Monmouthshire Merlin

EducfttLmil Meeting at Abergavenny,1 On the evening of Thursday, Nov. 6, in accord- ance with notices previously given, a public meeting- was held in the Cyaireigyddion Ball, for the pur- pose of taking into consideration the best means of founding- a school upon general and unsectarian principles, for the instruction of the children of the working classes. The entrance of Sir B. Hall, was loudly wel- comed, and the business of the meeting- was immediately commenced. Sir B. Hall having been called to the chair, said -Ladies and Gentlemen, When I last had the pleasure of occupying the chair in this room. it was under different circumstances, and on that occasion it was peculiarly gratifying to find so many of the flower of the country assembled, actuated by a spirit of nationality, and we hoped that it might be productive of good to our fellow countrymen. On that occasion we were assembled for much gayer purposes than on this-the Awen of our country spread, and the strains which were struck from the chords of rational instruments fell melodiously on our ears but we are assembled this evening- not only for purposes of nationality, but also for dis- charging our duty in the several spheres of life in which we are placed, and to that Gr¿,at 13t inrr to whom we all owe our existence—the furthering of that all-important consideration, the welfare of our fellow subjects and I know of no way by which it can be more fully carried out than by the spread of education. I have attended other meetings of a character something similar to the present, but never gave my voice in favour of any that sanctioned exclusive education. From the first moment of my public career, I have ever con- sidered it my duty to steer that course which avoided exclusiveness. We are desirous of wor- shipping God in the form in which we have been brought up, yet we would endeavour to extend every advantage of education that lay in our power to those who stand in need of it. ] t is a source of great pleasure to me that I have been considered a fit person to preside at this meeting and although it has been at great inconvenience that I have done so, my home being full of my most intimate friends, still, at all times 1 shall be ready to respond to the call of the inhabitants of Abergavenny, to whom .1 am much indebted, and to sacrifice my private convenience to their public advantage. A list of resolutions has been put into my hand. (The chairman then read the first resolution.) From the second resolution I find that the system of educa- tion is to be founded on the principles of the Bible, and free from sectarian bias; with this I most cordially agree that book is in the hands of all, and should be the great basis of all instruction there may be various passages on which we put different constructions, but on one point we all agree,—that there is one Great Being whom we all adore, and from whom emanate the truths on which we found our system ot education. I have been favoured with the last report of the parent institution, and as it is impossible that I can remain very long, I will not trouble you with any lengthy remarks. Of the criminals in Berkshire one-third have been found unable to read. In Cambridgeshire and Staffordshire one half. In Denbighshire two thirds. In the county of Devon only four out of 71 could read well. In Essex out of 212 prisoners, 48 had never been at school, 40 had been at school less than one month, 45 less than two months, 43 less than four months, and only 36 had been at school more than six months. In Sussex, out of 877 prisoners, 141 did not know the Saviour's name, 498 just knew his name and no more, 179 had a confused acquaintance with his history, and only six per cent of the whole number had any reasonable knowledge of the Christian faith. Some said they had occasionally been in a place of wor- ship, but that when they did attend, all was dark- ness and confusion to their minds, and they gave it up. Merely this extract is sufficient to show the importance of the education of the poorer classes. ft is a theme on which any one might dwell; and as there are gentlemen present who can express the Necessity 0f this institution more than I am capable Of, I shall make no further observations at present. but request Mr. Charles Daniel to propose the first resolution. Mr. Daniel rose and said—The resolution which I hold in my hand speaks of the necessity of esta- blishing a school in Abergavenny, for the instruction of the children of the working classes. By the resolution, the course I should pursue is marked out, but I forewarn the meeting that it is not impro- bable that, like an unmanageable steed, I may bolt out of that course before I reach the winning post; but shonld I do this, I will be as careful as ] can to avoid treading upon the toes of the gentlemen who are to follow me. If I snap asunder the rope by which I am tethered to a certain plot of ground, I will, at all events, abstrain from trespassing within the enclosure of my neighbour. I feel great pleasure, Mr. Chairman, in appearing before this meeting as an advocate of popular education, and perfectly agree with the inspired Son of Israel's Shepherd King, that for the soul to be without knowledge is not good." I utterly repudiate the How almost-exploded notion that education is cal- culated to render men dissatisfied with their condi- tion in life, or in any way to interfere with the discharge of their social duties; on the contiary, I believe^ it will be found that, in proportion as education on sound and enlightened principles shall prevail the better will the various duties of life be discharged. (Hear.) Entertaining these sentiments, I rejoice that we live in an age which witnesses the gigantic capabilities of an engine that has done more to promote the advancement of civilization, and to spread the triumphs of the Gospel, than the combined legislation of all the senators and states- men the world ever saw-I mean the printing press and I doubt not, that Sir Benjamin Hall, though himself a statesman, will fully concur in the senti- ment I have just advanced. But there was a period in the world's history when the art of printing was unknown. Such, however, is the innate desire of man to communicate and perpetuate his thoughts, that the art of writing, or communicating thoughts by certain characters, was discovered at a very early date. The honour of this invention is generally conceded to the ancient Egyptians; and it is thought that the hieroglyphics carved on the face of their eternal pyramids were the first characters invented by that extraordinary people. The art of writing, taking its rise amongst the Egyptians in the by-gone days of antiquity, was by them com- municated to the Assyrians and Phoenicians from the Phoenicians it passed to the Greeks from the Greeks to the Romans and from the Romans to the rest of the civilised world. With the decline of the Roman empire, literature and science were swallowed up in the monastic system, and confined almost entirely within the walls of the cloister and, sir, I verily believe if the priesthood had their way, they would have kept them there until this day.' (Dr. Reynolds: I deny it.) But the voice of Providence issued the mandate, Loose them, and let them go;" and forthwith appeared upon the stage about the year 1,430, a man of the name of John Guttenburg, who invented a process by which he could produce as many copies in one day as 250 men in the ordinary method of transcribing, and the machine by which he was enabled to ac- complish this result was the printing press, in its Incipient state. Some years after this, a partnership was formed between three individuais namely, John Faust, John Guttenburg, and Peter Schoeffer, the last of whom was the inventor of moveable metallic types; and shortly after this the first perfect book that had ever beenjprinted was pro- duced, and that book was the *e avejage price of Bibles at that time was about £ 50. stei mg, and when we consider that the same book may now be had for a shilling, we have abundant reason to be thankful for the discovery of the printing press. The process by which the three individuals before named produced their books remained a secret, and they at first palmed them off as manuscripts but at so high a price as £50. which they obtained for them, the sale was, of course, very limited, and in order to extend it they reduced the price, first to one half, and then to one third. This reduction in price naturally excited the ire and jealousy of the scribes, who began to raise the cry that their craft was in danger, and the rapidity with which the books were produced, so worked on the "uperstitious fears of the people, that they came to the conclusion, as they could not account for it any other way, that Faust and his associates dealt with the devil; whereupon a storm of persecution arose, which continued to rage until the publication by John Faust, of an explanation of the whole affair. Happily, my friends, we live in a different age, and in a day when the means of acquiring and imparting knowledge and information abound and superabound and one of the chief objects of the present meeting is to enlist your sympathies in favour of the rising generation, and to induce you, by your countenance and co-operation, to assist us to put them in possession of the great advantages connected with a sound system of education. (Cheers.) I advocate popuhr education, becaue I believe it is calculated to diminish poverty and crime, to elevate the standard of morals in the community, and, by opening- the fountains of intel- lectual enjoyment, to increase the happiness of the u' saw' t'-e ot'lpr day, a statement, that in NorfoLv, Suffolk, and Kent, "the inmates of several union workhouses, amounting to upwards of a thousand, were examined, in order to ascertain their acquirements", and the result of that examina- tion was, that 4G per cent. could not read at all, that GO per cent. could not write at all, and the remainder could read and write but very imperfectly. Now, what does this show ? That poverty and the want of education travel in company, and walk side by side. I say then, educate the people, and you not only furnish them with the means of more successfully battling- with poverty, but you instil into their minds a spirit of independence and self- respect, which will incite and impel them to the use of those means. Again, with regard to crime from the lists of government, it appears there are six counties in England—Chester, Gloucester, ESSPX, Hertford, Somerset, and Warwick—in which there is three times the amount of crime that there is in six other counties, viz., Cornwall, Cum- berland, Derby, Durham, Northumberland, and Westmorland. Now, in the six latter counties, where there is one-third less crime, there is one- fourth more schools than in the six former counties. What does this fact prove ? That crime and the absence of education go hand in hand together. 1 say, then, educate the people, and you will do more to stay the progress of crime than all the penal laws ever enacted; and by so doing vou will be acting on the good old maxim that "prevention is better than cure." illln is so constituted that it is natural to him be ever engaged in the pursuit of happiness and the source of gratification accessi- ble to him are two-fold—sensual and intellectual- but the intellectual so far transcends the sensual, as the g!ory of the sun exceeds the lustre of an evening star. If the avenues to intellectual enjoy- ment be closed by the want of education men will naturally fall back upon the sensual; and hence it is that our beer-shops and gin-palaces are so densely thronged and it is a wall-known fact that most of the crimes committed are concocted within the precincts of those sinks of iniquity. (Hear.) But if you educate the people, you introduce them into the vestibule that leads into the grand magazine of mind—the great mental museum, if I may use the figure, which is constantly receiving- accessions from the products of genius, and the walls of which are oil every hand hung with costly gems and sparkling diamonds. I mean, the precious and imperishable thoughts of the great men of our own and other countries, committed to the custody of books, and guarded by those mute centinels with inviolable fidelity, as memorials of the mighty dead. (Cheers.) Give the people the power to read, and you invest them with the means of holding commu- nion with the master-spirits of the earth, who have stamped their image on the age in which they lived, and shed a halo of glory around the period in which they flourished; and, what is of far greater importance than this, by telaciiing the people to read,you furnish them with the means of learning for themselves, from the Book of God, the way of everlasting life and immortal bliss; and if there were no other advantage connected with the power to read, this is so momentous that those who possess it and know its importance, if they do not en- deavour to impart it to those who have it not, incur I a fearful responsibility, and if weighed in the balance, with regard to this matter, would assuredly be found wanting. It is needless for me to go about to prove the necessity of establishing a school in Abergavenny the thing is so self-evident that it would be a waste of time to attempt it; let me, however, remark that I believe it to be the duty of every man, and of all men, to endeavour to pro- mote the welfare of those within the circle of their influence. Now, if in the judgment of this meet- ing, education be one of those means which are calculated to ameliorate the condition of society, and if, nevertheless, you refuse to assist us, you pronounce your own condemnation. But I will not think that of you I will not do you so foul a wrong as to suppose that what your hearts and judgments approve, your hands will be slow to support on the contrary, I have the most perfect confidence that, before we separate to night, this spacious hall, which has so recently resounded to the far-famed voice of Braham, and still more recently to the melody of our native hills, will rino- with a shout of loud acclaim, that shall afford us a sure pledge that your hearts are now with us, and that in due time your hands will be with us also. (Cheers.) With these remarks, I beg to move, That it appears to this meeting highly necessary that a school should be immediately established in Abergavenny, for the instruction of the children of the working classes." When Mr. Daniel concluded his address, Doctor Reynolds advanced on the platform, evidently much excited, and said,—Before any one else addresses the meeting, I claim, Sir Benjamin Hall, ladies and gentlemen, the right of making some comments upon an assertion made use of by the last speaker. It was not my intention, when I entered this room, to address the meeting. I came here for a different purpose—to assist the reporters for the public press to spread through the country the wishes of the people of Abergavenny, and to make kno\vn the wants under which you labour. That assistance I came here to give, because I feel myself, from long- years of friendly intercourse, identified myself with the inhabitants of this town; and in whatever inte- rests them, I must ever feel an interest. (Cheers.) Moreover, the cause in which you are met is one dear to my soul-the cause of education and liberty of conscience. (Cheers.) But I regret that I can- not bestow upon you unmingled approbation. I 4 regret to find that with you, Dissenters, who con- stitute the larger portion of this meeting, assembled to protest against intolerance, you too frequently exhibit intolerance yourselves. On a previous oc- casion, I came amongst you to protest, along with you, against a measure impugning the liberty of conscience, and then my feelings as a Catho- lic were deeply insulted ;—and now, when I come here this evening, impelled by regard for you, and a wish to promote the object of the meeting, an assertion is made, the truth of which 1 deny, and which I cannot refrain from commenting upon. What 1 allude to is, the assertion of the gentleman who last spoke. He asserted, I hope thoughtlessly, and not from innate bigotry of heart, that in the monkish times, science and literature were confined within the walls of the cloister, and if the priests had their way, they would be confined-there still. (Hear.) I will not occupy the time of a meeting in r, convened for a different purpose, by refuting the assertion but I will demand, why has this un- called for charge been introduced at all ? f admit the scientific and literary eminence of the dwellings in the cloister, but I deny that they either sought or wished to confine to themselves the sci- ence and literature in which they excelled. Is it fair that my feelings, as a Catholic, should be out- raged as they have just been ? I would not re- main a Catholic, if 1 did not believe the Catho- lic crecd the true one. I would not profess it if I were ashamed of it, and I call on you Dissenters never again to permit those Catholics to be insulted by such language, who come amongst you to aid you in your struggles; and while you denounce the intolerance of others, no more to be seen to be intolerant yourselves. (Cheers.) This may seem unfriendly language, but it really is not so. He is not your sincere friend who applauds you whether you are right or wrong, and calls you all perfec- tion but he is your triend, who, while he respects your good qualities, points out your defects, and wishes to see them obliterated. Such a friend you will ever find in me, for the attachment I feel for Abergavenny will only cease with my existence. (Cheers.) One thing delights me—that a Catholic giving vent to his honest rebuke, is heard with this applause, by you—(hear)—that when the Catholic speaks in vindication of his creed, he excites the plaudits of Dissenters. (Cheers.) I do believe that want of consideration alonecaused a gentleman whom I respect, to use language I condemn; and that he had no deliberate intention to insult me, or those who conscientiously believe as I do and your approbation of the step that I have taken is a pledge to me that you value the co-operation of your Catholic brethren; and that \hey shall no more be scared from labouring with you by lan- guage that they could not hear without irritation. (Cheers.) I shall no more touch upon this subject; but I shall say, that men of different creeds have not sufficiently mingled together. I do trust, that in future you will see Catholics prominent amongst you in meetings convened for purposes so just as this. They are now actively employed in the spread of education and no men display more zeal in the cause of truth, liberty, and education, than the priests of Ireland; and as men of every creed- Catholic, Protestant, and Dissenter-have stood together in the battle field, and repelled with equal gallantry the foes of their common country, I trust they will exhibit the same unanimity in repelling, by that more glorious weapon, the pen. ignorance, the common foe of mankind. (Cheers.) I shall now conclude by complimenting you on the selec- tion of your chairman. (Hear.) In the Imperial Parliament, his career has been marked by his un- deviating support of the liberty ef the subject, and his opposition to thatworsi, of tyranny, the tyranny of the mind, has been steady and zealous. (Cheers.) I trust we shall see him more frequently in our public assemblies, supporting them by his position in society, and his talents and eloquence. (Loud cheers.) And I assure you, that convinced of the great benefits that must How from such a school as you propose to establish, I shall exert the little in- fluence i possess in its support. (Loud cheers.) Mr. Isaacs then rose and said,—Sir Barijamin Ha.il, I a dies, and Gentlemen,—I have been requested to. second the resolution which you have just heard but previously to n,y doing so, allow me to observe, that I am convinced there are several individuals present who are more competent than myself to do it justice. Yet, although aware of my inabi- luy in this respect, I am, [must confess, somewhat pleased ot the opportunity being thereby afforded me, of thus pub- licly recording my sentiments in favour of theooject which we are met this er.-ning to promote—(hear)—of recording. I repeat, the testimony of one who, though differing widely from you all in his belief, can, notwithstanding unite under the same root, and upon the same iloor wrl! his fellow Christians of ali denominations, lor the glorious and disinterested purpose of diflustns: the blessings of gra- tuitous education amongst ihe poorer classes of his fellow- creatures, without distinction of sect or creed. (Loud cheers.) I iedr, sir, that after the eloquent and exceedingly appropfiate address which all present this evening have ha i the gratification to hear you deliver—and which has been followed so ably and elaoorately by the gentlemen who have preceded me-IJnt any observations of mine will add but little information to the interesting subject of education and as there are several gentlemen to speak during the even- in j, who, beii>;» far betier versed than the humble indivi- dual now addressing you, and who will doubtless delight you by enlarging upon this topic, it would be presumption on my pad to detain you, or to expect that anything I am capable ot uttering wouid command your attention; but, ladies and gentlemen, although I may not sufficiently ex- press to you in words my real feelings, I beg to assure you, that having experienced the advantages of a fair education, I leei for, and sympatmse with, the multitudes who, for want of means, have bsen unable to obtain a similar blessing, (Cheers.) And coming, as I hive frequently, tn contact with number ess persons so situated, I have not alone heard them repeatedly deplore this sad deprivation; but I have as oiten, in the course of inquiries, discovered amongst them individuals whose minds, possessing first-rate natural abilities, had they been properly developed by education, would have been of incalculable benefit, not only to them- selves, but to the world at large. (Loud cheers.) For these reasons, therefore, I have frequently thought that an institution where knowledge could be disseminated abroad, free of cost, with regard to sect or creed, ought to be esta- blished in my native place, the town of Abergavenny (Cheers.) And as such is the object of the present meeting, I do with great pleasure recommend the first resolution to your favourable consideration. Ladies and gentlemen, I feel i»raieluj for your kind attention.; and, in conclusion, be^ to second the resolution ptoposed by Mr. Daniel. (Mr. Isaacs sat down amidst general appiause.) The resolution was put to the meeting and carried. The Piesident then called upon the Rev. Mr. Thomas, who rose and sqnd,—Mr. Chairman, respected Friends and N eighbours,- \V e are met on an occasion of much more than ordinary interest and moment. We are assembled to coun- tenance and forward a cause which must, at least which outfit, to commend itself to the best feelings of all truly enlightened, philanthropic, patriotic, and benevolent minds. We are convened to volunteer and guarantee our cheerful aid and support to the establishment of a school, projected and devised for thesecular instruction of tiie children ot the more humble and less powerful class of our fellow beings; a school, founded on principles wholly and absolutely un- sectarian-undenominational. Seeing how schools formed on sectarian principles prevailed in the town and in the country at la r e, some few of us, a year or two ago, endea- voured to awaken attention to the necessity of celling up a school on the broad basis just mentioned. We conferred toother on the subject; letters were wriiien and addressed to different parties; and combined action and mutual co- operation were respectfully proposed and mvimd. Now, thanks be to the Gieat Author of all good impressions, the object then so unfeignedly and earnestly desired and sought, is to a pleasing degree realised. Friends and neighbours of different religious views and persuasions, are invited and consolidated into one harmonious band a very commodi- ous building, in which to conduct the school, is just or nearly completed; and we trust, that very shortly, wiiiiin its walls, oue scholastic operation will be successfully commenced and vigorously prosecuted. (Hear, hear.) But what we are at present particularly solicitous to pcliieve, is, to dis- tinctly explain to this numerous and respectable assembly, and to indellloly impress on every mind, the tree, unfettered, and liberal principles on which our institution is framed and organised—pnncipies, as before emphatically asserted, absolutely unsectarian. But the new term, unsectarian, may appear vague and indefinite, and, perhaps, to some, unintelligible and problematical; It would, therefore, be neither officious nor irrelevant to ask- What do you mean by it? In replying to the befitting inquiiy, and solely for illustration's sake, we must advert to systems of education differing both in principle and practice from our own but remember, once lor all, not invidiously, not offensively, not to impute any fault to any parties. (Hear, hear.) Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind, as every one is responsible for his actions and transactions to the Supreme Judge only Our worthy neighbours, the Reman Catholics, for instance, have, I understand, a general day seliool-inatk the term general—connected with their so- ciety in the town; and I am credibly informed, that it is their avowed object, not only to furnish their pupils with secular instruction-such as teaching th.em the several arts of reading, and arithmetic—but also to train them up in the Catholic faiib, so as to ultimately make them what are tech nicaily called "Good Catholics." Peradventure, to this system of education no very material objection could be made, if all the people of this land and nation invariably were Catholics. But since they are not so, since the caseis immensely otherwise, a school that gathers into it the chil- dren of all sects and parlies indiscriminately, for the purpose alleged and avowed, !lI'!S! he, in our opinion, emphatically sectarian. Again, our'worthy Protestant brethren connected with the Church Establishment, likewise, have numerous General day schools diffused all over the empire; to which seminaries they attach the all-absorbing epithet" National." One of these schools, I understand, is conducted, and we presume, ably and respectably so too, in the largr room this lofty and spacious hall. But tllese InSlitu- tions, however excellent or beneficial, must, both in their principle -nd working, necessarily be sectarian; for, in this system of education, what is called the Church Caiechism, is taught the scholars of all religious persuasions, without distinction; ami as in the case of our C'aihclic neighbours, it is a grand object with them also, to make their pupils, as they grow up to men and women, "Good Churchmen." Perhaps no very serious objection would be urged against ibis arrangement, if all the population of these realms, with- out exception, were Episcopalians. But since the case is ¡ far otherwise, the schools called National," gathering into them the offspring of all secis and parties indiscriminately, and obliging them to learn the Church Catechism, are, m our opinion, to all intents and purposes, decidedly secta- rian In fine, there are multitudes of Dissenters in this kingdom, of different religious persuasions, that are likewise warm zealous, and strenuous advocates for sectarian schools* described, perhaps, under the milder appellaliofl so ktiot, ot Denominational or Congregational Schools." But in our opirllon, it must be coneeded that all such schools, gathering into them the children of ail. sects and parties, are really sectarian, just as much so in principle and design as Catholic and Episcopalian schools are so; for, in the na- lure and reason of things, it must be a grand object contem- plated in them also, by nonconforming, training, and in- struction, to make their pupils "Good Nonconformists." Thus in 'principle, all these parties perfectly assimilate and coalesce. They differ merely in carrying out iheir several spheres of tuition. But, Mr. Chairman, ladies, and gen- tlemen, it happens to be the destiny and the lot of many around'me, to entirely, yet most amicabty and peaceably, differ on general education principles, from all these highly reputable, and influential sections of the Christian community. Not, you will bear in mind, that any of u. object to parents religiously educating their children in their own way, nor to ministers, those of their respective congregations. Nay, we contend that in both these relations I ano connexions, religious training is a solemn and binding obligation. Still we would hazard the following opinion, that even in these departments of parental and pastoral duty, the scriptures aione, unaccompanied with any hu- man creed or creeds whatsoever, would coaslilute the safer rule and basis of juvenile religious tuition. But, in fur- nishing instruction for the chiidien of all sects and parties, without distinction, whether it be accomplished by Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, or Nonconformists, it is our most I decided opinion that, wiih the exception of the bible being daily read by the pupils in the school or schools, the system of euucatioi^ought to be simply secular, and alto^eihei un- sectarian. 1 here are, at least, three very important objec- tions lying against sectarian education in general day schoo.s, in a country hke our own, where so many different religious creeds prevail. One is this, that it letters the youthful mind, and does not allow it to be free, and a fet- 'ered state, particularly as regards the mind, is truly pitia- ble, if not revolting. When our vision is reluctantly at- tracted by that often-injured brute remarkable for the length of his ears, and the obstinacy of his temperament, and we behold him cruelly lettered and heavily clogged, our com- passion is even then p,oved; but how much more deeply ought it to be excited, when we see tre young man coerced, and consigned to a state of mental and inoial incarceration ? And yet such, moreoi less, is its position, when it is placed under the absoluie controul and iron yoke of sectarian tui- non. (Hear, hear.) Another important objection lying against this system is, that it tends to generate the most un- hallowed and stolid predilections in favour of certain dog. mas, creeds, and observances, of the merit or dement of which, the youthful mind is altogether disqualified and in- competent In form a safe judgment. Tuns, children are taught and trained from their early days to plead, contend, and even sometimes fight, for what (hey are pleased to caJlI the religion of their parents and ancestors, wiiliout even in- quiring, or knowing, or even wishing to know, whether it accords or not with the given standard of unerring truth. Another formidable objection. iyj«g,against sectarian edu- cation is this-that it tends, reckless of all inquiry, to inspire and rivet the most fierce and inveterate prejud ice against all sects and systems that are not in harmony with the lan-'iil and preconceived opinions of our doughty youthful zealots. All are blind and denounced who cannot see with their op- tics and fortunate is it if they should escape the .more grave and heinous charge of schism and heresy, and hence spring up uncharitable notions, acrimonious feelings, mutual antipathies, gross misrepresentation, and oftentimes the most leti isli passions and deadly hate In a word, sectarian education, remotely, if not proximately, ministers to social discord and strife, contention and war.; yes, and most em- phatically, to the enormous, prodigious, and demoniacal crime of religious persecution, for no exacerbation is so bit ter, lelentless, and implacable, as the odium theologium. But, Mr. Chairman, and Christian friends, I ylory and re- joice in being able to affirm, that the school which we aie this evening congregated 10 patronize and sanction, is not in the slightest possible degree sectarian or denominational. In its nature and constitution, it is neither designed nor cal- culated to fetter the juvenile mind, but to leave°u to its own free choice and off all ivligious topics; it is neither designed nor calculated to generate unhallowed and s'olid predilection in favour of any doe; m as. creeds, or observances, whether right or wrong, handed down from father to 5011; it is neither designed nor calculated to inspire and rivet ti-m and inveterate prejudice against ali differing-,seels and sys- tems, in theabsence of dispassionate inquirystnd satisfactory evidence. (Cheers.) It is neither Roman Catholic, Epis- copalian, nor Dissenting, in principle, and in its intended process of tuition. What u it then? Something? Any- thing? Nothing? We most emphatically answer—Truly Catholic or General, and truly National, in the just and proper sense of the terms; and the only kind of seminary that can be honestly, correctly, and logically so defined and I y denominated. It will recognize no religious creed or creeds whatsoever, by whomsoever devised and framed: it will ad- mit of no catechetical tenets and theories, however sus- tained by secular or ecclesiastical authority it will allow of no lectures, lore,or preaching, however sound and orthodox, from any party. The Bible of God, and that without note or comment, will foim its grand standard book, its only canon and body of divinity. In its terms of admission, structure and organization, management and economy, it will be free and unfettered as the rain of heaven, the morn ing dew, the waves of the ocean, the atmosphere we breathe, and the solar beams Such, my respected friends, will be the character and constitution of the school, for the instruc- tion of poor children, the offspring of parents of all reii- sjious persuasions, which we are exerting our energies and employing our humble means and appliances to establish. And the easy terms, and liberal principles, on which its im. munitles wIli be tendered, are such as will enable our in- dustrious poor to avail themselves of its privileges for the lasting benefit of their offspring, with little expense, and 71 without subjecting themselves to the pain and penalty in- fiicted by the monster, the tyiant bigotry, of having their religiolls opwion trenched upon, invaded, or compromised. But, thus free, unfettered, and unsectarian, does it not ap- peal wiih commanding force, and invincible efficacy, to the understanding,.■Uie-ju.d^-ntfcitf'j—aincL feelings 01 all liberal spirit, in this company and the neighbourhood around, pressing home the enquiry? Is not an institution so framed, orgai.ised, constituted, eminently worthy the mu- nificent and permanent sustentation and^patronage of every philanthropist and genuine patriot, whether Jew, or Gen- tile, Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, or Nonconformist (Loud cheers ) I beg to propose That this meeting considers that while the educatioR of the children of the working classes ought to he based on the prin- ciples oi the bible, yet it should be kept perfectly free from sec- tarian peculiarities." The Chairman then rose and called upon the Rev. H. J. Bunn to address the meeting; accordingly that nentleman rose amidst great applause, and said Allow me to say, Sir, that I feel much pleasure in seeing you In the chair on the present occasion, and when I make this statement, I am sure I have the general sympathies of this meeting. I like to see greatness identified with good- ness, for goodness is never so truly great as when illustrated by benevolence. God is infinitely great, but h:s goodness constitutes the leading feature of his greatness. (Hear, le^') Perhaps I may not be thought a Roundhead, or a' ol.ard, or a downright Puritan, if, on this occasion, I should happen to quote a passage of scripture—it shall be a very short one: Remember the poor. I know of no better way of remberirtg the poor than by shewing kindness jo their children, for the way to a poor man s heart is through his child—and I know ot no better way of shewing kindness to the children of the poor than by educating them. (Loud cheers.) One might imagine that no man,laying claim to a toferabte share of erudition, or even common sense, could doubt whether or not to educate the children of the working classes be a work of philanthropy. Wisdom sometimes shews itself by doubts and pauses of the judgment, but they are unnecessary here nothing can be more evident, then, t at for the masses of the nation to be untaught, is incom- patible with personal, social, and national happiness and prosperity. (Cheers.) Ignorance is virtually every evil- some other evils are comparatively isolated, and ignorance p 's the parent and companion of everything that is bad—is the condensed essence of all error-a large pod which con- tains the germ of everyihing that is injurious to man, indi- vidually and collectively. (Applause.) In ignorance I see selfishness, pride, bigotry, superstition, persecution, anarchy, sedition, and every other evil. that can curse society. To tlispel ignorance there must be a philanthropic work. (Hear, hear.) It is true, as far as general education is con- cerned, there have been men who have stood forward as the champions of ignorance they have denied the propriety and expediency of instructing the children of the poor; they would bless them by keeping them in ignorance; they are truly sensitive in everything touching their interests, and they diead the inconveniences which they would feel by being raised above the true level of their condition, and the pang3 which they would endure from the workings of dis- content with the allotments of Providence. (Loud cheers.) But society, in its progress, has, to a considerable degree, outgrown these antiquated notions, and we hope in the pre- sent day they are about as obsolete as the idf-as of some of the good old folks respecting vaccination. What said the grandmothers, give a child a disease from a cow? What! convey to a child the disease of a beast ? Verily, sir, some of the good old ladies thought they had lived long enough to look through their spectacles for something, and that ere Ion, if such a state of things were allowed to continue, they should see on their dear grandchildren horns and hoofs. (Laughter and cheers.) But these fears have passed away, and we hope that the crudities respecting the education of poor children are buried in the same grave, and God forbid at there should be a resurrection! for one, I pledge my- self never to be a resurrection man. (Hoar, hear.) Huma. nity, reason, and religion, all say, educate the poor; and, although some few who love darkness rather than light, like' the prophets' wizards, peep and mutier," while they look at the suit oi knowledge ascending towards its meridian, yet, thank God, its elevation is bevorid thier reach, and its beams 'o° widely diffused by them to be narrowed. (Loud dicers.) But, sir, my resolution speaks of unfettered eda- cation, untrammelled by party views and seciarian preju- J' educa!lon lInpurchased by the crlllglll;:s of Iluerty and conscience. A gift is considerably enhanced by the way j,, which u js prePStJnle(| ] It is very kind to give to a poor man a loaf of bread—but it would be very unkind to throw it at him, and thus to wound him by an act of eha- ,e the child ot a poor mail, but it '"y- It is kind to educate the child of a poor man, bui it would be very ungracious to do so at the expense of wound- ''is feelings anil his conscience,by saying, Your child on the S-ibbath must attend not where you like, but where we l,ke- (Cheers.) We have no idea of interfering with the ''berty of the subject, and therefore wish it to be distinctly underbtoodt that in those mailers wemake no bargain or sti- I pulation, but that the children t&ught in their school, accord. ,nS to the discretion of their parents, will be perfectly ai llber,y to attend the chapels of the Wesleyans, Baptists, and Independents, or at the Church. (Cheers.) Bul my reso- 'ution possesses another feature, which I regard as its grand characteristlc-a feature, in my view, fundamental to its suc- cess, and without which I should have declined uniting in the project As far as I am concerned. I would not make I he bible the basis of education, simply because it is a good book, and its moral tendency indisputable, but because it is ,he only book which, by divine authority, enunciates truths, anJ developes principles suited to all men, nrespective of outwarù and minor considerations—a book, which meets h m as a fallen, responsible, and immortal bein, and which governs him by motives, principles, hopes, and fears, of lis f own inspiring. (Cheers-) It is not simply training, but moral training that is essential to the happiness of man, and it is only when moral culture is associated with mental im- provement, that a successful issue can be reasonably ex- pected. (Loud cheers.) It is true, knowledge is power,but history, observation, and experience painfully establish the fact, that without the controlling influence of moral princi- ples,it is power todo mischief. When you educate the human mind, you enlarge its capibilities of doing either good or evil with a greater degree of efficiency, moral correctives are therefore essential, or the labour of instruction will be worse than lost. Our purpose is to aim to compass moral ends, by the use of moral means, and, by doing so, we hope in some humble degree to be found tributary to the advance- ment of the interests of our Queen, our country, and our God. (Long continued cheering.) The resolution was then put to the meeting and carried. The Rev. II. Poole said Among the various plans pro- posed for the public good, we often hear the cultivation of waste lands strenously advocated. Nodoubt, that is a sub- ject of considerable importance to the country, yet the ob- ject which has brought us together this evening, is of far greater moment—we are met to establish an institution for the cultivation of waste minds. (Loud cheers.) We have old and high authority for calling uneducated mind, waste mind, for In the writings of Cicero, we find this maxim As a field, although us soil may be fertile, cannot be pro- ductive vvithout culture, so neither can the mind without instruction." And the comparison may be carried still far- ther for as waste lands are often covered with nettles and briars, so waste minds are too frequently overrun with the noxious weeds of vice. The statistics of crime, to which you, Sir Benjamin, referred in your opening speech, clearly prove that a very large proportion ot those unhappy indi- diduals who have iucurred the penalties of the law by their crimes, never enjoyed the advantages of education. Had these men been rightly trained, had they been taught in early youth the principles of religion and virtue, we may reasonably believe that their course had been different, and instead of deserving punishment, they might have benefited society by their example. Their minds were left uncultured, and the growth of their vicious habits was unchecked by instruction. When you, Sir Benjamin, and other philan- tropists take measures to educate the working classes, your are not without facts to encourage your hopes that your efforts will not be thrown away. The soil which you pro- pose to bring under cultivation is not sterile soil. The great creator does not limit his endowments to the higher orders of society. Men of powerful intellect and brilliant genius have sprung from the people. Persons of the humblest origin have raised themselves to the highest eminence by their talents and learning. (Applause) Not a few who have filled the papal chair were diawn fron obscure stations. Pope Adrian VI. was the son of a poor barge builder. Sextus V. was accustomed to boast ttxt he waa born in an illuMrious house, because the sunbeams, passing through the broken walls and ragged loof, illustrated every corner of the humble collage in which he was born. (Cheers.) Passing from Popes to Reformers, Luther was the son of a miner, and, in the town where he was first placed at school, he himself sang from door to door, soliciting alms for his maintenance. The parents of his learned coadiator, Philip Mtflsncthon, belonged to the humblest class; and Zwingle was the sou of a Swiss cowherd. Our "own Shakespeare," if lie were not (according to the old tradition) a horse boy at the door of the theatre, certainly was an actor on its hoards. "Rare Ben Johnson" was a working mason or bricklayer, and helped al the building of Lincoln's Inn, having a book in his pocket while he held a trowel in his hand. (Hear.) John Banyan, the prince of oreamers- was a tinker. Robert Burns was the sen of a poor farmer. LinnsEus, the founder of the science of botany, was for a time apprenticed to a shoe- maker. Adam Clarke, whose learned commentary now holds an honourable place in the libraries of many clergymen, was ori- ginally designed to be a linen draper. A multitude of instances of the same nature might be clled, so that where benevolent persons patronise a school for the children of the poor, they may perhaps be aiding a nursery in which may be reared the future oroaneDts of the nation. (Loud cheers.) It is true that the school which this meeting is convened to support, is in- tended to furnish nothing more than elementary instruction yet this is the basis of all learning and science. The erudition of Porsoo commenced with the alphabet, and it Sir Isaac Newton had never known the multiplication table, he would never have written the Principiaj. After all, the object of education is not to produce prodigies, but to train up good men and useful memo bers of society and if we never see a Porson or a Newton arising out of our lowly institution, I trust that in it many youths will be disciplined to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with their God. (Hear, hear.) The resolution which has just been submitted to the meeting, settles the principle upon which we design to act. I have now to propose a resolution, calling upon the meeting to approve and adopt a specific system of education agreeing with that piinciple, namely, the system of the British and Foreign School Society. The gentleman who is to follow me will explain to the meeting the peculiar mode of instruction used in the British Schools. My remarks therefore will be confined to the disiincture principle of the society. We find that principle laid down inWie fourth rule of its constitution, which ssys, The lessons for reading shall consist of extracts from the Holy Sciiptures. No catechism or peculiar religious 'eoets shall be taught in the schools, but every tjiiild shall be en- joined to attend regularly the place of worship to which its parents belong." This rule shews that the object of the society is to give a scriptural education. On this subject I have reason to believe that some misapprehension prevail I beg permission therefore to cite a short passage from the last report of the society, which will explain in what manner the rule is carried into operation. Mr. Crossby, the superintendent of the central school, in his report on its present state and management says First in importance, and marking the commencement of every day, and indeed of every schooliime, is the serious and reveren- tial reading of Holy Scripture. The doors are never opened without the first lesson being given from the Scriptures.—The Bible- the whole Bible, in the authorized version.-io the hands of all who can read it." Yet while the society requires its su- perintendents thus sedulously to instruct their pupils in the knowledge of God's word, it permits no sectarian tenets to be taught in its schools. The only lesson book which it employs on the subject of religion, is that book, which every Christian be- lieves to have been given by inspiration of God, and which is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. Finally, in the schools connected with this society, no control is exercised over the pupils with re- spect to the plan of worship, in order to receive special religious instruction but where it shall attend is left to the choice and discretion of us parents. I am sure that I need not say one word to recommend this part of the system to any liberal mind. It must be obvious that the British and Foreign School Society confers its benefits without interfering with the conscience of the poor man, or requiring from him the slightest compromise of re- ligious piinciple and herein it exactly corresponds to that rule which we have just laid down to guide our own pioceedings. I have therefore great pleasure in moving this resolution •- That this meeting cordially approves the system of the British and Foreign School Society, because no party influence is permitted to control the management of its schools, and while the scriptures are read and taught daily, no human creed or catechis ism used in the instruction of the pupils." The Rev. gent. sal down amidst loud applause. The President then called onMr.Wyke, who spoke as follows With respect to the principles urged upon the attention of masters of British Schools, among their more prominent features are a paramount regard to character, moral and religious, in the in stiuction of their scholars an appropriate and effectual recog- nition of parental authority, blended with a regard to parental assistance ;-such an exercise of the mastet's own authority as shall secure to himself due lespect and implicit obedience; and such an occupation of the mental powers as shall best develope their capabilities. In ieferriog again to the filst-a primary re- gard for the moral and religious welfare of the scbolars-l would just observe by the way, that in my humble opinion, to culiivate the intellect with little or no regard to a correct discipline of the moral faculties, is, in all probability, to be instrumental in the making the subject of instruction tenfold more the child of hell than before. (Hear.) But to return more directly to the point in hand: whitstthemainobjectcontemptated by the British and Foreign School Society is moral and religious training, I would have this mee ing distinctly to observe, that it enjoi'os that such training be so conducted as not the most remotely to interfere with denominational distinctions or peculiarities. Another feature discoverable in the principles of the society is deference to parental authority, with due regard to parental as- sistance. In acknowledgment of the claims of parents, and of the importance of their co-operation, the British system, whilst it requires that every scholar shall receive retigious insiiuciion by attendance on a Sabbaih school, and on public worship, leaves to the parents to direct by whom they shall be instructed. (Hear,) Masters are atso ad vised to maintain constant intercourse with the parents, regarding the habits aud principles of the scholars. By this means are contemplated the improvement of parental influence, and the strengthening of both the parents and master's authority. With regard to the third, namely, respect for the master, and obedience to his commands, they aie 10 be so cultivated as to be the effect of duty and affection, and not of slavish submission. But to come to the lost, namely, develop- ment of the mental capabilities. The principle laid down is this—to excite free and pleasant mental exertions, by inviting the mind in its first efforts to no more than is adapted to its infancy and limited knowledge. For instance, in the central school the alphabet is taught in connexion with words, and as soon as let- leis enough are known to form a word, the scholar is taught to associate meaning wiih its symbols, and this meaning is so ex- plained and illustrated, as to make even these first efforts inte- resting and doubly instructive. But the principle which more peculiaily distinguishes British schools, is the monitorial system. The advantages of this system, when judiciously and effectively conducted, are many. Among them may be mentioned—the far greater facility with which perfect quietness and attention may be secured. Agalo, scholars are the most efficieo-t instructors uf eoinpanions not so far advanced as themselves—-the lessons they teach having been learnt by thems Ives, bul a U'ttetime before, and communicated fo others with- more zeal than adults can feel. I shall merely add, that for the purpose of re- gistering progress, the school is divided into eight classes in reading and writing, and in'.o ten in arithmetic. In the lower classes spelling is chiefly taught in connexion with the reading all the more difficult words being spelt previous to the reading of a lesson. To enter further into detail would be attended with but little interest, and might prove irksome, inasmuch as the system must be seen in opeialion, to form an adequate idea of its impoiance and utilitv. a of its The resolution was cariied unanimously. The President called upon Mr. J. Hiley Morgan to move the next resolution. He said Sir Benjamin Hall, ladies and gen. tlemen, severe indisposition (which by the way is a phenomenon in my life) prevents me alluding at any great length to the ob. jects ol the meeting. It is only the deep importance of the movement you are taking has led me from my home this evening, and it is with feelings of pleasure I take part, though little, m your proceedings. My esteemed pastor has said, "Remember the poor"—a grave consideration indeed—and it is well it should be loudly responded to, and in order to do this, you should ob- serve that there is the where-with" to be found. (Hear, hear.) I have sufficient confidence in the people of Abetgavenuy to be perfectly convinced that they will, with their purses, liberally answer the call. (Loud cheers.) I beg leave to move the fol. lowing resolution :— "That this meeting earnestly calls upon the friends of free education to give their support to a school, conducted on these principles, and designed for the benefit of persons of every re- ligious persuasion; and that the following gentlemen be ap- pointed to wait on the inhabitants of the town to soliait sub- scriptions and donations in aid of the institution:—Mr. John Morgan, Mr. Charles Daniel, Mr. W. Havard, Mr. John James, Mr. J. H. Conway, Mr. Michael, Mr. Bigglestone, and Mr. J. Hiley Morgan. The President then rose and announced Mr. James Price. The name was n,) sooner announced than it was caught up aad echoed from all parts of the room. Mr. Price rose and said Sir Benjamin Hall, ladies, and gentlemen, I need hardly say that I (eel flattered by the call which has just been made upon me, and I heartily wish I were able to answer it as it deserves; but I am quite sure that I am not addressing a body of critics who will he severe to mark what is said amiss, but who will receive it as was the widow's mite, not according to its intrinsic worth, but for the spirit in which it is offeled. (Applause.) Our friend, Mr. Thomas, has very truly said, that the object which the meeting has in view is one of more than ordinary importance. It ts/'iodeed, so, for with one exception, it is the highest, the noblest, and the holiest, which can engage the thoughts and the energies of every man who, in the broad acceptation of the term, loves his neigh- bour." If it be true as stated in the report read by Sir Benja- min, that ignorance is the parentof crime, then are we bound, by every duty which we owe to ourselves, our neighbour, and our God. to use our most earnest endeavours for the removal of that, which is the source of so much evil. (Hear.) It was the boast of a Roman emperor that he found Rome of mud, and left it of marble," but the brightest record of a Christian sovereign would be, that he found his subjects sunk in ignorance, (and therefore in vice), and that he left the poorest amongst them able to read for himself the revealed law of his God-the written laws and constitution of his country. (Cheers.) It was well observed in the last number of the Quarterly Review, that education is the only effective missionary and is it not so? You must first teach the people to read before you can teach them to think and they must learn to think before they can discern truth from error. By leaching the poor man to read, we give him, as it were, another e-ense-we open to him a source of en- joyment of which he had no previous conception-we enable him to graft on his own mind the wisdom of another; and to suppose by thus elevating him we tend to make him a worse man, a worse citizen, or a worse Christian, is taking the very lowest view through which poor humanity, with all its frailties, can be contemplated weie such men to reason merely from the analogy existing between the naturol and the moral world, they would come to a more generous conclusion. In the natural world, we behold the blasts which sweep across the deseit carry havoc and destruction in their train-I he humcanesand tornadoes which so frequently occur (Especially in tropical climates) lay waste at ouce the hopes and expectations of the planter. Thoughtless I man would pronounce these unmixed and unmitigated evils, but the reflecting mind comes to a far different conclusion. He fees, he knows, those partial evils are universal gocd that were it not for those atmospheric ebbing* and flowings, the very air we breathe would become unfit for the purpose of respiration, and the manifold other purposes for which infinite wisdom ordained it. So, in the moral world. let the seed of education be scat- tered with a free and liberal hand it is true that much would fill amidst rocks and siony places, much would fall amidst thorns and briers, but much also would fall on soil that would bring forth abundantly. fLaud cheers.) What, let me ask you! would be the situation at this moment of him who now addresses you had no kind parental haod guided his younger years, taught Jn,th7'?e hV TV0! *nd Pou,ed instruction over his youthful mind ? And shall I dare withhold from the meanest of my fellow creatures that which has been to me. through God', mercy, the source of all the blessibgs I enjoy—of all which sweetens and embellishes life, and makes it wort), the holdine ? (Hear.) There are thoe. again, who tell us that all education which is not strictly religious is worse than useless but I fear that such men mistake sectarianism for religion. Education io this country cannot he otherwise, to a certain extent, than religious education here is based on those fundamental princi- ples which are recognised by us all. Our very text-books draw iheir moral maxims from that pure fountain, which if viewed merely as a code of ethics, is the purest and best ever promul- gated, for ensuring peace on earth and good-will amongst men. By making creeds and catechisms the test of admission, we shut the gates of mercy on half mankind to expect an uniformity of opinion on any subject which is incapable of demonstration, is expecting Rn impossibility. The constitution of the human mind is as varied as the human face that which to one mind may be evidence strong as proofs of Holy Writ," may carry no convic- tion to another mind, both equally anxious to arrive at truth all exclusiveness, then, which is not based on absolute justice, is the bace of society. Exclusiveness is but another word for persecu- tion it fosters pride and intolerance, whilst amalgamation, on the contrary, softens both religious and political asperity, infuses true Christian love into Christian hearts, and teaches us to think more highly of the conscientious opinions of others, and less dogmatically of our own. (Cheers.) He wbo called this world into being-who decked it with ten thousand beauties, and whose mercy is over all his works-He has caused His sun to shine upon the evil and the good let man, then, though at an infinite dis- tance, in humble imitation of his Creator's bonnty, impart the light of knowledge to all—let his powers be directed in diffusing its benignant, its humanising beams, from pole to pole. (Hear.) In reviewing the history of nations we cannot but wonder and lament, that amongst the various schemes which kings and priests have devised for the government of mankind, so little has been done for the moral and intellectual elevation of the people, and giving to the human character that full developement of which (though fallen) it is still susceptible. We spare neither labour nor cost in training the inferior animals, and making their instioctive powers subservient to our purposes, whilst the nobler animal, man, is left to run intellectually wild. The human mind is not a plant indigenous lo any one locality,confined to this of that latitude it is not the creature of clime or of soil. Culti- vate it, train it, 8nd it will flourish beneath the scorching rays of the equator, or amidst the pole's icy barriers. We give impor- tance to that which endures for a day, whilst we neglect that which lives for ever. (Cheers.) MAn owee bit pre-eminence not to his physical powers, but to his mind alone 'tis this which gives him his supremacy over matter; by this be maintains the dominion which God gave him, "overall the beasts of the field, and over the birds of the air, and over the fishes of the sea, and over all living things." Strip him of this, and he becomes the piey of half the reptiles which crawl earth's suiface. The light, too, which spiings from a gifted and cultivated mind, is not an ignis fatuus, it is not an evanescent spark, but durable in its nature, as it is wide in its extent, whilst it illumines distant countries, it illumines also distant ages- •r Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night, God said let Newton be, and all was light;" and how many Newtons, how many Miltons, how many Shake- speares may have lived and died unknown, for want of that ele- mentary education which calls into action latent powers! Such reflections forcibly recal to mind the observation of Gray, in his Country Churchyard whilst strolling amid those little mounds of mortality beneath which, as he himself expresses it, the rude forefathers of the hamlet slept," his thoughts natu- rally reverted to what might have been, under othercircumstanees, the fate of some of those on whose dust he was then treading, and he exclaimed- Perhaps, in this neglected spot is laid, Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire Hands that the rod of empire might have sw'aved Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre; ■Jreai Some village Hampden, that with dauntless hr»«th The little tyrant of his fields withstood • Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest- Some Cromwell guiltless of his country's blood. But knowledge to their eyes, her ample page Rich with the spoils of time. did ne'er unfold Chill penury repress'd their noble rage, And froze the genial current of the soul." Ladies and Gentlemen,—I feel and lament my inability to enter into any statistical detail on the subject before us, but my own ignorance has been amply compensated by those who have pre- ceded me; but may 1 ask you to bear with me whilst I en- deavour, in the best manner I am able, to carry your thoughts a little beyond the boundaries of the school-room, and to impress ) on my young friends, the important fact, that education is not finished the day they quit the trammels of the school ? You have been enabled, by the labour and assistance of others, to lay the foundation but the superstructure must be the work of your own hands. If your wish to make the talent entrusted to you a profitable one, you must not content yourselves with wrapping it io a napkin, or in burying it in the ground. You have advantages your fathers had not. Tradesmen of the same standing a* myself will bear me out in saying that when we started, our course was one of unceasing, unremitting, toil at least such was my own case, and the little knowledge I acquired of a Watson a Priestly, a Lavoisier, and other chemists of my day, was obtained by rob. tung sleep of its due, and the holy day of rest of some of its highest duties but most of you have some hours of relaxation, and by making that a reality which has been your ostensible pjea, that indulgence will soon be extended to you all. 1 he age in which you live is unparalleled in the world's history the spirit of the time in progressive beyond all precedent; show then that you participate in that spirit, that you appreciate the advantages which surround you, hy devoting those leisure hours, not to idleness, frivolity, and dissipation, but to the culture of your own minds, to the storing up of that which elevates you above your station, and which leads to future eminence. What I have witnessed this evening assures me that if the old ones have been lagging behind, they have not been standing still. Forty years ago, to have seen a body of country shopkeepejs assembled together for the same noble, the same godlike purpose, which this day brings us here-to have heard them address an enlightened audience in language which would not dishonour any class of society in the kindom all this would then have been a novelty indeed, {but temporu mutantur, and I can with truth add, sir, ut TIOS mutamur in illis. Pardon, laates ana gentlemen, the seeming pedantry of the quotation, but it is with feelings of pride and exultation I say it, that we are living in times when men are judged of. when they are estimated, not solely and ex- clusively by the length of their purses, but in a great degree also by the strength of their understanding, by the extent of their in- tellectual attainments; when men have learnt or are learning to think for themselves, when they do not all of them meanly and servilely prostrate themselves before a golden calf—(cheers)—when all those who hold high and re- sponsible situations, whether in Church or State, either as the pillars of our establishment, as our national representatives, or pensers of the laws and institutions of our country when ai^he|&f;^lM<lluS0C,1 as ,bese' are weiehed by tliat h'gh standard; whjfcfi'■«ja* • moral dignity to our nature. (Hear, hear.) Never has that aphor^m of my Lord Bacon, that Knowledge is power," nev^ffj&ia* that maxim received so many practical illustrations ps.in this our oWn day; and in spite of those who would put a tax upon the window-lights of the mind, and stay with impious hands, the progress of that great thinking principle, which distinguishes men from the beast that perishtilk —in spite of those who tell us that national (I do not mean see*^ tarian), but that broad national education, is a national evil aqd>- denounce its result as injhriou^ to tjie interests of society,' and incompatible with the prosperity ot a nation ihe man who d«. iberately entertains such an opinion, idoWmits a foul libel, not only against his fellow-man, but (if such a thing be possible) he libels man's Maker, foi God created man Ott intelligent being. It therefore is, and must be, man's bounden duty, by every means in his power, to enlarge the sphere of that intelligence; and those men who devote their time, their talents, or their for. tune, in furtherance of such objects, further, as far as such be. ings as ourselves can further, the ends and designs of a gracious Providence* (Cheers.) If genius and talent were hereditary, If they were exclusively the property of the rich, the titled, and the great, theie would be some plea, some excuse, if not a jus. tification for such men but every day's experience proves the contrary; Nature, in the distribution of her gifts, knows no such distinctions but like the winds of heaven, which blow on all, she scatters her blessings, bodily and mentally, without refe. rence to rank and fortune. Let this consoling fact support and stimulate the humble and diffideni aspirant after fame. Let the humblest individual of that numerous class, of which I am a "'J11 t himself with the fact to which I have alluded, n .u 8tl" faMbCT that in this our beloved country, all tbe mysteries of science and of art are laid open here the portala of knowledge are, and, 1 trust, will yet be, more widely unfolded; here the avenues which lead towards the temple of honour and of fame, are open to us all. (Applause.) How often have we seen some obscure being from amidst the smoke of • ca in, by ?he cultivation of that intellect implanted within ira y ia beneficent Maker, live to take his place, nide by side, amongst the nobles and the high-born of the land. (Hear, hear.) Ob to behold one of these humble sons of genius emerging, as k W"\fT Cimmerian darkness which obscured his bumble birth, spurning from him those fetters which bound him down to his native clod and, in spite of all obstacles (like the lark which soars to heaven's gate), winging his way upward to wards the temple of honour, ef fame, and of immortality Be- lieve me, my fellow-men, this world affords no object more worthy the contemplation, mc.e worthy the admiration, of every reflecting mind than such a man. exalting himself in the scale of intelligent beings, by drawing himself nearer to that great source, from which all intelligence emanates. Let us then repu- diate those teachers who tell us that a little learning is a dan- gerous thing drink deep," say they. or taste not the Pie- riao spring." As well might we be told that total darkness is preferable to the dawning light, which ushers in the coming day- No, it is the first impulse which is essentially required. Put but the mind into motion teach it but to th ok, and an expanse opens before it that admits of no limits, for the aspirations of the human mind are boundless as the source from whence it sprang, and its Omnipotent Author has impressed upon it a capacity for and a thirst after knowledge, that never, never, will be satiated for although the misanthropic Byron has said that knowledge is not happiness, yet experience throws back the bitter truth, that "ignorance is not blias." The thread of life is a mingled yarn, and universal happiness is not the lot of man; but all his highest pleasures spring from intellectual sources, they flow from mental cultivation, and unlike aensual pleasures, they never pall. they never cloy, but "increase of appetite grows by what it feeds on pleasures, too, which neither the tyranny of man, oor the caprice of fortune, which no change of time or of circumstances can ever rob us Ihey will cheer and enliven us in the hour of our relaxation they will solace us even in the hour of our solution. (Cheers.) Ladies and gentlemen, I have nearly elt« hausted myself; but what is of more consequence, I must loog since have exhausted you also. Accept my warmest thanks and acknowledgments for the patient attention 1 haverecelved at your hands, not upon this occasion only, but on every occasion when I have ventured to express my opinions io the face of my as- sembled fellow-men. I have never yet dared to staod before you. but as tke advocate of that which 1 believe to be just, and right, and true. My judgment may deceive me-my opinions may be erroneous they are the result of some reflection, some observa- tion they are at least honestly formed, and I hope they have been honestly and fearlessly maintained. (Hear, hear.) Whilst I congratulate this meeting on its numbers, 1 cannot help ex- pressing my regret, that so many of our influenzal friends in the town and neighbourhood have not given it their sanction and support. It would ill become me to impute motives to any one; it is quite sufficient that I am satisfied with the purity of my own but I think those who are rich in this world's goods, and whose minds are enlightened by education, cannot shew their gratitude to the author of those blessings more acceptably, or their love to their less fortunate fellow-creatures more beneficently, or more beneficially, than in assisting to dispel that mental darkness in which so many, to our shame, are still enveloped. (Hear, hear.) Charity, we are told, begins at home; but experience shows that there is a species of charity which increases in proportion to the distance of the object requiring its aid, and decreases inversely as it approaches home—a charity which melts at the pole, and freezes at our own firesidewhilst thousands are attracted, and tens of thousands are abstracted, for enlightening the Laplan- der. the Greenlander, the Esquimaux, &c., the mass of igno- rance and vice which festers in our own highways and bye-ways. polluting even our own thresbholds, is suffered to pass compara. tively unheeded. We pride ourselves as ranking amongst the most polished and civilised of nations; but let us remember that a larger proportion of the people of this country are unable to read than that of any country in Europe, with the exception of Spain, Portugal, and a few of the minor Papal Stalet,. Ought not this humiliating fact to cause the blush of shame to Inantle OD. our cheeks ? Does it not bumble our ptide even to the dustt Does it not stamp with indelible disgrace the rulers, both lay and clerical, of a country which has given birth to some of the brightest names that ever blazoned on the page of history, or ever adorned the annals of titerature ? Are we not then imperatively called upon to make some atonement for past negligence, by future diligence, and thus wipe away a nation's blot? (Mr. Price sat down amidst the most enthusiastic cheers.) Mr. Charles Daniel rose and said,—Mr. Chairman—Wi)j you allow me to say a word or two in reply to the gentleman who immediately succeeded me If, in the course of the observa- tions I made, I said anything to excite an uopleasant feehng tll the breast of Dr. Reynolds, I can only say that nothing iovidi. ous was intended, and that I deeply regret it. Let me. how- ever, stste, that I did not allude particularly, or in so many words, to the Roman Catholic priesthood though he might, of course, have inferred this from the connection and from the pe- riod to which I adverted, namely, the early part of the fifteenth century. Let me further say, that I leave it entirely to thia meeting to decide whether I am not justified in saying what I believe to have been the aim and design of the priesthood, parti- cularly in that age, to confine knowledge within a circumscribed space, rather than to open the flood-gates by which it was dam- med up, and thus to make it as free as the air of Heavec. I appeal to this meeting to say whether I am not borne out in thia statement, both by profane and ecclesiastical history. Dt. Reynolds said he was glad to find that tfca remarks of Mr* Daniel had been uttered without design to injure his feelings and then proceeded at great length and eloquence to dilate on the subject of the meeting. James Price, Esq., again rose and said, that they would not separate until a vote of thanks had been given to their respected Sir B. Hall, for the readiness with which he had step- ped forward to take the chair, at their meetiog, under such pecu« liar circumstances, having left a number of illustrious visitors at «phJ,m*er' coa,P'y with the request of the promoters of their th« nul. Many years had elapsed since he had had looked umee,'ng benjamin oo a platfoim, but he couraginir th. reJ?lced to see Sir Benjamin Hall again en full weight of^aMilfl of his eloqueoce, and the which he does, be roust"^ .Ch' holdiDK ,h« high poaition noble objects Ha hnn»,t command in the pursuit of »itb McCu. h0|>*<1 WW =."J tb. vote of itiaok. The Rev. M. Thomas rose to second the resolution, and it wait carried upstanding, with enthusialtic cheering. the* he c°ol,i no' bonnur tbey had done him. He «s«a^ J u ,'ian'ts *or only been a satisfactory b™, ,n"Vv dI S-'? ,h,sLh'd 001 faction which every man must fall I i!L salts- aid he had it in his powe? tore^dlr-]'60, .kne ,lwl the H. > th.. b. might „.k. Vh'SIT. marks made by the preceding speakers; and, firstly be would notice an observatton of regret, that so few of the influ'enuaTLn tlemen of the neighbourhood were present. He had known many instances where institutions having been started, and onlv one 0r two had at first given their patronage to it, that others had after- wards stepped forwatd to support it, and he felt confident that such would be the case in the present instance. (Loud cheers.) During the time that tb. other speakers had been addressing the meeting, be had looked over the list of subscribers to the Britiah and Foreign School Society, and he found there the repieseota- ttves of nearly every class and every party in the kiogdom and he thought it would not be inappropriate if he were to name a few. First on the list there was her Majesty the Queen, as the representative of the church there was the Bishop of Durham he also pereeived the same of one of the greatest men of the age. Ibrahim Pasha also Sir Isaac Goldsmith, as representing the body of Friends there was Joaeph John Gurney, Esq. as repre- sentative of the Caiholic body, the Ambassador of France; and amongst the Dissenters they had Messrs. Mark Phillips and Shirdley. He felt sure that when the public saw how this insti- tution was carried on. when they look into the principles by which it is governed, and also at the object they had in view-nlmely. the education of the pooer clallea-that they would acknowledge its value, and give it their support. (Hear, hear.) One of the great ends in view was to bring the members ot different persuas- ions (religious and political) together in childhood, in order that animosities of feeling might be prevented, and a greater spirit of love to each other be acquired, while the mind is best capable of receiving good impressions. (Cheers.) The chairman referred to the angry spirit now existing in Ireland between Catholics and Protestants, and said! it had ever been hi. object to support those measures which would prevent and allay tblt jealou^f each other; and be wal certain that if, in this country, this principle were more tended to, to open the mind. of the people, by a more extended and liberal education, this country would assume a higher position then it holds even at present. (Loud cheers.) PI' T" u ad *lladed 10 the f'ct of *ie being the first time he had met him on a platform in Abergavenny, at a meeting for the promotton of education. He could not think that his presence could be of much importance to the interests of the.. inst tuuon; he was sure after the talent displayed by the rev. f»nii«mea w° them, and the eloqueoce of the g man who had just aat down, that it was quite unnecessary 'f for their meetings out of Abergavenny, but u'i. u ,D' 'utu,e pariod coosider that his presence wou d be beneficial, he should be most happy again to fulfil the ff'^fk- chair, or, another gentleman doing so, it would a ord htm equal pleasure to occupy a less prominent situation on the platform. (Continued cheers.) Looking at the great ad. vantages that were likely to accrue from their institution, he thought that if they had left a wider field for contributions in- stead of confining it to the town, it would have been desirable, for as the neighbourhood at large would experience the benefits accruing from the school, be was sure they would have no objec- tion te support it. (Cheera.) For his own part, be should be PAUtJd0wn name on tbe list of subscribers, wnnlrf' now» •* vessel was fairly launched, it would meet with a prosperoUI voyages he wished it every success, and hoped that this time next vear they would be able to lay a fhe iofLCrT before the public. He was glad to see so many of nart in *L h« was sure if they took sn active fChoo "PP?rt,n8 'heir mstitutinn, it must necessarily succeed, and t depended the well-being of the community, f .le future hopes of the nation, and it was because of their in care, that they were looked upon with such warm feel- gs of regard. (Cheers.) He would again thank them for the honour done him, and, as far as he was concerned, he would go and in hand with them in promoting the object of the institu- The President sat down amid long continued and enthusiastic MtMring and the meeting was dissolved. :d .jt.lil;'