The Mysteries of London, Vol. IV — page 101: what you’re looking at

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Gh WME MYSTERICS OF LONDON, AD ATER EL TE AT SED fi GPS SC SS SE sR a RS TDR tlre * of Parliamen{ aud tho upper classes generally of being anxious to kecp the masses in a stato of igno- rance. Whore instruction is imparted gratuitously, it is entirely of a sectarian nature; just as if men required to study grammor, history, arithmotic, or astronomy on Church of England principles. The wholo lund is over-run by clergymen, who live upon the fat of it—Universitics and public schools have been richly endowed for tho purposa of propagating knowledge and oncouraging learning,—and yet the people are lamentably ignorant. It is a wicked and impudent falsehood to declare that they aro intel- loctually dull or averse to mental improvement. Common sense—that best of sense—is the special characteristic of the working classes; and those who can read aro absolutely greedy in their anxiety to procuro books, newspapers, and cheap publications for perusal. The fact is, that tho mind of the in- dustrious population is a rich soil, wherein all good seod will speedily tako root, shoot up, and bring forth fruit to perfection: but the apprehensions or narrow prejudices of the upper classes—the oligar- chy—will not permit the secd to be sown. Now as the soil must naturally produce something, cvcen of its own accord, it too often gives birth to rank weeds; and this is mado a matter cf scorn, reviling, and reproach. But the real objects of that scorn— that roviling—and that reproach, are those who obstinately and wickedly neglect to put the good soil to the full test of fertilisation.’-—All] theso observa- tions,” continued his Royal Highness, “ were as ap- plicable to Castelcicala a short time back as thcy have ever been and still are in England. But the reforms iu the Church and in the Educational Sys- tom were not the least important of those which characterised tho now ordor of things. Tho two institutions wero sepsratcd, and reudered entirely independent of each other, the Church being aban- doned coutirely to the voluntary principle, and the duty of educating the people being attached to tho State, a Minister of Public Instruction being ap- pointed, All sectarianism in educa ion is now abo- lished: the system is entircly secular. The school- masters aro appointed by the municipal corpora- tions in the various localities, and their salaries are paid by tho state. They aro all laymen; for it is now @ principle established in the Grand Dueby that paronts shall train up their children in tho creed which they may prefer. Thus Protestants, Catholics, aud Jews all receive tho blessings and benefits of the eocular oducation; no tampering with religious opinions—no proselytism being permitted. The whole scheme is on the broadest basis of liberality ; and the peoplo aro delighted with its working. As for the Church, it is ontirely separated from the State; and the order of Bishops has been sup- pressod. The Catholic religion is still that of tho grevt majority: but it is shorn of its pomp; and eccl.siastical ostentation and vain display havo ro- ccived a blow which they will never recover. Tho result is, that the Christian crecd has been restored to something resembling its primitive simplicity, and such as its Divino Wounder intonded. I havo now, my lord and gentlemen, given you a hasty, but I hope intelligible sketch of the condition of Castelci- cala at the present day ; and it only remains for me to sum up thoreforms which havo been accomplished, and which completely carry ont tho views and the theories so ably propounded by you, my dear Earl, nincteen years ago. In tho first place, thero is a Throne surrounded by Republican Institutions ; and tho hereditary principle as well as the law of pri- — mogeniture have been annililsécd—never to bo re- vived. Then, we have adopted ‘a minimum rate of vrages, to preyent the sudden fluctuation of such wages, and to compel properly to give constant em- ployiment to labour :—indirect taxes upon the neces- garics of life have been abolished ;—the laws and thoir administration are cquitably proportioned to tho relative conditions of the rich and tho poor ;—e general system of national education has been esta- blished, and intrusted to laymen, totally distiact from religious instruction and sectarian tenets ;—a complete reformation in the system of prison disci- pline has taken placo; and establishments havo been founded for the purpose of affording work {to persons upon leaving criminal gaols, as a means of their obtaining an honest livelihood and retricving their charactors prior to secking employment for thomselves ;—and the franchiso has been £0 cx- tended as to give every man who earns his own bread by tho sweat of his brow, a stake and interest in the country’s welfare.’ ” The Prince ceased speaking ; and those who had been his auditors expressed their sincerest thanks for the gratifying explanations he had given them with so much readiness and affability. Nor less were they charmed to find that a truly liberal and enlightened system of policy would stand such remarkable tests, and work so well. The quca- tion, whether tho nations of Europe aro civilised enough to recoive Republican Institutions, was com- pletcly solved, to their satisfaction; and oven Sir John Lascelles, who was somewhat fainted with the doctrines of the Old School, acknowledged him- self to bo a convert. Tho party then joined the ladies in tho drawing- room; where political subjects gave way to discouro upon less serious topics ;—and when iho company took their departure, theinmates of the lordly mansion did notsepsrato torctire to their respective chambers until they had exchanged many enthusiastic com- ments upon tho character, dispesition, talents, and b-aring of his Noyal Highness, the Prince of Montoni. CUAPTER CXXXIV. A PAINIUL SCENE. WE deemed it advisablo to break as littlo as possible, by comnicnt or extrancous explanation, tho thread of the Prince of Montoni’s discourse upon the reform that had beon introduced into the Grand Duchy of Castelcicala. We therefore refrained from giving any account of tho manner in which Charles Hat- field listened, and rece} ved—or rather, greedily drank in—the narrative of his Royal Highness. To say thatthe young man heard with enthusiasm, were to convey but a feeblo idea of his emotions as ho huvg upon every sentcnee—overy word that fell from the lips of the Earl's illustrious guests:— when, however, wo declare that even Perdita’s image fell into the back-ground of his mind, durivg the whole time that tho Prince was discoursing, our readers may form sumo notion of the nature of that impres- sion which was mado upon him. On retiring to his chamber at about ono o'clock in the morning, Charles Hatfield thought not of seek- ing his couch: but, throwing himself into an arm- chair, he gave way to the agitating—conflicting— turbulent ideas which had been excited in his suul.,- ‘Tho modesty of the Prince,” he thought, “ con- cealed the fact that nearly all the reforms which ho detailed, were suggested by himself. Oh! what would I givo to be onabled to raiso myself to eminence in —_———aeee 5} (SO) GIOOKS (SO) >