-7
y. 3,
Spemue/i-: oc Fonoti/js.
Ci îi
MINYUN.
. Je SpeliiJ Référai iz not a mer litereri free, de liwimzi ov a student, de fansi ov a
ïonetijan, az we must m qariti supoz doz tm tipc hui merli advqns litereri arguments
m opozij un tm it, er hui qr so mconsideret az trn lqf at it xtrjt. ‘ It iz fqr mor moral
dan litereri. We proelam in el plasez dat Se Speliy Beférm iz instituted tm mao de
edi[cafun ov de pmr pjosib l, b{ renderiy de qrt ov vedhj plezant, and ezi tm acwjr We
proelam de fact, dat wun terd ov xr popqlajun canot red ; and we mae wer agénst dis
ignorans, lq remmvip de fatal obstac’l hwiq liaz liidertm stemd de strem ov nafunal
edqcajun. J
i rom de ofijal statment ov de statistics ov crjm in 1840, we find dat xt ov 10 000
cnnnnodz m Ipgland and Walz, 3332 qr unab’l tui red and rjt ; dis egzdctli acérdz wid
fr aser/un dat wun terd ov de popqlajun canot red and rjt, levip de infants, hui canot
be cnmmaiz, tui cxnterbalans doz in ezi sércumstansez, hui qr not so ljcli tui comit
ci jmz. But v c fjnd de enermus proper (un ov o557 hui ved and vit i/mpevfectli • mor
dan wun hqf ! ; hwjl onli 829, er abxt wun twelft, ved and vit wel; and obzérv de lest
and most impel tant pom, onli 37 had resévd instvucjun si/peviuv tm vedin and vjtin
ivel. It iz imposib’l tui red dis statment, hwiq, publijt bj etoriti, and restin upon ofifal
documents, canot be impqnd, widxt felip, in el its fors, de ner conecjun betwén wont
Cl P 1 ' si i d 1» J ± LtXL J-LUH XCÖCVZ
edqcaj un Jud ferst acwp de qrts ov redip and rjtip, az dat a bab Jnd hav tel befor it
can masticat. i Hwj, it wil be qset, t hwj hav so fq resévd sqperiur instruefun.
L ndxtedli m a grat me^ur from wont ov scuilz, from wont ov muni, menz tin purees
cdqcajun, from snrxndip sércumstansez, and so fort. His iz trm, we wil sa, fer el doz
hin hav not yet lernt tui red and rjt at el ; but <1 hwj hav doz 829, hui hav lernt tui red
and rjt wel, not gen fürder; Shwj hav doz 5557, liui red and rjt imperfectli, not
advqnst, We belév dut de best qnser iz _ tui be fvnd in de imnéseseri dificultiz hwiq
redip and rjtip nx opoz tui de pqpilz studiz, and in de tjm hwiq iz consecwentli reewizit
for mqsterip dem. Befor redip and rjtip qr acwjrd in perfec/un, de qjld iz tac’n from
scud ; er he remänz at send just lop eniif tui lern dez tui mecanical qrts, and nutin mor.
Tac anuder fest ov de stat ov edqcajun in de cuntri. We hav menjund dat wun
manintre, and wun maman in tui, ov doz hm qr mardi, sjn de register wid mqrcs.
tie rezult ov several yerz rejistrajun Joz presjsli de sam properjunz ; so dat we ma
conclihd, in de wurdz ov de rojistrer-jeneral, dat “ de test iz wun hwiq must not be
disregqrded, and ma be fxnd a vdlqab’l and saf crjteriun ov de comparativ stat ov
edqcajun.” He properjun for 1841 woz presjsli hwot we hav stated ; fer xt ov 124 329
cup’lz dat wer mark! in dat yer, 41,812 men and 62,523 wimen eder ciad not rjt, er rot
so imperfectli, az tin atést de rejister wid mqrcs. He properjun diferd in diferent pqrts
ov Ip gland. In Béclfurdjer, fer egzqmp’l, 54 men and 68 wimen in 100 qzd mqrcs •
in terten îpglij cxntiz, in de West Bjdip ov Yercjer, and in Walz, mor dan 40 xt ov even
100 marid men did de sam ; in 19 ipglij cxntiz, mor dan hqf de wimen did not rjt dar
namz. And hwotover objecjmi ma be urjd tui dis test, we canot but agré wid de
rejistrer-jeneral, dat “it iz stil a test ov profijensi; fer it iz tui be prezqmd dat veri
I'h, if cm, hm did not ecsperiens muq dificulti in rjtip, er wer afrâd ov ecspozip dar
defijensi, wiad be unwiUp tiu rjt dar namz.” Inded, we hav herd ov meni hm sistemdt-
icali lern tm rjt dar namz, and nutip els ; so dat dis test ma perhaps tel tm fâvurabli
on de hol fer de stat ov edqcajim, instéd ov de revers, az iz so efn prezqmd.
We wij tm direct pqrticqler atenjun tm de fact, dat elmost de hol tjm hwiq a pmr
6j.lh iz rm ab 1 un besto upon scmlip iz wasted upon atémtip tm teq him tm red and rjt.
Wasted iz not tui hqrd a wurd ; fer bj fqr de grater number ov doz hm lev dez scmlz,
dm not lev dem in a condijim tm red fer demsélvz. Hoz hui onli tac up a bue tm
panfuli spel xt a pasej, rqder gesip dan redip, “ scipip a hqrd wurd ” everi nx and den,
and getip over de grxnd Ijc a spriples cqrt over froz’n ruts, et not, bj eni figqr ov speq
er streq ov imajinajun, tm be rec’nd amûp rederz. Yet ov suq iz de lop list ov doz hm
red and rjt imperfectli compozd. Fer el purpusez ov ljf da canot red at el.
Hwot we qr duiip, den, iz, properli stated, not a litereri but a moral revolqjun, and
dat, tiii, ov de most holi and pesful caracter. Bj simpli remuivip el dificulti from
lernip tin red, we Jal render it az absurd tui sa dat a qjld hm can onli red iz in eni wa
édqcated, az we Jud nx consider it trn sa dat. a qjld woz édqcated hm cud understand
hwot woz sed tin him. He hol tjm, les an insignificant fraejun, nx spent in teqip
tm red, wud hav tui be devoted tui teqip surnfip els. Instéd ov macip plxz el xr sem
daz, we Jud be plxip and soip gud sed, levip qfter-daz tui rep de prodps. H grat qan
24