The Bishop of Londonpresented a petition from a gentleman of independent fortune, named Turner, who stated, that he had anticipated the system of vocal instruction, adopted by Mr. Hullah, and humbly prayed, not for any sum by way of compensation, but that in any future grant, which might be made for the encouragement of vocal education, regard should be had to the efficiency of the plan, rather than to the claims of any individual. He did not mean to pronounce an opinion one way or the other: but he should take this opportunity of asking two questions of the noble President of the Council, whose speech on the subject of education had, as might be expected, occasioned a considerable sensation throughout the country. There were one or two points in that speech which he was desirous that the noble Baron should have an opportunity of giving his opinions upon more precisely and closely than he appeared to have done on a former occasion. One related to his allusion to the grants made for the promotion of education in the National Society and the British and Foreign School Society. The noble Baron stated, in rather strong terms, that he should feel it his bounden duty not to make any distinction between the Members of the Church and the Dissenters on the subject of education. He did not understand the noble Lord to say, as an abstract proposition, that he saw no difference between the two, so far as education was concerned. Undoubtedly, if he understood the noble Lord in that sense, as a minister of that Church, he should have felt bound early to protest against such a conclusion, because the Church of the country was entitled to claim the instruction of the people, though it did not assert the right to teach the children of those who differed from it. It might be a question, what provision should be made for the education of those children who 570 did not belong to the Church? The whole subject of education had been discussed with considerable warmth some years ago in that House, and a mode of regulating the national schools, and those of Dissenters, was then agreed to, to which he understood the noble President of the Council, the other evening, to declare his intention of adhering. That was the sense in which he took it—the phrase " equal terms," were used, and to that he could have no objection, for he acquiesced in the original plan. He wished to know, then, whether he rightly interpreted the noble Lord's statement? The second question he wished to put, related to the instruction given at Exeter-hall. He was a subscriber to the system of vocal instruction adopted there, and he should persevere in promoting its success. But he understood, that lectures were given there also in the mechanical parts of education, and in linear drawing. Now, he confessed that the addition of other branches of education excited in him, and in others, some apprehensions, not as to which might now occur, but as to the results to which it might possibly lead, because one species of instruction might be added to the other, and a normal school being once established, without any religious instruction being provided by the Government, to retrace our steps would be impossible, and the question of religious instruction might be practically decided against it. On the information he had received, he doubted, too, whether the instruction given was really beneficial, so far as the object of the national education scheme was concerned. He was informed, that very few teachers attended the lectures he had alluded to who belonged either to the National Society, or to the British and Foreign Society. The attendants at the lectures were teachers of Sunday schools and mechanics—classes, no doubt, for whom it was very important that such instruction should be given, but who were not the parties contemplated in the original scheme for teaching masters. The question he wished to ask on this point was, whether the committee of the Privy Council, which represented the Government, had any intention of acknowledging the formation of a normal school without any religious instruction?
§ Lord Wharncliffe:The right rev. Prelate had interpreted most correctly the meaning of the expressions which he had used on a former night. All he meant to 571 say Was that he should be unfit for the office Which he occupied, if he were to favour a far different distribution of the pint for education from that acted on by his predecessor. Now, as to the classes at Exeter-hall, he must confess, that their formation seemed to be viewed with a degree of jealousy, for Which he could not account. He could not help thinking, that the object of those classes was much misunderstood. Their Lordships knew, that by recent discoveries, reading, writing, and drawing could be taught in a simpler method, end in a Much shorter time than they could be acquired hitherto. It appeared $0 those having Control over this institution, that Easters should be instructed in these improved Methods of teaching. Classes for reading, writing, arid linear drawing were firmed on the synthetical method, as it was called. They were at Mat frequented by Mine but schoolmasters, bet in a very short time it was found that mechanics Shopmen, and even those in a higher situation in life, were anxious to Obtain the Information which was afforded. When such men could not read or write, or were bad accountants; it Was not wonderful that they should adept a method of learning which afforded them such advantages, at a much cheaper ran, and in a Shorter time thin they could formerly have procured theta. But how such a practice could militate against religious education, of how it was to be inferred from its adoption that a normal school was about to be established for teaching the people every thing without religion, he could not divine.
§ Conversation at an end.