Education : its principles and practice / as developed by George Combe ; collated and edited by William Jolly.

  • Combe, George, 1788-1858.
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Education : its principles and practice / as developed by George Combe ; collated and edited by William Jolly. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    28/860
    system based on Non-sectarian principles, and conducted by Government. To promote these views, he published a pamphlet in 1846, which speedily ran through five editions, Kemarks on National Education, being an Inquiry into the Eight and Duty of Government to Educate the People. From this time, the advocates of Secular education began to move more energetically and publicly in favour of their views, by meetings and publications. In 1851, they initiated a very vigorous agitation all over the country. A large public meet- ing was held in Edinburgh that year, at which these subjects were explained and advocated by George Combe and Mr Simpson, and favourable resolutions unanimously carried. Similar meetings were afterwards addressed by them, and similar resolutions adopted, in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Paisley, Manchester, and again in Edinburgh, and elsewhere. Eeports of these meetings appeared in the papers of the day, and were published as pamphlets, which were extensively circu- lated. In pursuance of the same object, George Combe delivered a lecture, the same year, on The Comparative Influence of the Natural Sciences and the Shorter Catechism on the Civilization of Scotland, which roused great opposition and called forth numerous replies. Meetings were held, at the same time, by other advocates of these views in different parts of the country, and the cause of National Unsectarian educa- tion under Government made rapid progress.1 George Combe's last public speech was made in behalf of education at an enthusiastic demonstration of the National Public School Association, in Manchester, in December 18&1, when Cobden and Milner Gibson also spoke; an occasion which inspired the old man with the brightest hopes of ulti- mate, if not speedy, victory.2 Towards the end of his life, his health became more or less very infirm. But, although unable to maintain his more active exertions in connection with education, he con- tinued writing on the subject up to the year of his death. 1 See a history of the Secular Education movement, p. 201, etscq., and p. 586; also in George Combe's Life, by Charles Gibbon, vol. u. 2 See his Life, by Charles Gibbon, vol. u. p. 296.