John Fitzwygram

“ The reason why all branches of industry, except needlework, are excluded from our schools, is, I believe, simply the imagined expense and difficulty of introducing them. Few persons, I believe, would deny that it is desirable to add some knowledge of domestic economy to the usual routine of reading, writing, and arithmetic; and in my opinion, the introduction of this class of instruction will be found the only effective remedy for the serious defects,—I might almost say, the lamentable failure,—of the present system of education. ”

“ Doubtless in our ordinary schools, where little but imperfect reading, writing, and arithmetic, is taught, the parents soon think, and no wonder, that their children have gained all that they are likely to gain, and remove them; while, naturally enough, not having realized the use of music, geography, or political economy, they are not tempted to continue their children at our better schools to learn things of which they do not see the value; but the efforts they make to retain them at school, when skill in any kind of handicraft is to be picked up, are extraordinary. ”

“ And all this arises, I firmly believe, not from any fault in the teachers, who are far better educated than formerly, and have a deeper sense of their responsibility; nor does it arise from any erroneous method in imparting instruction, but simply and entirely from the children having been removed from school before the plants of knowledge had time to get firmly rooted. A child of ten years old, though able to read, will seldom do so with sufficient ease to make reading a pleasure, especially after a hard day's work. ”

“ God governs mankind by a system of rewards and punishments, and by a combination of mercy and justice. The school is a small world, and the teacher cannot do better than try and govern the children committed to his charge, on principles as far as possible analogous with those of God's moral government of the world—the teacher will thus reward or punish without partiality and without anger—with justice but with mercy, yea ever inclining, if possible, to the side of mercy, after the example of Him Whose chosen Name is Love. ”

“ For is it not right that the farmer should be better educated than the labourer, and the gentleman than the farmer? Are we not in danger of doing much mischief, if we educate highly the class of labourers, while we neglect the classes immediately above them? [2] It does seem to me to be wrong, that the whole country should be straining its energies, and the Parliamentary grants entirely applied to instruct the children of the poor, without any corresponding effort being made to enable the farmers and tradesmen to keep pace, with regard to the education of their children. ”

“ Let us go forth in a loving spirit to win souls, and then as by a side wind we shall fill our schools. As time goes on, I am the more and more convinced, that the whole tone and "animus" of a parish may be altered in a very few years by vigilant attention to the school, but I confess that I am not altogether sure, whether we are quite right in relieving the parents of so large a share of that responsibility which naturally devolve on them, or that Scripture gives us any express sanction for doing so. ”

“ The principle of introducing industrial work into girls' schools, is almost universally conceded, for there is scarcely a girls' school in the country where needlework does not form part of the ordinary instruction.
Now, on what ground, I would ask, is needlework alone of the various branches of industry to be admitted into our schools? Will the girls, when they grow up to be women, be required to do nothing but to make clothes; will not washing and cooking be as necessary as needlework? ”

“ Nothing is too great, nothing too small, to engage the attention of managers and teachers, if it can be made to minister with advantage either to the bodily or spiritual training of the children. A garden attached to a school may be considered an uncovered schoolroom, where many things are taught which are really far more important than any book-learning. An intelligent master will see more of a boy's disposition in one day by watching him at work among his companions than he could ascertain in a month in the schoolroom. ”

“ The poor have indeed a general idea that learning is a "fine thing," and usually wish their children to be scholars, but the term "scholarship" with them is used to signify merely the power to read and write. To other branches of instruction, such as history, grammar, geography, they are for the most part quite indifferent—ignorant of such things themselves, and conscious that they have done very well without such knowledge, they do not desire it for their children, nor are they disposed to make any great sacrifices to obtain it. ”

“ We want as teachers none but those who love teaching, and in my humble opinion the combined influence of earnest, hard-working clergy, and of well-educated teachers of a cheerful and loving disposition will always fill a school, provided that the education offered is of such a character, that the parents can see the benefit, which their children derive from it. ”

“ If there is some prospective danger in accepting State assistance, there seems to me to be a far more real and pressing danger in leaving large masses of people in a state of ignorance, for it is nothing but ignorance that makes them so easy a prey to the Dissenter, the Mormon, the Chartist, or the Infidel. ”

“ It is an old saying, but a very true one, that "Satan always finds some work for idle hands to do," and in a moral point of view it is really of no small importance to keep children employed both in school and out of school. But perhaps the chief benefit of a garden arises from the hard work required in cultivating it.
It is certainly desirable with all children, but more especially with labourers' children, to strengthen the body as well as the mind, and to discipline them to habits of steady persevering labour. ”

“ I am aware that at some of the institutions, especially at Whitelands, considerable attention has of late been bestowed on the subject of industrial training. Miss Coutts, with her usual well-considered benevolence, has offered prizes to those students who show the best acquaintance with domestic economy in a written examination, and good results will, no doubt, ensue. Yet I think that the students should be more accustomed actually to work in the laundry, kitchen, and bake-house, so that they may be practically acquainted with every detail connected with those branches of industry. ”

“ The usual school-hours, if entirely devoted to head-work, I believe to be much too long, and am certain that an equal amount can be learnt in a much shorter time, especially if the hours of play are devoted to some more intellectual amusements than marbles, or "pitch and toss." ”

“ The real argument for keeping children at school till thirteen or fourteen, viz., the formation of their moral character, the eliciting of intelligence, and the training them to habits of obedience and truth, order and cleanliness, is one that occurs to very few parents in this class of life. ”

“ For small country villages the cultivation of a garden seems the most natural form of Industrial work for boys, and it is certainly the easiest to carry into effect. There is indeed no practical difficulty about it, nor need there be any expense to speak of involved in making the experiment, whenever the managers can obtain a piece of land in the immediate vicinity of the school. In almost every village there is some jobbing gardener, or other suitable person, who, for a small payment, would give practical instruction to the boys two or three afternoons in the week. ”

“ It is equally true, that a house-going parson will make school-going children.
When we plead with the parents for their children's good we have a strong hold on them. In the midst of much ignorance and apathy natural affection still exists, and if carefully worked upon, will arouse the parents to an amount of self-denial, of which we should not have thought them capable. ”

“ So long as children are removed from school at ten years old, education can be little more than a name, for it is morally impossible that a child can be trained for the duties and responsibilities of a Christian life at so early an age. ”

“ The school being duly provided with books, sufficient in quantity and good in quality, the next point to be looked to is good organization, a point in which many teachers lamentably fail—as a rule the children should be divided into classes according to their proficiency in reading, but no rule is without exceptions, and to make these exceptions judiciously requires a skilful teacher. ”

“ If a few modifications were made in the existing minutes principally with a view of giving assistance to poor parishes, I do not see how Parliamentary grants can be administered in a more just, or less objectionable form; our wisdom, I believe, speaking as a minister of the Church of England, is to take all that we can get in the way of State assistance, and, while we keep in our own hands the superintendence of the religious instruction, to adapt the secular teaching to the practical wants and requirements of our respective parishes. ”

“ It is essential for the success of a school where farmers' and labourers' children are to be educated together, that cleanliness, order, and good manners should be rigidly enforced. When the schoolmistress is untidy and slovenly; where the room is stuffy and ill-ventilated, or cold and desolate—where all is disorder and dirt—such a school will inevitably fail in training girls successfully for the duties of after life, and the more respectable parents cannot be blamed for refusing to send their children. ”

“ Now, let us mark the result of children being withdrawn from school at this early age. I shall hardly express myself too strongly, if I say that it in a great measure stultifies all our efforts to ameliorate the social condition of the poor. It is acknowledged, I believe, by every one acquainted with the subject, that the great majority of the lower classes, if examined at the age of twenty-five, are found grossly ignorant of the most elementary knowledge. ”

“ It is a grave responsibility to take the parent's place even for a time and with their consent. We ought to feel it an unnatural position, and to endeavour to remedy the evil of it as far as possible by continually referring the child back to the wishes and authority of its father or mother. ”

“ Our aim must be to rear up a community of modest, laborious, trustworthy citizens, serviceable to each other, and creditable to their country; to send children forth from our schools deeply impressed with the idea, that the active and intelligent discharge of their duty, in obedience to the will of God, is the great business and purport of their lives. ”

“ Many of the clergy are already so hard pressed to maintain their schools, that it seems at first sight unreasonable to suggest the building and maintaining of an industrial school as an appendage to the existing establishments; but personally, I am persuaded, that the reason why our village schools are so costly to support, and oftentimes but half filled, is this, viz., that the education given is not such as the parents much value, nor such as the farmers will contribute to, or take any interest in. ”

“ Surely, many parishes, if once convinced of the benefit of an industrial school, might manage to raise this sum, especially as a considerable portion of it may be given in the shape of materials, such as stone, wood, tiles, sand, or lime—things which many landowners have on their estates, and would willingly give for building an industrial school, when they might not be conveniently able to give actual money. ”

“ That we are earnestly striving to train up better Christians, is gradually breaking in upon them, but in their hard and anxious struggle for a livelihood they want to feel that we are making better workmen. ... In a village school under my eye, where there happened to be a carpenter's bench, and a few tools, and where most of the elder boys had bought their half-a-crown case of mathematical instruments, some of them soon after bought the materials, and, with the aid of a zealous and ingenious master, made for themselves small but useful square drawing boards, and neat and true T squares. ”