting as all those meet- ings might have been, and interesting as might be the meetings which in the progress of time would 03 held there, yet, he would undertake to say, no meeting affecting the interests and happiness of the people of Merthyr more than the present one would ever be held here (hear, hear.) What object have we acre to-day ? Some excellent citizens of Merthyr have discovered that there is great need of .educational facilities in this town. That the schools already in existence are neither large nor convenient enough to hold and instruct the population they have, there- fore determined to combine together, for the purpose of ibuildin0' a school, worthy of this important town. and we are met to-day to say what we will do to help them. Now, ije must say they had before them a very splendid example of liberality to excite their own liberality. They had heard that the site for a school—which had even caused the com- mittee infinite trouble to procure-liad been given to the a. A site for this school, then, had been given them, wnich was valued at a very low figure indeed, when only valued at PfiOO (hear, hear), and for this munificent gift they had to thank Mr. Davies, Mr. Williams, and Mr. Phillips, whose names would always be handed down amongst the 3KMioured benefactors to the town. (Applause.) Now, the effort they were called upon to make was not a small one; they heard the subscription list read them by the iSecretary, but they were to remember that when the de- anand was made upon the purses of the gentlemen whose inames are amongst the subscribers to this schonl com- mittee, it was only their intention to build a. small school, and the gentlemen who subscribed had no idea. of this determination on the part of the committee, nor were they aware of the exact wants of the place when they subscribed the amount. For his own part, when he paid his small subscription—which was, however, as much as he could well afford—he had no idea of the intention of the com- mittee; and had he known what the committee were really about he would, no doubt, have given a longer subscrip- tion and as it was. he would be happy to increase his donation to £ 50- (Loud applause.) Now, before giving money—which, in most cases, was hardly earned, and which they could only give to meet a well-ascertained want — he thought he would be able to satisfy them such want really existed. Let us consider the population of Merthyr, and what are the number of schools it con- tains and their capabilities for accommodating children. He found that we had in Merthyr schools of different cha- racters 16 in number, and the greatest part of these are situ- te in the outer circle of the circumference of the pa- rish Itwasthetownitself which they had now to consider. The'schools'of Dowlais, the schools at Cyfarthfa, and of Ply- mouth were, as they knew, distinct from the school accommo- dation for tne town itself. Of the schools in the town there was only one large school in the centre of the town, and large as that was he could show them that it was not nearly large enough for the wants of the place. He saw the other 1L. 1,y thllt the population of Merthyr, including that of Dow- r and other places within the district of the Local Board JrfVealth, was estimated by Mr. Dyke, who had as good menus of judging as any man, was no less than 55,000, in- ,i 'ij.. that of Coedycym'ner, 2,000, making altogether a population °f 57,000. It was thought at the Privy Council office that iti taking the whole population of England and Wales that .o11b-sixth of the population ought to be in ele- mentary school; at any rate no demand for providing school accommodation for one-sixth of the population was ever refused. He might say incidentally that at Mountain Ash where the population, recently taken, amounted to 17 000 within a small number, schools existed there with 1 023 children attending them on the average, and he could not flatter himself that they had there all who ought to be in the schools receiving instruction, indeed, he was sure a gteat many wtfe taken ptfematUtfely to work who ought to pe I at school. At Dowlais provision was made for 2,600 children at school—one-sixth of the population —and after tlwrecital of these two facts they would be prepared to assent with his state- ment" that Merthyr ought to be provided with schools capable of holding one-sixth of the population. Exclusive of Dowlais, the 'population of which lie estimated at 15,000, Merthyr had a population of 42,000, one-sixth cf this -7,000, therefore there ought to be accommodation for 7.000 children. Let us look at the fact. they hud in the borough nine schools, receiving grants from the Com- mittee of Council, which schools had also tho benefit of being inspected by an examiner from the Committee of Council. These schools consist of two Neutral schools, three British schools, three National Schools, and one Roman Catholic school. On the books of these schools are 4.050 children, whilst the average attendance, which was the only true test as to the number of children actually receiving education,, was 3,112. These schools receive a grant from Government amounting to £1,415 a-year, whilst the total expenditure in connection with them is K4,206 a-year. But a great reduction must be made from these sums on account of the Dowlais schools. The educational wants there being provided for a large propor- tion of these averages were absorbed. He found, for in- stance, that of the 4.050 on the books 2,000 were at Dowlais, leaving only 1 450 for Merthyr. Of the Government grants paid to the nine schools, and amounting to £1 415 1'900 must be deducted for Dowlais, and this he believed to be a larger sum than given to any other schools in the British empire. The total expenditure of these nine schools from every source, fees, local subscriptions, as well as Government grants, amounted to £ 4,20(5 out of which Dowlais contributes £ 2 787, leaving £ 1,519 for the schools in Merthyr. In Merthyr there were no less than six schools not receiving aid from Government—namely, two National schools, two British schools, one Roman Catholic, and one Ragged school. These schools had an average attendance of 1.248 children, whilst on the books there were 1,932. He estimated, what he be- lieved would be found to be not very far from the fact, that the annual expenditure was £1.750. This gave the average number of children attending schools at Merthyr, exclusive of Dowlais as 2,431, and on the books 3.382, at an annual expenditure, from all sources, of £ 3,269. He found, if he included Dowlais, that the actual accommodation for chil- dren was 5,932, and he found that there was now building at Abercanaid a small National School, which is to be capa- ble of holding 130 children, and this would raise it to 6,052. The population of Merthyr being 42,000, the number of children attending school should be 7.000 now 3,382 were only provided for, and it would be for this committee to tind room for 3,618, or else there would be one-half the chil- dren absent who ouhht to be at school. He was sorry to trou ole them with figures, because he thought, with one single exception, and that was in favour of Mr. Gladstone, no one was eloquent on figures he, however, looked upon them as the substantial basis of the question. If we wanted to know the exact state of the fact, no speech that would be made here to-night, would be so eloquent, would sink so deeply into our heart?, as the single statement, that of the 7,000 children in Merthyr who ought to be at school, only 3,382 are there. (Hear, hear.) Now, if wo classified these schools, 1.6 in number, we found two were Neutral, at Dow- lais, with an attendance of 2,000; six were National orChurch schools, with an attendance of 1,761; five British schools with an attendance of 1451 the Roman Catholic with 520, and the Ragged school with 150 children in attendance. He had not estimated the Union school as they were aware under Denison's Act Guardians had the power, where they chose to exercise it, of sending a certain number of the children of the Union to school, and paying for them at the parish expenses. They had now the facts of the case before them, and all present were called upon to re- move this great scandal from Merthyr No subject had occupied more attention than the one of Education; no sub- ject had been more talked of. and, consequently, there was no subject so difficult on which to say something new and striking. His own experience had forced upon him the unspeakable importance it would be to the welfare of this country that the lower classes should not be left in a state of ignorance. Look at it from what point you please and it will be found that of all the evils which afflict society, ignorance is at the bottom of them. Poverty itself, want of employment, although occasionally grievous evils are as nothing compared with these, which arise merely from ig- norance (hear, hear). The fatal effects of ignorance were everywhere traceable. An ignorance of common sanitary laws allowed persons to remain in unhealthy dwellings which might be made healthy at so little expense every- where, wherever evil is existing follow it closely up, and you wiil find that ignorance on the most elementary sub- jects, most important to be known, is at the bottom of the evil. Ask any sanitary reformer who is struck by what he would call the number of useless deaths which annually oacur in every town, what is the cause of this? He remembered once hearing a remark fall from the lipj of their fellow-citizen, Mr. C. James, and what he then heard had been of use to him oftentimes when he had been engaged in Sanitary reform. He said that if the farmers of the country lost as large a proportion of their lambs and calves, as the people of Merthyr did of their children, there would have been a government enquiry long ago into the evil. (Applause.) Our public authorities, that arc doing what they can, and doing it very well, remove the part of the evil which devolves on them to remove they had supplied them with water, and are now supplying them with efficient drainage, but still the greater part devolves upon ourselves. How difficult to some does it seem the understanding of that simple and elementary subject—fresh air! How difficult to persuade people to keep their windows open, and fling open their beds 1 How difficult to persuade people, not only of the dangers, but of the evils, which follow by allowing night workmen to occupy the beds which have been slept in during the night by day workmen. Vast and alarming evils arise through ignorance of simple liygenic facts such as these The being able to reduce the useless death rate to one-half its present extent, is a power we have in our hands. He would now turn for a few minutes to the question of drunkenness. It has been imagined by thousands there is no connection between ignorance and drunkenness, and they generally quote the lives of one or two eminent men, who had taken ardent liquors to excess. But if the matter be closely in- vestigated it will be found they are most closely and in- timitely connected, and you will find that in a district where most ignorance prevails, there too are the inhabitants most brutalized by the vicious habit of intemperance (Hear, hear.) What was the principal cause of drunkenness? It is that emptiness of mind, that wiuit of intellectual im- provement. that absence of mental stimulus which drives men to seek for physical stimulus. Such, in days gone by, was the condition of our upper classes. When they did nothing, when intellectual pursuits were noc cultivated, they used to drink from ten till fnur so it is with every class that has not learnt to substitute intellectual pleasures, intellectual excitement, for merely physical pleasure and physical excitement. (Hear, hear, and cheers ) Let us look at ignorance from another point of view. We all of us could point to the passing of the Free Trade Bill, but there are many dangers connected with free trade. By this act we admitted into competition with ourselves the skilled workmen of every part of the world. What we want to do is to educate the whole body of the workmen. He would ask any one of them he would ask any educate! artizan what his opportunities for education had been, and we should find "their opportunities had been nothing but what will be given to every one who attends the elementary school, which will have been provided for them. Contrast the change which will then take place—the whole mass of our population will be educated on a level with our skilled artizan! There is no reason why such should not be the case; in Prussia it is so, where tho number of uneducated men is scarcely more than 1 in the 100, what is it here ? Vou can- not judge by the number that attend schools. If you go to those who have attended school in their youth and examine them in reading and writing, you will find that they retain but very little, scarcely enough to be of any service to them at all. Of our population there is no less than 50 per cent. absolutely ignorant of the most elementary subjects. Lock at it again in another light, from a political point of view as affecting the constitution of this country. Before the House there is now a Reform Bill, for the better repre- sentation of the people. We had some bold men amongst us who will not hesitate to vote for universal sufferage (hear, hear, and cheers). He said we had bold men amongst us, and he heard a bold man cheering it. He would fearlessly appeal to the educated workmen amongst them, whether to the man who was grossly ignorant of all the elementary principles of education, they would consent to entrust such an honourable and important privilege as as that of selecting and voting for their representative in Parliament. He was not afraid to appeal to any public body on the subject. At the annual meeting which he attended in Merthyr, he had always a lar"e majority of working men in attendance, when he° addressed them at gre.it length, and in a min- ner quite sufficient to tiro their patiance. He had often used unpopular arguments, yet he had always been listened to respectfully, patiently, and intelligently; if that were a sample of the working men then there would be no danger of admitting them to the suffrage. (Loud applause.) But le? him shift the scene a little, and let him ask them to go with him not to one of those decent, orderly meetings at the Temperance Hall, but a meeting at the hustiugs. What say they to that? What said they to the class of persons who attended the hustings ? He was their representative, and it might be considered dangerous ground for him to, tread upon but they all well knew it was useless at the hustings, where they had a sample of the whole masses of society, to address the same arguments as you would under other circumstances. You would be stopped, not listened to as you would be by reasonable and educated men. Why was that ? Because at the hustings, where a large number of people who never read a newspaper, never took any part in politics, knew nothingjwhatever of thequestions spoken of, and oame.to the place of public assembly merely to create a noise, and the consequence was that very seldom oould a speech be made at the hustings, and when one was made you were obliged to talk balderdash, or else you might as well remain silent. (Hear, heir, and laughter) He believed this to be a correct description of a large num- ber of those meetings; he said this with great grief, because he thought this country should have taken measures to correct it long ago. Now the conscience of the country is freely awakened, and we have before us this session two bills that will make important and salutary changes in our working classes. The two bills he would support with pleasure (cheers),but he believed their effects are not very well understood. He knew very well that there were per- sons in this town, and he believed in this Hall, who had given good proof of their hearty and sincere interest in the benefit and the improvement of the working classes; but there were many persons who received these bills with suspicion, and who will very fairly ask What are these bills? Thefirst is called, An Extension of the Factories Act, and it will enable us to educate and ameliorate the condition of a large number of women and children not already brought under the operation of the present Fac- tories Act. One of the clauses runs to t'13 following effect —that whenever 100 persons are collected together for pur- poses of work, the Factory Act shall ome into operation. (Hear, hear.) The other bill is callod, The Workshop Regulation Act. In this bill the minute intricacies of the Factories Act are dispensed with, <:■ .jept as regards the hours of work by children which will .i:; shortened, and the hoursin which women may work wit: be limited, as in the Factory Act; and he was glad to ,ty Mr. Walpole had agreed to the half-time system with respect <;o labour should be adopted in workshops. "Vhat would be the effect of this upon the population? He would deal first with the case of women. Women will be allowed to work only 10 hours a day, and only between the hours of 0 in the morn- ing and 6 at night. They would all agree with him that a married woman ought not to be out of her house after 6 o'clock at night, or if out, not at work, and that she should not be out of her house before 6 o'clock in the morning. As to unmarried women, the sooner they were home after 6 o'clock the better (cheers). Now then with respect to boys. The rule is that no boy whatever shall be employed under 8 years of age—cases of children being employed and heavily worked from 3 to 4 years old, were quite common, though he believed not in Merthyr; but under this act it will be unlawful to employ any child in the hardware manufactory until he is 8 years of age- Between 8 and 13 no child shall be employed for more than 6 hounrin the day, and tlreiu -= only on the condition that the child attends school 2 hours every day, and not more than 5 days m the week; so that a child is not allowed to be employed unless at the same time provision is made for his edueation-and this rule holds good, not only with factories but in work- shops throughout the Country (hear, hear). \V e are all agreed (there could be no two op.mons about it) that young children should not be over^<eel. boiue_persons say they admitted all that, but sucn an act greatly inter- fered with the labour market-both the employers and the ernployees,-and it also fell heavily upon the parents of children. This argument was very good, and had great weight, when this act was first proposed. Another argu- ment raised, and which had been used with great force, (though it could not be used now,) was blaming the legisla- tion for making provision for one class and entirely over- looking, or neglecting the others. Woat had been the effect of the passing of these acts? He had visited numbers of those gentlemen who admitted that they had serious doubts as to what the effect of this legislation would be. He bad heard them say that they were opposed to the legislation because they thought it injurious to trade, and partly because they thought it was partial in its operations yet, in spite of all their partiality they admitted that the Act is beneficial to all, and that for nothing under Heaven would they have it repealed. That was the feeling throughout Lancashire, Yorkshire, and the districts where textile work is carried on. (Applause.) More recent experience deter- mined the Government in 1834 to introduce a Bill for the extension of these acts, and he held in his hand a report of this year from the Inspector. Mr. Baker, of the effects of its operation at the pottery districts to which the Act was made to extend. Before introducing the Aot he went down into the pottery districts, and spoke to the persons engaged, and ascertained their feelings on the subject. They were all of opinion that the cmldren were overworked; that their hours ought to be reduced, but nearly all were of opinion it would be the utter rum of the district if the Factory legislation in all its stringency were put into force there. After considering the question after submitting to the Government the facts he had col- lected he had the honour of introducing a measure for applying the Factory Acts in all its stringency to the Pottery Districts. (Cheers.) What is the result ? Ho would read what Mr. Baker says had been the result within three years. He says The progress of the Factory Act would read what Mr. Baker says had been the result within three years. He says The progress of the Factory Act in the Potteries continues as satisfactory as could be ex- pected. In a few years the race of potters of 1864 will, I trust have been shamed out of their old habits, and have become altogether reformed; we cannot yet do mucL to- wards lessening drunkenness, whilst there remains so mucn lamentable ignorance." He further says "Wecanno do much with the old class of potters, they have formed their habits. It is with the young generation we must hope to make some visible effect" Elsewhere, he says, that 19-20ths of the earthenware manufacturers were opposed to this Act when first introduced, myself amongst the number; and now he considered 19-Jths, would be unwilling to part with it. Mr. Baker points out the increased domestic comforts enjoyed by the and states the fact that there are no less 4'a" !i an l but for this act, in all human probability, they uould not have had this privilege.' Thus it is they for the last 30 years. The language which had been held to the public during that period_ had gone on deepening every day, and the result of this is, that we shad, from henceforth, no longer ba desirous to entrap and suppress the working man, but we shall be ever ready to promote his happiness, here and hereafter. (Cheers.) If the bill now before Parliament, and which applied to brancnes ot the iron trade, were passed, we should see how it would work in Merthyr. He would point out one fact which he was made acquainted with amongst the factories. A grea complaint was made in the pottery districts and one which might be made here that the men lJ;s0!^ to employ the children themselves. The men spent Monday, Tuesday, and sometimes part of Wednesday, 111 drinking and dissipation, and they had to make up at the week's end for this squander of time, and to do so they not only had to overwork themselves, but these unhappy children had to take no small share in assisting with the labour. You had therefore a population demoral- ized one half the week, and over-worked the other half the week. Since this Act, however, came into operation, the men have had to work themselves with more regularity, in order to make a week's wages out of the week. The result has consequently been favourable in every respect. What is to prevent the same thing irotn taking place here? He could well understand the doubt and hesitation felt; none of us liked novelty, the being forced out of our own course. The Act is now being ap- plied to handicraft, and he hoped before long it would be applied to the agricultural population with some modifica- tions, and then we shall have the whole working population of the country if they go to work, going also to school (Applause). Now for another phase of the quastion. Pro- vision must be made for receiving all the children to school; masters must be provided for teaching them how is this to be done? This is a difficulty which has been seen and which is felt in many of our large towns, and to meet this a bill has been recently introduced to Parliament, which he was happy to say had been entrusted to him to in- troduce, giving powers to Council in Boroughs, to districts of the Local Board of Health, and to Unions throughout the whole country to ratise themselves then ecessary funds for building and maintaining schools. (Loud applause.) The voluntary system has done and is doing great things. But see after so many years what it has failed to do in Merthyr. He knew no more public spirited people than the inhabitants cf Manchester, still the return shows that 60 per cent. of the population who ought to be at school are away large masses are brought up in ignorance. As to the support of schools. These schools are generally supported by voluntary subscriptions and fees. The Dowlais and the Dutfryns school iu the next valley are supported by voluntary contributions from the workmen employed at the works, and whose children attend the school. But in the British school they will be unable to do so. Towards their support they would get a Government grant which will equal to one-third of thecost. Something will be derived from local annual subscriptions—though they must not be much relied upon; then there will b& fees from the chil- dren themselves. From this source they could not expect to derive a very large revenue, for if they required persons to send their children to school above eight years of age, the parents were actually making a sacrifice of the child's labour, and in many cases they would not be able to make a second sacrifice by paving for the child's education. The system of fees would act on a deterrent — keeping children away from the school. How then was the case to be met? We pro- prose to allow the district to pay the fees when satisfied that the parents are unable to support the child at school and pay the fee, and that the money should bo paid out of the rates, when such was well ascertained to be the case. There are many who think that legislation should go further still, and think that persons who do not send their children to school should be compelled to do so. For his own part he had no objection on principle to such legislation, but that was not the mode of legislation to be tried until every other mode had been experimented and failed. (Hear, hear.) They had the important Act which requires all children between eight and fifteen to he educated, and now we had to solve the problem and see if we could not win and raise the people to that sense of education which exists in America, Prussia, Germany, and Switzerland. The first step now is to pro- vide schools and masters. If we had it in our power to send all the children from the roads to school, we have neither school accommodation for them, nor masters to teach them. Let us provide safely and prudently let us take steps in advance by providing thus cautiously for exigencies. (Ap- plause.) He had one suggestion to make which he thought would bo found of great use towards effecting that which we have all at heart—the education of our population—and that was this: At Manchester and Salford, where there is a population amounting to 400,000, they have a People's Education Aid Society. The members of the committee managed to divide the town into districts between them, and to find out what children were at school, and those that are not there, they go to the parents and make enquiries. If the parents are insensible to their duties towards their children, they endeavour to enlighten them on this point, and if they are really unable to send their children to school they pay the fees, and clothe the child if it be in an unfit condition to come to school in thus there can be no real excuse for the children not being at school. This society has been for years in existence, and has done an enormous amount of good. He would suggest that a similar society should be started here. No one could tell the good which would be done society by such an institution. Children, whose characters had not yet been formed, would be rescued from the streets they would be prevented* from falling into the haunts of crime, and insteal of being a moral leprosy upon our civilization, he will, mayhap, become good citizen to this country. He hoped that this suggestion would drop into fertile souls and became the necessary compliment to a good work already-begun. That work demands a hearty effort from all classes amongst us, and he had no doubt none would be wanted. The extent to which the voluntary system had been carried out in this district shows what you have done in Merthyr and Aberdare. You have most nobly provided for the religious wants of the people, and now that they were asked, he had no doubt the expecta- tions raised would not be disappointed by any coldness or apathy on their part. He felt sure, now the additional wants had been shown, the men of Merthyr would give a hearty response we shall find all classes united heartily to- gether, not only to find fuuds for this school, but in propo- gating a heilthy public opinion, so that every day we should see the number of children playing about the gutters, in- stead of being at school, rapidly and sensibly diminishing. By this means only can we become a christian population no Christianity—no real and sincere earnest feeling of Christianity—can exist amongst us, whilst we allow'these children to grow up ill a state of ignorance, and in that proximity to evil, to temptation, and to crime, where they are but too often to be found. To remove this great evil is the object of this meeting. He left his parliamentary duties with the greatest readiness—(hear, hear.)—to take part in this meeting, conscious that no duty he could perform could be of greater importance and greater usefulness than by coming do-vn here, anl giving his quota towards enabling you to provide fitting education for the population of your town. (Renewed and continued applause.) He would pro- pose the following resolution :— That in the opinion of this meeting, the peculiar wants of the time, and the importance whiih the question of Education is assuming, demand the most strenuous exer- tions, to put within the reach of our youth the knowledge necessary to fit them for the duties of life." Mr. Goodfellow seoonded tho motion briefly, which was unanimously carried. Mr. J. C. Fowler then rose to move the following reso- lution :— Considering the population of the town, and the li- mited accomodation at present provided, this meeting is strongly of opinion that there is a great need of largely in- creased facilities for imparting to the children of the work- ing classes a sound elementary education." His sympathies and his opinions were entirely in har- mony with the resolution, and he commended it to this great meeting with most perfect sincerity, feeling, be- lieving, and trusting it would be carried unanimously. He was glad to have heard the Right hon. gentleman in the chair, and member for this borough, quote a number of facts and figures: and he had said very truly that with the exception of Mr. Gladstone, no public man was eloquent in figures. But after all when it was facts they required, figures were the most eloquent address that could be offered an assembly, and the figures the right hon. gentleman had offered them he would supple- ment with two or three more, which might have an influ- ence on their minds on this occasion. Now, it occurred to him thattigures connected with the immediate locality might interest their thoughts when we were engaged upon the question of local education. He had looked over some papers during the last day or two, which had enabled him to collect the following facts bearing upon the question. He knew that these facts were local, and, therefore, to some extent fallacious, that is to say, it does not necessarily foi low that because certain facts and figures occur within the borough of Merthyr, or the County of Glamorgan, that ilrey exirt iu the same ratio elsewhere. But the probability ( is that it is so. An authority of some weight has some- where said 41 that there were means of educating the whole people if the people would only avail themselves of ithe only knew that either the means were disregarded, or else the people were neglected but he believed the practical reason was that the people had no interest in being educated. The number of persons committed to our County Prison in 1865—the last return made—was 1989, of these 919 could neither read nor write; 1039 could read and write imper- fectly; and 53 only could read and write well. His second illustration was respecting the habits and mode of living of seven boys convicted by him—-he examined them separately, and for purposes not at all connected with this meeting. Of these three only could reld sufficiently to be of any use to them. These lads told him that their only idea of pleasure consisted in wandering up and down the streets after work was done, doing absolutely nothing. The lad who could read best, on being interrogated as to what he amused him- self with reading, replied that he read the TELEGRAPH that he read first Wot the Editor gives hisself," and a^ter that he said, "I reads the police reports obviously, thSe- fore, he convey, d a compliment to an able gentleman on my right, and to myself. His excellent clerk had laid before him the most recent applications for bastardy sum- monses, and out of 11)0 of the most recent 129 of the young women made marks for signatures; 21 wrote in a scribbling and impjrfect manner, and three or four only signed their names in a good legible and proper hand. His fourth illus- tration was this The Quarter Sessions are going on now. The calender is a short one there being only 28 prisoners of these 13 can neither read nor write; five only can read well; the rest imperfectly. Therefore, look at this matter as they would, take illustrations and proofs from all sorts of sources, they would find the results much the same—that the present state of the education of the criminal class is extremely imperfect. Such being the case, what was tho proper remedy to supply this deficiency? He thought the only really efficient remedy was that which had been pointed out by the right hon. member—local taxation for the establishment and support of schools, free from all denominational form of religian, where the children of parents of every shade of theological creed may be instruc- ted in the elementary rudiments of reading, writing, and arithmetic (Applause.) Combatting the objection which some people raised against secular instruction, the speaker said he had no faith in the religious instruction of children in day-schools, by schoolmasters and pupil-teach- ers we would rather see it thrown back upon the clergy, the ministers, and the parents. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) the ministers, and the parents. (Hear, hear, and cheers.) Upon the parents themselves, so far as they are competent; upon the clergy, so far as they are connected with the church; and the ministers of the respective bodies to which they belong. His notion cf teaching religion was, that it should be communicated to children by grave, serious, and responsible persons; he had no faith in any advantage to be derived from making the scriptures a horn, or instruction book. They should be read with some proper person, and then only would they be read with proper reverence, and the full appreciation of their con. tents, with which they should always be perused. (Re- newed cheers.) The speaker concluded by marking his approbation of the principles on which the school is to be established, by promising to become a subscriber tov/ards its erection. The Rev. Lewis Williams seconded the motion, and ad- dressed the meeting in Welsh.—Motion carried unani- mously. Mr. G. T. Clark expressed the alarm with which be had i seen his name placarded on the walls of the town an- nouncing that he was about to deliver an address this evening; nothing could have been further from his thoughts than this, and nothing more completely beyond the reach of his abilities than the power to make either an oration or an address. (Laugh.) He came here this evening because he was unwilling that a meeting to promote an association, the object of which was to provide for the educational necessities of the town, without his being pre- sent. Ho also thought, independently of all private feel- ings which were strong upon the subject, that it would not do for him, who was the chairman of the town repre- sentatives, and of the Board of Guardians, which has some- thing to do with education, to be absent, and that it would be paying them a poor.compliment if he did not come there, and say how cordially ha sympathised with them in the effort they had undertaken. (Hear, hear.) He had the following resolution placed in his hand :— This meeting views with extreme pleasure, the efforts which are now being made to provide a British School, adequate to the wants of the town, and pledges itself to give the Committee the pecuniary support necessary for carrying out the undertaking successfully." A few days since they had a discussion at the Local Board in reference to the sanitary measures recommended by Mr. Dyke, are of the best authorities on sanitary matters, not only in Merthyr but out of Loudon; under which it has been necessary they should have the cubic contents of each lodging room in the town taken aud reported to the Board. The question was argued by a most competent and respected member of the Board whether the servants of the Board- men having from 25s. to 30s. a week—who would be sent about this work, would lie competent to measure the cubic feet of an apartment, that is to multiply 12 x 13 x 9 and give the results. (Laughter.) That was one end of the scale and now he would go to the other. A gentleman, a M P recently came to him and expressed |his scepticism'as to the benefits derived from the government grant towards the Dowlais schools. They went there the master picked 24 boys, and the gentleman had them in a room by himself. He commenced examining them in arithmetic, and his first sum was this multiply 7 C7 by 1 4-13 by 273-275. He, (the speaker) was very glad he was not asked. (Laughter.} and (turning to the gentlemen on the platform) he was glad he did not ask them such a question. (Renewed laughter.) The boys did it. Second sum Reduce :3:\ hours to the decimal of a day. The boys did this sum ill about a minute. Then the gentleman asked the boys-" If coal costs fl 2s. 3.75 per ton, what will be the cost of 75 tons, 12 cwt., 2 qrs ,8.5IbiJ. The boys did this sum in about five minutes. The schoolmaster said the gentleman remarked as he went out to the effect that he was glad to see there was some result from the Parliament- ary grant. This gentlemen was his excellent friend Ayrton, member for the Tower Hamlets. The speaker, after refer- ring to the proficieucy of the boys in the neutral schools here, said he had seen a good deal of the world, but he did not believe that in England or Prussia itself any popula- tion was so anxious to get on their children as were the people of Merthyr. He considered the children were very quick, that they had good natural capabilities, and that all they wanted was the opportunity to learn. He hoped that the Permissive Bill, which was to give the Board of Health power to make an educational rate, would soon become the law of the land. If it did they would not allow it to lie idle. They did not allow Denison's Act to lie idle it had worked quietly and effectively. But the' industrial classes here it was thought dishonourable and a stigma to receive money from the parish and he was glad to see that spirit amongst the working classes of the town. But this was a different and a special case-they were allowed under the law to make this payment. He felt sure that whatever the Board undertook the people of the town would willingly pay. The townspeople had just willingly laid out large sums of money for a pure supply of water, and the people felt the advantage of this during the late cholera visitation. (Hear, hear.) The right hon. gentleman had spoken of a useless waste of human life within the last few years, owing to good sanitary measures, they had reduced the annual death rate considerably. Mr. Dyke says from 30 to 20 per 1,000 and this was some encouragement to the ratepayers of the town for having spent such large sums of money in sewering the town. (Hear, hear.) Then some people were rash enough and sanguine enough to believe we should have a Town HalL (Laughter.) Well, that would not be very improper to have a Hall for general accommodation, and with little more attention to orna- ment about the ceiling than this Hall. (Renewed laughter.) As to the religious question, he agreed with his friend Mr. Fowler, (who combined -and he never met with any one who so strongly combined liberal principles with high church viewa he did not believe with him in the latter, though he did in the former) with the views his peculiarly constituted mind had arrived at-not to support a Church School, a Dissenting School, not any school in fact which was not free from all sectarian bias. He left religious teaching with the parents, and the clergy. men and ministers. The Rev. Mr. Griffiths then addressed the meeting at some length, in Welsh His Honour Judge Falconer then moved It appearing from the reporii read that for the erection of buildings to accomodate 1,000 children, the sum of £ 2,300 is required, in addition to the Government Grant, this meeting does its utmost to secure such, donations within the specified time as shall meet the necessities of the case." His Honour referred to the great decrease of perjury in his court since he first came to this circuit, and this he ascribed to superior and advanced education. He had re- marked, on more than one occasion, that not one tithe the perjury took place in his court now that there did. He believed that the best Government in the world at the present moment was the English Government. America was often quoted as being the land of safety, for popular institutions but from what he had seen, he did not believe human life to be so safe in America, or, in fact, any other part of the world as it was in England. The educational system was, however, much more perfect there than here. He remarked on the mistaken notion that money made a gentleman it was not so. If a family were trained up to behave respectfully one towards the other, they would enjoy as much happiness as any gentleman's family in the country. In the Cabins in New England, his Honour said he was much struck with the suavity of the men's manners, their intelligence, as well as the good breeding and intelligence of the women; in fact you could pass an evening in a New England cabin, with as much pleasure as in the family of a gentleman. The peo- ple in America understood freedom perfectly, and had an advantage over us in the matter of endowments. Instead of having a State Churchas in England, they gave the money to the schools. (Applause.) They must not rely much on contributions. The speaker advocated doing away with all theological dogmata in the schools, and after wishing the committee every success, sat down amidst loud applause. I Mr. David Williams seconded the motion ia Welsh, which was carried unanimously. Mr. Handel Cossham, who was received with prolonged cheers, said he would not insult the meeting by keeping them more than a short time. He was pleased at being present, and congratulated them on haviug so large a meeting to night in spite of the weather, and that they had shown such interest in the cause of education. He had listened with great pleasure to what had passed there that night, and he could not but augur well on the result of the commencement made. He hoped that one by one the dark spots in this country would disappear. During the past fifty or sixty years we had made great progress in rubbing off the dark spots he had alluded to. In 180 > we had only 1 in 17 of the population at school; in 1833 1 in 11; and now in 1867 we have 1 in 6t. He thought be had said enough to show we had made marked and distinguished progress. As compared with any other country in Europe none equalled this. In Prussia, perhaps, more went to secular schools, but then the Sabbath schools in this country more than made up this deficiency. In this country there were 2à millions of children in the various Sunday schools, and we have 1 in 40 of the whole population engaged in teaching these children, thus we have a moral force at work which more than makes up for the numerical superiority over us in other countries. He however drew an unfavourable comparison between the people of the United States and ourselves. In the whole States he aid not meet with one child of twelve years of age who could not read and write. He did not mean to say there were not children there who could not either read or write, only he did not meet with them. But they would not find one child in 500 born in the Northern States of America who could neither read nor write. He would not admit but that what America had done we could do also. We were both of the Anglo-Saxon stook, we spoke the same language, and were influenced by the same idiosyncrasies, and what had been done by the Anglo-Saxon race in America could be done here. What we want here is proper education. We wanted every parent to feel it as great a wrong to keep his child without proper fotjd as without proper education. No doubt one of tho great difficulties in the way was the value of i juvenile labour. He conceived it was no great tax for the parent to send his child to school, and pay for him, as whilst the price of labour had gone up 20 per cent., the pric^ of education had gone down 25 per cent. He con- sidered that secular education was as necessary for the people as religious teaching, and he thought it as essential that the physical and mental powers should be cultivated as that the moral and spiritual state should be provided for. Every man contained within himself certain physical con- ditions, which he thought as much to man's duty to culti- vate as it was his duty to cultivate God's moral laws, which were written in the book of life. One. of the great results of the want of education was the absence of clean- liness. He did not say it was the case in Merthyr, but so it was in Bristol, a dirty place he visited-occasionally (laughter)-where the want of cleanliness was very much felt. °The speaker advocated the greater frequency of niCTht schools as a mean3 of education. As manager of certain mines he often found case3 turn up where a breach of the Factory Act was judicious: where a lad's father had been removed by death, and his mother could not support him at home. Now the lad could earn from 4s. to 5s. per week at the collieries, and still the night school would be open to him for instruction. He was sorry to have heard ¡ his friend in the chair make use of the sentiments he did in reference to the Sufferage. He had the honour of con- testing one of the hardest-fought elections last year, and he could venture. to say that on the occasions of addressing the electors from the hustings, there had been no less than from forty to fifty thousand people congregated there, and that his remarks were heard and listened to, and that he could engage their attention without talking balderdash" to them. Just shut the public houses seven days before an election and seven days after, and the existing state an things would soon be altered. (Cheers ) He was anxious that° this country should stand well in competition with the world; but he believed a great commer- cial battle had yet to be fought between England and America; and he would say if we were to fight on equal terms we must improve our present educational system. England would have this advantage, that her materials are more compact, whilst the resources of Amer- ica are spread over a large area. With respect to the extension of the suffrage, he was certain that whether right or wrong we should have it, and be believed that by having that extension we should enfranchise the really intellectual and intelligent men. To return our representatives to Par- liament we wanted the votes of our best educated and most virtuous inhabitants. This is what we should get by extending the suffrage. The men who are voters now— the county constituents—are not the intelligent classes the present restrictions do not admit of it. He did not hesitate to say that there were no classes more ignorant and more venal than those who possess the franchise at present in the counties. The men who vote now as a rule are men who have no virtuous principles, and men who do their country harm. Broad as it might be, he said, let us enfranchise the intelligence of the country, and let that intelligence assist us in forming our Government and our laws. (Hear, hear.) _0 n Mr. Charles James moved the 5th resolution, as follows: That this meeting acknowledges, with much gratitude, the great liberality of Messrs. D. Davies, T. Williams, and T. Phillips, in presenting the town with a site for the build- ings, which is of the value of £60() at least." j;2,300 in a place like Merthyr was a large sum to be <*ot, but when we began to think we ought to get it, and when every individual did his or her utmost to get it, why then the sum would not be long in raising, A magnificent example had be sl: own us by our friends Messrs. Davis, Williams, and Phillips, all honour to them (Hear, hear, and cheers). They had put their legs forward and shown us how to march towards £ 2,300. It now became us to look around and see in what way we could imitate their examples If we did that to any reasonable extent, then £2,300 will be got without much difficulty in Merthyr. The speaker drew attention to the wise sanitary measures which had been recently carried out, and drew an admirable parallel between the consequences which ensued from neglect of sanitary measures, and those that ensued from neglect to proper mental culture. Mr. Overton seconded the resolution. He was much gratified with having attended there to-night. Referring to the subject of the evening, he said, if anyone doubted the benefits to be derived from education, he must be con- vinced after the able observations heard there to-night. It was impossible for any subject to be more fully dilated upon, or more eloquently, than this had been to-night. In his official position, he had every day occasion to see the gaeat mischief which arose from want of education, and the perils which often arose from the want of it. He was sorry to say that scarcely a day passed but that some lives were sacrificed from the evils of ignorance, and the con- comitant vices of drunkenness and dissipation.^ He wished that legislation was carried further, and that it interdicted persons from undertaking posts of responsibility or trust, persons from undertaking posts of responsibility or trust, where the lives of their fellow-creatures were at tueir disposal, unless they had certain educational qualifications. (Hear, hear.) He looked upon the differences of creed, as having a very prejudicial effect upon education. The National Schools and the British Schools should be amal- gamated in one system. The speaker referred to the great good the Nonconformists had done in Merthyr and neigh- bourhood. He remembered the time when there were only two churches between Abergavenny and Aberdare. A church was built at Dowlais, but owing to some differences between the Bishop of St. David's and Sir John Guest, it was not opened for some time. During this time the Nonconformists were extremely active and the time and trouble they took to provide the people with religious instruction was immense. The number of chapels here was hardly creditable -there were no less than nine on his property at Dowlais. He had no doubt when they wanted to carry out any project, whether chapels or schools, they would do it, andjie hoped they would be rewarded in the present instance with success. (Applause.) Mr. Davis, who was received with hearty cheers, returned thanks on behalf of himself and Messrs. Williams and Phillips. The town could not have more pleasure in receiving the spot of ground for a British school than be and his friends had in giving it. For his own part he had had many difficulties to surmount, and had had much hard work to do through a deficiency of early education. He was aware of the difficulties the committee had had in getting a site for the school, and at last they gave the ground. He was very pleased with the meeting of to-night. He did not know that he had done anything during his whole existence which gave him more pleasure than presenting the freehold of the site to the town. In this expression of opinion his friends joined with him. (Applause.) Mr. T Williams proposed a vote of thanks to the Presi- deut for his very able address that evening. Mr. Rees Lewis seconded it. The President said the reception he invariably received when he came here always made meeting them very agree- able and he confessed that on no subject could he meet them more agreeably than on that of education, and he was glad to see this meeting, in spite of the tempestuous state of the weather, so well attended-it was the best meeting he had ever seen in Merthyr. He could not but allude to a good-humoured remark Mr. Handel Cossham made in reference to some remark which fell from him (the speaker.) If he had any claim on their sympathies, if he had any claim to one tittle of their respect it certainly was due to the fact that he had never shrunk from telling them what he believed to be the honest truth. (Cheers.) He be- lieved it to be the honest truth that at the Election hust- tings there was a large concourse of rough uneducated men, and it was for us to do all we could to diminish the num- ber but he did not for one moment hint that we had those scenes of violence here that so disgraced the Election at Nottingham. The Merthyr kids'' never behaved so dis- gracefully as tho Nottingham "lambs." (Laughter.) All he could say was, take a hustings scene from any part of the country, and assembled there would be found men of less intelligence than at almost any other place. Then, we know in what estimation those speeches are held. People say, Oh it is only a hustings speech we know what that means." Mr. Cossham has told you that 6A per cent. of the population only is without education. If that were the case what is the necessity of our being here to- day ? What shall we say of the statistics which show that in Manchester only 60 per cent of the population is at school; and that in Merthyr out of 7,000 only 3,618, or 50 per cent. of the population is at school. [Mr. Overton: Including Sunday Schools ] Sunday Schools iere valu- able, but not as a means of elementary education. Nothing but reading, and that to a very smpll extent, was carried on in our Sabbath Schools as an instrument of education in a secular sense they are not efficient. [Cries of no, no.J What the Sunday Schools did was to afford religious information, which was imparted by persons who came voluntary and did the work. After referring to a state- ment made by Mr Stansfeld that out of 890 children and young persons examined by him 425 were totally ignorant, the hon. gentleman went on to speak of night schools, which he said were of no service as schools for imparting elementary education. After a few remarks of a congra- tulatory nature, the hon. gentleman resumed his seat, and the meeting separated. [We have been unable this week from want of space to give the Welsh addresses delivered at this meeting, but will endeavour to do so in our next. We may state that in no degree were they inferior to those delivered in English.-ED. M.T.]

ABERDARE. LECTURE.—On Tuesday last, the Rev. C. White of Merthyr. delivered his popular lecture on Fashion," at Highland-place Unitarian Chapel, the pecuniary proceeds of the lecture being applied in aid of the H elsh Unitarian Chapel, Cwmbaeh. The chair was occupied by the Rev J. J. George. The lecture, which was generally of a. hu- mourous character, but occasionally marked by deep satire, was delivered with great eloquence, and elicited at its con- clusion general applause. PRESENTATION TO THE REV. DR. PRICE.—On Monday evening a few of the friends and admirers of the Rev. Thomas Price, A.M., Ph.D., met at the Cardiff Castel Hotel, Aberdare, to present him with a small token oi their ap- preciation of his public services, with a special reference to his bold and honest avowal of Liberal principles at the Bre- con election towards the close of the year 1865. An excel- lent dinner was provided by Mrs. Evans, the hostess. This introductory business over, Mr. P. John, wtn called to the chair, who in a very few words introduced the business of the evening. A letter was read from Mr. A. J. Morris, expressing his regret at not being able to attend. After the usual loyal toasts had been given, the Chairman called upon the Rev. M. John to read the address to Dr. Price. The address was a very long one, and contained among other matters expressions of heartfelt gratification with Dr. Price, for his manly effort to rescue the borough of Bre- con from being misrepresented by an honest Tory on the one hand, and a dishonest Whig on the other." Mr. John then presented the address and a silver inkstand. The address was printed on silk, in gold leaf. The inkstand had two inkholders of glass, surmounted ona silver pyramid, and a silver centre-piece in the shape of a box surmounted by a sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of a sage. Mr. T. H. Evans proposed the health of Dr. Price.—Dr. Price, in reply, thanked them sincerely for the trouble they had taken on his behalf, and the invitation to be their guest that evening. He would not attempt to thank them for the flattering and nicely-got-up address, and the handsome present that accompanied it, but accep- ted them with heartfelt pleasure, and hoped they would remain for many years in his family, as mementoes of the regard manifested towards him by his friends throughout the country. It gave him pleasure to learn that his labours for the last twenty years had met with public approval, and he hoped his acts would continue to be such as would merit the approval of all good men. He believed the power of electing members for Brecon was vested in Non- conformists, and that power, wisely and properly put forth. would carry their man—the influence of the Camden family notwithstanding. He was satisfied that a measure of good had been accomplished, of which the fact that one of the candidates was induced to avow more liberal views was an illustration. He did not despair of yet represent- ing the old town in the people's parliament. After a few further remarks the rev. gentleman sat down. $ RHYMNEY INTELLIGENCE. JERUSALEM CHAPEL.—On Sunday last meetings tor col- lections were held, morning, afternoon, and evening. On Monday evening a lecture was delivered in this chapel, (the uroceeds of which were for reducing the debt.) by the Rev. one for the best poetical lines on The Sheep," to be ad- judicated by Mr. Thomas Jones (Gxvenfrivyd Gwcnt). This was awarded to Mr. John Hughes, Twyncarno. Another for an impromptu description of Rhymney. Two only tried, and as both had tbeir shortcomings, ^it was thought best to divide the sum between the two. We have no space to give the programme of the meeting. PONTYPRIDD. Fox HUNTING.—On Thursday last the foxhounds met at the Ynvsvbwl Inn, some few miles from Pontypridd. Two packs of hounds, the Llanwonno and Gloge, were at the meet, and some fifty or sixty of the equine race were mounted, besides a considerable gathering of the c.ans. By some means not very well explained, the fox was not forthcoming, and the sport, to the disappointment of the admirers of foxhunting, was degraded into a hunt for a herring. This, as far as it went, was singularly successful, the only part of the half a herring left being the brush." An accident occured to Miss Morgan, Abercwmboy, which was fortunately unattended with serious results. This lady, on following the hounds was, owing to the sudden and awk ward position taken by her steed, "upset." Besides the shock and a few facial scratches, no other injury was re- ceived. After this elevating and satisfactory sport ter- minated, the tired Nimrods adjourned to the house of Mr. Evans, the landlord of the Ynysybwl Inn, where a plain and substantial spread awaited them, to which ample justice was done. LAST READINGS FOR THE SEASON.—On Friday the ter- mination of the readings in this town was effected by an entertainment given in the New Inn Assembly-room. The Rev. D. T. Davis, M.A., presided. There was a highly respectable and appreciative audience. The front seats were completely filled. Without remarking on each piece, it may be necessary to state that each person did his or her best to ensure success. Mr. Clarke presided at the piano. "The Defence of the Bridge," by Macaulay, was very fairly given by Mr. Grove. Mr. Superintendent Wrenn, Merthyr, gave with success "The Gridiron." Mr. Alexander gave a piece from "Sylvester Sound." The vocalists were Mrs. Davies, Miss A. Duckham, Miss M J. Evans (who sang with taste and feeling), Bliss J. Evans, Miss Triste, Messrs. T. Williams, S. Miles, H. Evans, A. Lewis, J. C. Lowe, and L. J. Dunham (comic). Undoubt- edly the gem of the evening, if not of the season, was the reading by Miss Price (Mary Queen of Scots.) The tone, elocution, and enunciation of this lady left very little to be desired, and enthusiastic plaudits greeted her on its close. With reference to a recitation by Mr. Maddicks, it was to be regretted that anything of a theological character, re- flecting upon the religious tenets of an influential religious body, should have been introduced. W e hold Mr. Maddicks guiltless of intending to wound the susceptibilities of others, but a few moments' reflection would have suggested the inappropriateness of the piece selected. Miss E. Jones brought the proceedings to a close, after the formal votes of thanks, by singing the National Anthem. TREDEGAR. TERPSICHORE. —The quadrille party continues to flourish, the meetings are held weekly and are fully attended. REDUCTION OF WAGES.—On Saturday last the "drop" was experienced in Tredegar. Tradesmen complained, and some we believe felt the effects of the reduction it is not a subject to joke with, but we could not help noticing that if the drop" was deep on Saturday, the drops" were potent enough on Sunday to remove all signs of adversity. We hope it may be a forerunner of good times coming," to learn that an extra furnace has been blown in": during the week No. 4 furnace has been agoing, and we hope, ere long, to announce an increase in work and wages. PARISH MEETING. —A meeting of the rate-payers in the parish of Bedwellty, was held on Thursday the 5th inst., at the vestry-room, Bedwellty. The subject of lighting Tredegar-streets with gas was brought forward, and out of nearly 100 persons assembled only 4 raised an objection to the erection of lamps; it was therefore carried by an over- whelming majority; an extra rate of Id. was made to meet contingent expenses. We are sure our readers, resident in Tredegar, will be pleased to learn that we are to be more enlightened during the coming winter. Others matters were adjusted, and altogether the meeting was a very im- portant one. MR. DUNCAN'S CONCERT.—Mr. Duncan gave an enter- tainment in the Temperance Hall, on Monday last, under the patronage of Horace Shepard, Esq., of Beaufort. Sketches from various plays, reeitationa, songs, and pinao- forte performances. Mr. Healey recited a composition of his own, entitled, The broken heart," it was beautifully rendered, and much applauded. Mr. Duncan gave a few Irish touches, and caused unbounded hilarity. Miss Rachel Medway, a promising little vocalist, sang "I would a were a bird," aod some nursery rhymes, with considerable effect. I Mr. T. Williams promised a. song. ".) M far as be WI" COD- cerned, "there was a hole in 1t»; i!'id." The audience was rather scanty, and as Mr. Doi.-c.. as resided 10 weeks j amongst us, he ventures to give Pit opinion that the Tre- degar people are decidedly opposed t,) anything bordering on the theatrical; perhaps he is right, at any rate, his ten weeks' experience justifies the remark as far as Mr. Eaves and company are concerned. BENEFIT CoxcERT. —Mr. W. Jones, one of our local harp- ists. made an appeal to his Tredegar friends on the 4th inst., W. Bevan, Esq was the patron, and a numerous audience attended. Mr. Foxall's band opened the concert at 8-20, by an operatic selectipn. Mr. Clarke of Dowlais gave one of his favourite comic effusions, and at once put all in good trim for an hour's merriment. Mr. Evan Williams and party sang several glees, and were loudly ap- plauded. Miss M. Jones sang In this Old Chair" and La Bella Donna," in a style that pleased very much. Mr. John Bryant maintained his position as a harpist of some excellence-he was well received. Mr. Joe Brown (alias, never mind) was in his happiest vein, and was most vocif- erously encored in all he did. Beautiful Isle of the S^a'* and "Man the Life Boat" were ably rend-red by Mr. Harris of Ruymney. Mr. Clark gave a new edition of Billy Barlow," and caused a complete furore among the "gods," who encored after their own fashion, and Mr. Clark gave jibout a dozen additional verses funnier than the first twenty-four. Messrs. Rees a.nd Meredith gave a. duet with harp and violin, and gained a fair share of ap- plause Mr. Caird accompanied, and played a solo very effectively. Mr. W. Jones officiated as ticket and cash collector, and we hope the pecuniary result surpassed his expectations. OPENING OF THE NEW SCHOOL-ROOM.—This long-pen- ding event was celebrated on the 15th ins-t., under very favourable auspices. Three services were held, at 11, 3, and G. The musical arrangements were conducted by the English and Welsh choirs of St. George's Church. Tredegar, with Mr. Caird at the harmonium. Much praise is due to Mr. Evan Williams, choir-leader, for the exertion he dis- played in conveying the harmonium to aud from the school. Rev. Dr. James, of Panteg, was the preacher at th J mor- ning service, the Rev. E. Leijfh read the service, and the Rev. J. Morgan the lessons. The sermon was one of the most descriptive we have heard for a length of time—the three temptations of our Saviom-wcre dilated upon in a manner that rivited the attention of the assembly most firmly: in fact, it was generally admitted, that another hour's discourse would not have been too long, so interes- ting was the subject, and so elegant and instructive was the language of the preacher. The afternoon and evening services were in Welsh. The Rev. Mr. Evans preached in the afternoon, from the 2nd chapter of first epistle of St. John, 12th and 13th verses, a very able discourse. The Rev. Mr. Evans, vicar of Llanover. was the preacher in the evening. We need hardly state that it was a red letter day in New Tredegar. Shops were closed, and a general holid;ty was observed, and well it might be so, for Oil that day was completed a work which will diffuse knowledge, and shower its blessings, on generations to come. Some opposition attended the early strges of the undertaking, and now that the school is finished, and fit to conduct scholastic duties in. we trust, while it spreads knowledge, it will also bring about a. corresponding amount of unity and good feeling, amongst those whose avocations may bring them in contact with its sphere of usefulness On Thursday, April 4th. our much respected friend Mr. Serjeant, completed his 25th anniversary as master of the "Tredegar Boys School." At half-past ten o'clock, the hour of recreation, the Town hall rang with the cheers of above 700 children. They offered to him their congratula- tions in the following verses, composed for the occasion, to which Air. Serjeant responded to in his usual happy man- ner, and at the request of the children a half holiday was granted 'Tis April the 4th, all hail to the day! The happiest one in the year "When faces are bright, and hearts are all gay While greeting our master so dear. Many happy returns, most sincerely we wish, Of this joyful and glorious day May health and prosperity ever be thine. And love all thy labours repay. Through thy journey of life, may that journey be long, May fervent love cheer all thy way, May hearts beat as true and as tender for you, As those which surround you this day. TREDEGAR PETTY SESSIONS. FRIDAY.—(Before the Ra. E. Lcigh and A. Darby, Esq.) Railway Offence.—John Norman, James Jones, David Williams, and Stephen Jenkins, in Feruary last, charged with being drunk in a railway carriage on the Sirhowy Railway, all pleaded not guilty.—This case being proved, defendants were fined 2s. 6d. each, and costs 13s. each, or 14 days. A Taste for Pork. -Ann Williams sworn I am 13, and attend chapel. I live on the cinder tip. I was in Tredegar market on the 16th of March. I had a basket vitli meat in it. I asked Mrs. Hughes, who was standing by, to hold my biisket, as I was going to fetch some snuff for her.— Mr. Plows, for defendant, said the case was very simple. The little girl asked Mrs. Hughes.to hold her basket, and being absent a long time, Mrs. Hughes took the basket home, and when applied to she at once gave it up to the prosecutor. He (Mr. Plews) produced a certificate of character from Dr. Coates, who had known Mrs. Hughes for some years.-The P.C. said he found piisoner out by the boxes the little girl fetched the snuff in. They were draw boxes," and on enquiring at the Tredegar office he found who the boxes belonged to, and apprehended prisoner the same evening. The meat in the basket consisted of 2lbs. of pork and some pig's belly, and was there all safe when the basket was delivered to the coust..ible.In reply to Mr Plews. Ann Williams said she told Mrs. Morgan of the affair on Sunday.-P.C. James Goswell said lie appre- hended prisoner on the 16th of March, and charged her with stealing a basket with 31bs. of meat from Ann Wil- liams. She said she did not steal it, she only took it home, and that she knew the girl and was going to take it across to the little girl's parents. She could not tell me the girl's name, nor where the girl lived. He took her to the station. She was bailed out.—Case dismissed. plirposeiy lo lllIL away Hie lall j l tllOK hold of the end of the tram for the purpose of pulling it towards me, he caught hold of the mandril, and with both hands he aimed a blow at me; as 1 turned away it caught me on the arm below the elbow. I went down the head- ing—heard some one say "for God's sake don't strike," turning round I saw Moor with the mandril raised as if going to strike me my arm bled a great deal, and I went to Dr. Sloper and had it dressed. By Mr. Plews-Did not stop and tell any one to pull anything down, some part of the fall may have come down after the blow-One tram was on Moor's parting, there was no place to turn the horse unless one tram was turned off the heading— will swear there were only three trams that I could see. Moor's stall is about 4i yards from the parting. Moor was filling the tram that was turned in his stall, and as soon as I heard him begin to fill, I went to the opposite side, and began to throw out t!;o coal, and was never turned off by Bevan. Never had occasion to bag his pardon to get in again. Did not go in with a light till the place had been pror d. An explosion did occur, but that was after we had filled two trams. I have nothing against Moor. Mr. Bevan never accused me of causing an explosion. I spoke to Mr. Ilevan myself on the subject. Alfred Banfield was in the pit. I let go the tram after I had the hit with the mandril.—By Mr. Harris: I have been off and on for the last 20 ye.irs with the Tredegar Company —Thomas Ste- vens examined by Mr. Harris I was working in Tiley's pit on the morning in question I was helping pro- secutor. We went in together. Can't say how many trams were there. None came at half-past six. Did not hear any dispute then. Soon after that I saw Jones coming from the direction of Moor's stall. He was holding his left arm with his right hand. Saw Moor following with a mandril as if goinfir to strike him. I called out- For God's sake don't throw it." He was about three yards off him He put the mandril down. Saw ionek, arm bleeding the blood was running over his fingers.—By Mr. Plows A good bit of the fail was down before Ji nea was struck. Banfield. was in the stall with them. -:Ed win Jones sworn I am a haulier in Tiley's pit. Took some trams to No. 3 heading. Took three the last journey to the upper side of the heading. Some rubbish was to be removed.—By Mr. Plews Had previously taken [ one tram, which I pushed into Moor's stall. All the dis- pute hai been over this one.—Isaac Breeze sworn: I am one of the firemen employed in Tiley's pit. Prosecutor is ti .-a her man in that part. It was necessary to clear No. 3 heading. Thomas Jones was there by my orders. I have been a timbermau myself. It is a custom to take any tram at hand to clear away rubbish.—By Mr. Plews: When a timberman wants trams he gives notice to the haulier. I have before now emptied a tram for the purpose.—C. E. Sloper sworn—I am a surgeon at Tredegar. Thomas Jones came to my surgery on the 27th March. I examined his arm, and found that lie had sustained a f;v. ;Uired wound in the left fore arm. The mandril (produced) would inflict such a wound. I proved and found it penetrated two inches in an oblique direction into the arm. There has been considerable pain and swelling, and the wound has become suppurated. I have attended him daily, and he is going on well. -The Bench This is a serious matter and, in our opinion, one fit for a jury. -Mr. Plews I think the case has been greatly magn ¡ I have witnesses whose accounts will give the affair quite another colour.—Mr. Darby I would much rather not deal with the case. You have the naked fact of that mandril before you.—Mr. Plews Yes, sir but I have a mail's interest to look after. Consider the expense of sending him for trial. I think it is putting the county to useless expense In fact, my wit- nesses will give quite another feature to the case —Mr. Darby I am not an impartial jury I must be fair. I would rather not hear any more. A man who would attack another with such an instrument is a dangerous man to enter a pit at all. -The prisoner was then committed for trial at Usk Sessions bail— £ 40—being accepted.—The ca-e excited a large amount of interest among the colliers, who were present in crowds, numbers waiting outside to hear the result. ■ Bastanhi-— Mary'"Waiters v. E. Edwards.—Complainant sworn I live at Nantygb. Had a child in November. Edwards is the father. He is a pr.Idler a.t Nantyglo. He has promised to marry me. By Mr. Plews: This is my third child. Did not get an order for the last. My first is five years old. David Thomas is ti, f-ther, and lives in England. The father of the seco is a soldier hi India. One child is dead—Mary Ann Evans sworn I am a widow, and live at Nantyglo. My husband went away fifteen years ago. I worked in the forge with complainant. Have seen her and Edwards courting in the gully. He; had his arm round her waist. They were courting tidy, as the Irish always do.—The Bench dismissed the case. Xtxjv. >T 111. '&Ulo.¡o, \1U't: JLWtfV OOil 11 fiee TllUTfjyL;> minister, Trcherbert, to Miss E. Evan 3, Aberamm, Aber- daro,