The other charitable seminary, that for boys, and which in fact is our proper Lancasterian school, is of much later origin than the preceding. Of its rise and progress the following brief account, we doubt not, will be found pretty accurate—
“It is remarkable that in so large a town as this, there was no public charity school for boys prior to the year 1808. Complaints were loud and universal of the number of idle and disorderly boys, who were rioting in our streets, and sometimes committing great depredations upon the property of individuals. But the very magnitude of the evil seemed to discourage all endeavours to remove it. The expense of educating so large a number upon the old plan of instruction, which required one master to every 30 or 40 boys, precluded all hope of raising an adequate contribution from the public; and no effect could not be expected from a private person commensurate to the existing evil, of so large a portion of the population being destitute of all moral or religious instruction. But the rise of the new system of education, by which one master can teach almost any number of boys that one room can hold, soon attracted the attention of those who felt for the rising generation: and as this improved system was then practised only by Mr. Joseph Lancaster, in London, an application was made to him for a master. Upon which he kindly offered to come down, and gave a public lecture at the assembly room upon the subject, February 8. 1808. Several resolutions for the establishment of a school in this place, by his assistance, were immediately agreed upon; a committee of 15 subscribers for the management of the institution, were afterwards nominated; the Corporation granted the use of a building well adapted for the purpose, and on Wednesday, May 11. in the same year, the school was opened for 230 boys. [1146a]—The success and the utility of this institution have fully answered every reasonable expectation which could be formed respecting it.—The annual subscriptions for the present year amount to 111l. 6s.”
Besides these schools, which are under the direction of the clergymen of the establishment, there are here two sunday schools under the direction of the dissenters. The chief of these, and of the longest standing, is under the care of the revd. I. Allen, and kept at his meeting house, in Broad Street; but it is supported by the subscriptions of persons of different denominations, churchmen as well as dissenters. [1146b] It has existed some years, and is deemed a very useful institution. The other is of more recent origin, and at present on a much smaller scale, and is kept at the Baptist meeting house. It is only for boys; whereas Mr. Allen’s is for both boys and girls, but chiefly the latter. In his last annual account, if we are not mistaken, Mr. A. has represented both these schools as only one school, making the whole number of scholars 249—143 girls, and 109 boys. Of the latter about 60, as we are told, belong to the Baptist Sunday School. These institutions, it is to be hoped, will long prove very useful to the town.—But we must not omit here to mention that the Lynn Sunday Schools originated with the Methodists about 25 years ago. The school which they then established was carried on with much spirit, and to very good purpose for several years; but was at last given up in favour of an extensive day-school, which was then planned, and which it was supposed would render the other unnecessary. But either that day-school was not established, or it did not succeed; so that the Methodists were too hasty in discontinuing their school, which if we rightly recollect, consisted of about 200 children. [1147]
From the foregoing account the reader may form some idea of the present state of education in this town. The Lancasterian schools have answered the most sanguine expectations of their patrons and promoters, and especially the boy-school, which has hitherto given abundant satisfaction, and has greatly conduced to the credit both of the managers and the teacher. The dispute which has agitated other parts of the kingdom as to the respective merits of Bell and Lancaster, will, it is to be hoped, not materially affect this town. For though the Church Catechism is taught here, which the present writer thinks in part very absurd; yet if the young pupils think at all as they grow up, and advert to the new testament, that absurdity will not long have any very strong hold upon their minds, or remain a great while unperceived. As they will be enabled to read the scriptures, if they will take the trouble of searching them, and judge for themselves, they may be soon very capable to determine how far the Church Catechism and the Common prayer book are to be deemed necessary appendages to the inspired writings.
As to our schools of the better sort, or of the higher order, we judge that they are as well conducted as those of the like description in most other places. Some indeed have found fault, especially with those for female education, for what may be called too much uniformity, or not varying more the course of instruction, and adapting it to the ranks, circumstances, or prospects of the respective pupils. Hence the tradesman’s and petty farmer’s daughters are taught music, drawing, and other genteel accomplishments, in common with those of the squire, the merchant, and opulent farmer, who are expected and designed to move in a much higher sphere. In giving the former the education of fine ladies they are supposed to be unfitted for that station in life in which they are likely to be placed, by having their minds filled with such high notions as can but very ill accord with their probable future destiny. This therefore has been deemed contrary to the dictates of reason, and every just rule of prudence and propriety. But however absurd this may be, the blame seems not imputable to the governesses of these seminaries, but rather to the parents or guardians of those pupils. Nor would it be very safe perhaps for our governesses to remonstrate with these, or even so much as hint on the absurdity or impropriety of such an indiscriminate and preposterous course of instruction, as it would be taken as a reflection on their superior wisdom, or their competency to dictate the proper line of pupilage for their young relatives. But it is not intended here to insinuate that the circumstance in question is peculiar to our Lynn Boarding-schools: on the contrary, the same is supposed to be very much the case in many, if not in most other places. If however it be so improper as many have supposed, it would no doubt, be very desirable to have it discontinued. But the world is not very likely soon to agree to discontinue all improper practices.
☞ Here before he begins another section, or proceeds any further, the author begs leave to apprize the reader of an error he has committed at page [1134], in suggesting that Framingham endowed 11 out of the 12 dwellings in the Broad street Almshouse. He has understood since that he endowed but ten, and that the eleventh was endowed by Ald. Goodwyn, and the twelfth by the elder Hogg, great grand father of our present alderman of that name, and founder of that respectable mercantile family. This correction is made, as due to the memory of the said Mr. Hogg, which stands much higher, as a benefactor to the poor, than that of any of our wealthy men who survived him.—It is also due to the sacredness of historical truth, which demands as much fidelity as a statement of facts upon oath in a court of judicature.
Section VI.
Sketch of the Corporation, with cursory remarks on its power, possessions, privileges, &c.
The Corporation of Lynn was established in the reign of king John, which is not mentioned here as a circumstance redounding to its honour, or yet to its dishonour. Our corporations might be very proper and useful in those feudal and barbarous times, as a check to the despotism and tyranny of the barons and feudal lords; but in the present state of the nation their propriety and utility are very far from being obvious; seeing such places as Birmingham, Manchester, and Sheffield, appear to have done full as well, and thrived quite as much, without any chartered immunities, or such a privileged order of men, as our most famous or favoured corporations. It is not however to be expected that these dignified bodies will readily descend from their elevated situations, and place themselves by the side of their unprivileged neighbours.
The Lynn Corporation is generally considered as consisting of a Mayor, Recorder, Lord High Steward, twelve Aldermen, eighteen Common-councilmen, town Clerk, Chamberlain, two Coroners, and several inferior officers. [1150] The power, privileges, and possessions of this body are very considerable, so that their dignity and consequence seem not a little superior to those of some others of our corporate bodies in different parts of the kingdom. Their various immunities are distinctly specified in their numerous charters, which they obtained of different sovereigns, from John to Charles the second. But as it seems to be intended shortly to publish those Charters, it may be needless to say any more here about their contents. There has been a pretty general wish for some time to have these documents published in English, that the freemen might know the full meaning and extent of the oaths tendered to them in taking up their freedom, of which not one in twenty of them are supposed to have at present any adequate idea: and as there is known to exist now in the town a fair translation of them, it is hoped and expected that it will ere long be made public. In that case the dignity, power, and prerogatives of this privileged body will be sufficiently explained, and our future freemen will be enabled to discover the nature and extent of the obligation imposed upon them by their burgess oaths.