GHENT.
Manufacture of machinery in Ghent--Great works of the
Phœnix--Exertions of the King of Holland to promote this branch
of art--His success--Policy of England in permitting the export
of tools--Effect of their prohibiting the export of machines
upon the continental artists--Present state of the manufactures
in Belgium--_The Phœnix_, its extent, arrangements and
productions--_The canal of Sas de Gand_--_The Beguinage_--Tristam
Shandy--The churches of Ghent--Religious animosity of the
Roman Catholics--_The cathedral of St. Bavon_--Chef-d’œuvre
of Van Eyck--Candelabra of Charles I--Carved pulpit--_Church
of St. Michael_--Vandyck’s crucifixion--The The brotherhood
of St. Ivoy--Church of St. Sauveur--Singular picture in the
church of St. Peter--Dinner at M. Grenier’s--Shooting with the
bow--Roads in Belgium--Domestic habits of the Flemings--The
Flemish language--_Count d’Hane_--Mansion of the Countess d’Hane
de Steenhausen--Gallery of M. Schamps--_The University_ of
Ghent--State of primary education in Belgium.
HAVING heard so much in England of the gigantic scale of the
establishments for the construction of machinery in Belgium, we
paid a visit this morning to the great _Phœnix Iron works_ at Ghent,
the largest in the kingdom; (indeed, I may presume, the largest in
Europe), except those of Seraing near Liege. The surprising progress
which the Belgians have, within the last few years, made in this
department, is naturally a subject of the deepest interest in this
country. Twenty years ago, the manufacturers of the Netherlands were
altogether dependant upon France and England, for everything except
the most ordinary pieces of machinery, which were used in the simplest
processes--but the refusal of Great Britain, to permit its exportation
upon any terms, naturally left them no alternative, but either to
abandon their manufactures, or to apply their own ingenuity to the
construction of machinery for themselves. To the encouragement of the
latter attempt, the King of Holland, for the fifteen years that Belgium
was under his protection, applied himself with an energy and zeal, that
is positively without parallel; patronage, personal exertions, and
pecuniary assistance, were devoted to the promotion of this important
object, with an assiduity and perseverance almost incredible; his
efforts were crowned with perfect success, and even his enemies, are
forced to admit that the singular developement which has taken place in
the resources of Belgium, in this important department, are all to be
ascribed to the untiring energy and exertions of the King of Holland.
His efforts were much facilitated by the relaxation, in the meantime,
of the policy of England, so far as to permit the free exportation of
certain machinery, and what was of infinitely greater importance, _of
the most complex and ingenious tools_ for its construction. The effects
of the latter measure, in particular, and the impetus which it has
communicated to the manufacture of machinery, not only in Belgium, but
in every other country of Europe which aspires to it, is positively
beyond calculation. It gave, at once, to our continental rivals the
very arcana of our superiority; tools that are themselves the most
beautiful and elaborate machines, performing like automatons operations
that once required all the intelligence as well as all the dexterity
of an artisan; lathes and planes that grapple with a beam of iron as
if it were green wood, and shape and polish the most ponderous shafts
with as much ease as a turner produces an ivory toy.[16] Placing these
unreservedly in the hands of the engineers of the continent, and,
at the same time, refusing to let them have the articles which they
were almost spontaneously to produce, was neither more nor less than
peremptorily withholding the fruit, but making no compliment whatever
of sending the tree.
The refusal of Great Britain to concede the whole question has, at all
times, excited an intense feeling on the continent, and the Belgians
themselves are amongst the loudest in denouncing this “jealous and
narrow-minded policy of England;” forgetful that they themselves in
1814 adopted identically the same course, and prohibited under pain of
fine and imprisonment the exit of their own machinery or artisans, such
as they were! Even now, the value of that which England conceded, is
forgotten in the importance attached to that which she still withholds,
and even the appearance of mystery connected with the prohibition
increases its importance in imagination and whets the appetite to
obtain it. A whimsical illustration of their ideas upon the subject
occurs in the work of M. Briavionne, who gravely asserts that “the
manufacturers of Lancashire, impatient to participate in the cares
of the government upon this point, have submitted to a voluntary tax
sufficient to organize a perpetual guard, which surrounds Manchester
night and day to prevent the exit of machinery.”[17]
However, it is notorious that notwithstanding these sleepless
precautions and in spite of every prohibition, machinery of every
description is at the present moment smuggled into Belgium, and every
other state that requires it--not, perhaps, in such quantities as to
serve for the fitting up of extensive factories, but so as to afford
a model of every improvement and every new invention for the instant
adoption, and imitation of the continental engineers and mechanicians.
Thus provided and thus encouraged, speculating upon capital supplied
lavishly by their government, equipped with the most valuable English
tools, inspected by English artisans, and working from English models,
the Belgians have now far outstripped all the rest of Europe in the
manufacture of machines of every description, and in all but the cost
of construction, and that beauty of finish which matured skill can
alone achieve, they at present bid fair to rival England herself in her
peculiar and hitherto undisputed domain.
The establishment of the Phœnix, is one of those which have sprung up,
thus stimulated and thus encouraged. It was originally erected by an
individual proprietor, M. Huytens Kerremans, in 1821, and attained much
of its reputation under the management of an Englishman, named Bell,
so much so, that at the period of the revolution in 1830, it employed
upwards of two hundred and twenty workmen daily. In 1836, on the death
of the proprietor, it passed into the hands of a joint stock company,
by whom it has been enlarged to more than thrice its previous extent,
at an expense of upwards of one million of francs. It is at present
conducted by Mr. Windsor, a gentleman from Leeds, and is certainly
the most admirably arranged establishment of the kind I have ever
seen--those of England not excepted.
It at present employs seven hundred hands, of whom two hundred are
apprentices, and of the remainder, between fifty and sixty English. The
range of its productions includes every species of machine used for
spinning flax, cotton, silk, or wool, as well as for other manufactures
in which machinery is required, for which there is a brisk demand
at present, not only in Belgium, but for Spain, Austria, France and
Holland. In point of finish and beauty, the spinning machinery is
certainly, as I have said, inferior to the English, it is also stated
to be defective in other respects, but those proprietors of mills who
are using it, made no complaints to me upon the subject, and seemed
perfectly satisfied with its execution. Some of the heavier articles
in process of construction, especially a spiral roving-frame which
some English workmen were completing, seemed, in every respect both of
finish and action, to be quite equal to those made at Manchester and
Leeds.
The establishment contains a preparatory workshop on a comprehensive
scale, fitted up with small tools and machinery, and superintended by
two competent directors, solely for the instruction of apprentices,
and its success we were told had been most gratifying. The Englishmen
employed at the Phœnix receive higher wages than the Flemings, but the
majority of them are only retained till their original engagements
shall have been completed, when their services will be dispensed with,
and their places supplied by native workmen, at wages not exceeding
twenty francs per week, and fully competent to undertake their duties.
One important feature in this immense manufactory is, that it is
gradually succeeding in making its own tools, instead of importing
them as heretofore from England. The majority of those in use had been
already constructed upon the spot upon English models, and at the
moment we called, a planing machine, twenty feet long, was in process
of erection, together with drills, sliding lathes, dividing and filing
apparatus, and in short, every description of tool in use in Great
Britain. In this respect, the directors assured me of their confidence
of being, for the future, perfectly independent of any supply from
abroad--but I should add, that afterwards at the rival establishment
at Seraing, where all the tools are imported from England, I was told
that those made at the Phœnix were not only much more expensive, but of
inferior quality.
The works were in full employment at the period of our visit, from
the fact of there being three flax spinning mills in course of
construction in Ghent; but it remains to be seen whether its present
vigorous prosperity is the result of a permanent cause, and whether the
career of Belgian manufactures, and the demand created in consequence,
will be such as to maintain in remunerative operation this splendid
establishment, as well as that of Seraing and the minor works of the
same kind at Brussels, Verviers, Namur, Charleroi and elsewhere.
In the neighbourhood of the Phœnix, we passed the great basin of the
Sas de Gand Canal, which by connecting Ghent with Terneuse at the
mouth of the Scheldt, has effectually rendered it a sea-port in the
heart of Belgium. This bold idea was originally conceived by Napoleon,
but carried into effect, and the basin completed, by the King of
Holland only two years before he was driven from the country by the
revolution. As the embouchure of the canal, however, is situated
in Zeeland, a province of the Dutch dominions, its navigation was
effectually closed from 1830 to 1839, when the treaty was ratified,
which finally determined the limits of the two States. During those
nine years, the magnificent dock at Ghent, and the line of the canal
itself, were stagnant, and the passage rapidly filling up with sand and
silt, another of the many inconveniences entailed upon the merchants of
Belgium by “the repeal of the union.” It is at last, however, opened
to the trade, and when we saw it, contained a number of vessels, some
discharging cotton, and one taking in cargo for the Havanna. During the
few months that had elapsed from its opening in October, 1839, upwards
of one hundred and twenty vessels had entered and departed by it from
Ghent, for Holland, and the Hanse Towns, London, the Mediterranean, and
the United States.
On our return we drove to the _Beguinage_, a little enclosed district,
appropriated as the residence of an ancient community of nuns, who take
no vow, but on contributing to the general funds of the community,
are admitted into the sisterhood, and devote their lives to works of
charity and benevolence, especially to attendance on the sick and poor.
They are each clad in the costume of the order. For a head-dress, they
carry the _beguine_, a veil of white muslin, folded square, and laid
flat upon the top of the head, whence they derive their name, with a
black silk hood, termed a _faille_, said to have been anciently worn
by the ladies of Flanders, and closely resembling, both in name and
appearance, the _faldetta_ of the Maltese. This interesting society
contains between seven and eight hundred members, and occupies not
a detached building, as elsewhere, but a little retired section of
the city, surrounded by a fosse, and enclosed by a wall, at the gate
of which, one of the sisterhood acts as porter. The whole is divided
into streets, consisting of rows of quaint looking little houses, of
venerable brick-work, with Dutch gables and cut stone windows, each
door inscribed with the name of a particular saint, Agatha, Catherine,
or Theresa, instead of that of its occupant. In the centre is a
spacious square, with an old Spanish looking church, rather richly
ornamented, and containing a few curious paintings and carvings in
oak. The order is of very high antiquity, dating some twelve hundred
years ago, and the present establishment was founded in the thirteenth
century.
When the convents of the Low Countries were reduced in number by the
Austrian government under Joseph II, he made a special exemption in
favour of the Beguines, they were equally recognized and protected,
when the French directory completed the suppression of the remaining
religious houses of Belgium, and the King of Holland following the
same example, confirmed them, in the possession of their privileges
and property, by a charter granted in 1826 or 1827. A number of the
sisters occupy a portion of their time in making lace; their dwellings,
streets and gardens, are preserved with a “beauty of cleanliness”
truly delightful. Every thing we could see or learn of their inmates
was characterized by gentleness and goodness, and their active
benevolence, (in spite of my uncle Toby’s insinuation,) the dictate of
their heart, and not of their profession.[18] In the whole aspect of
their dwelling, there was nothing of the
“Relentless walls, whose darksome round contains,
Repentant sighs and voluntary pains.”
But a cheerful serenity, and an enlivening interest, very different
from the ideas usually associated with the gloom of a convent.
The churches of Ghent in which, as usual, the grand objects of
curiosity and vertu are amassed and exhibited, are in point of
number, richness, and sombre beauty, quite proportionate to the other
attractions of Ghent. They are all, (with one exception, that of
St. Peter’s, which is a copy of the one at Rome,) built in the same
venerable and massive style of gothic architecture, with huge square
turrets, lofty aisles, rich altars, pulpits of carved oak and marble,
and chapels decorated with paintings by the old masters of the Flemish
School. The population is almost exclusively Roman Catholic, hardly
2000 of its 95,000 inhabitants being of the reformed religion. For the
use of the latter, a church was appropriated by the King of Holland,
in 1817, which had once been attached to a convent of Capuchins, and
on their suppression, had been converted into a military magazine
and hospital by the French. Such, however, was the animosity of the
priesthood to this act of toleration on the part of the King, that it
was for some time necessary to station a guard, both within the church
and without, to protect those who frequented it from violence or
insult. And yet Ghent has the reputation of being the least intolerant
and bigoted city in the Netherlands.
The cathedral of St. Bavon, besides being the oldest, is by far
the most magnificent in Ghent, and seems, in fact, to have a high
reputation for its splendour, as we repeatedly heard of it at
subsequent points of our tour. The whole of the basement is occupied
by one vast crypt or _souterrain_, the low vaulted arches of which,
rest on the shafts of the huge columns which support the roof of the
grand edifice above. Like it, it is divided into a series of little
gloomy chapels, containing the tombs of some of the ancient families
of distinction, and occasionally decorated by pictures and statues of
extreme antiquity. The brothers John and Hubert Van Eyck, the painters
and their sister, who was likewise an artist, sleep in one grave under
the floor of this melancholy vault. Over the grand entrance to the
cathedral is a curious old statue of St. Bavon holding a hawk upon his
wrist, a curious attitude, though characteristic of the manners of the
times. The coup-d’œil of the interior is surprisingly grand, the choir
being separated from the nave and aisles by lofty columns of variegated
marbles, and the entrance to each of the four and twenty chapels which
surround the church, covered by a screen of neat design, sometimes in
carved oak or stone, but more frequently in gilded brass or iron of
exquisite workmanship.
The numerous paintings with which the church is covered are few of them
of extraordinary merit, they are chiefly by the artists, contemporary
and subsequent to Rubens, Crayer, Otto Vennius, Honthorst, Serghers
and others. The most remarkable painting is that of the Saint Agneau
or adoration of the lamb by the Van Eycks. It is in marvellous
preservation, and is one of the most valuable specimens remaining of
the school to which it belongs. It contains a profusion of figures,
finished with the richness and delicacy of a miniature, and represents
the lamb upon an altar, in the midst of a rich landscape, surrounded
by angels, and worshipped by multitudes of popes, emperors, monks and
nuns. It is surmounted and surrounded by a number of compartments,
containing pictures of the Saviour and the Virgin, and representing
divers incidents in the life of the former; in addition to these,
there were originally six doors or _volets_ to the picture, which, by
some ignorance of the persons in charge of them, were actually sold in
1816 for a mere trifle to an Englishman called Solly, from whom they
were bought by the King of Prussia, for 400,000 francs, and they now
decorate the museum at Berlin. There is also a picture by Rubens, of
St. Bavon retiring to a monastery, after having distributed his goods
to the poor, which was carried by Napoleon to Paris, and restored in
1819.
The choir, which is finished with carved mahogany, has on either
side, at the entrance, two statues of St. Peter and St. Paul casting
the viper from his hand, by Van Poucke, a modern Flemish sculptor,
who died at Rome in 1809. Among its other ornaments are four lofty
candelabra of polished copper, once the property of Charles I of
England, and sold along with the other decorations of the chapel at
Whitehall by order of the Commonwealth. Round the altar are also some
tombs of the former prelates of Ghent, amongst which, that by Duquesnoy
of the Bishop Triest, is regarded as the finest piece of sculpture in
the Netherlands. The mitred dignitaries each repose upon his sculptured
sarcophagus, or kneel with clasped and upraised hands:
“Seeming to say the prayer when dead,
That living they had never said.”
Here, again, the pulpit is an extraordinary production in carved
wood of huge dimensions, but with white marble ornaments and figures
injudiciously intermingled with the rich old oak. The principal
figures are statues of Truth awakening Time, and presenting to him
the scriptures with the motto, “_surge qui dormis illuminabit te
Christus!_” This pulpit, which is far inferior to those at Antwerp and
elsewhere, is not by Verbruggen, who is the Canova of wood, but by an
artist of Ghent, called Laurence Delvaux, who died about 1780.
The other churches present a succession of objects which is almost as
tiresome to visit as it is tedious to enumerate. That of St. Michael,
in extent and magnificence, is second only to the cathedral. Amongst a
host of ordinary paintings, and some by modern artists, especially one
of great merit, by Paelinck, a native of Ghent, it possesses a chef
d’œuvre of Vandyk, a “Crucifixion,” in which he has introduced the
same magnificent horse as in his picture of Charles V, in the Sal di
Baroccio, at Florence. Sir Joshua Reynolds calls it “one of his noblest
works.” It had been injured by repeated cleanings, but M. Voisin, the
historian of Ghent, observes with much naïveté, “qu’il vient d’être
restauré par un artiste habile.” Who he may be who has ventured to
restore a chef-d’œuvre of Vandyck, M. Voisin discreetly forbears to
name.
An association, called the Brotherhood of St. Ivoy, formerly met in
this church, which was composed of the most distinguished members of
the bar, who gave advice to the poor, and bore the expense of any
legal process which it might be necessary to institute for them out
of a common fund. This law hospital has not, however, survived the
revolution of 1830. The music and choir of St. Michael’s are remarkably
fine, the organ is of extraordinary richness and volume, and nothing
could possibly be more sublime than its melodious tones resounding
amidst the “dim religious light” of the old gothic church, when
“Through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault,
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise.”
In the church of St. Sauveur, Rue des Prêtres, there is a painting
of the “Descent from the Cross,” by Van Hanslaere, one of the most
distinguished living artists of Belgium, and in that of St. Peter, a
copy by Van Thulden, from Rubens’ picture of the Triumph of Truth over
Luther and Calvin, who are represented in the agonies of annihilation,
trampled underfoot by the rampant followers of Truth, who are pursuing
their disciples in all directions. In the foreground, a lion is
introduced allegorically, pawing a wolf whom he has just strangled,
emblematic, no doubt, of the fall of heresy under the hands of the
church.
We drove to the village of Gavre, about ten miles from Ghent, to dine
at the villa of M. Grenier, a very splendid house recently erected upon
one of the very few elevated points, for it cannot be called a hill,
which are to be found in Flanders, and which, from the vast level plain
over which it rises, commands a most enchanting view; the ancient town
of Audenarde lying immediately in front, and the “lazy Scheldt” winding
its devious way amidst innumerable hamlets, woods and villages as far
as the eye could reach.
It was at Gavre, that the Duke of Marlborough encamped on his triumphal
march from Ramillies, where, after taking all the intervening cities
and strong-holds of Flanders, together with Audenarde and Ghent,
almost in the space of a week, he addresses thence to the Duchess the
remarkable letter, in which he says, “so many towns have submitted
since the battle, that it really looks more like a dream than truth,”
and in another place, he says, “I am so persuaded that this campaign
will give us a good peace, that I beg of you to do all you can that our
house at Woodstock may be carried up as much as possible, that I may
have a prospect of living in it.”
It was the fête of some saint in the villages through which we drove,
and every country inn seemed full of enjoyment; tents filled with
dancers, and parties engaged in athletic games before the doors. In
one place a considerable crowd were assembled round the maypole to
shoot with the bow at the popinjay. This is a favourite exercise of
the Flemings, who are exceedingly expert in it, the company which
we passed, was composed indifferently of the gentry and peasants,
who seemed to enter into it with equal spirit. At Ghent, there is an
association for the purpose of practising the use of the bow, called
the Confrères de Saint George, a relic of the time when every district
of Flanders had a similar society, all which used to meet at Ghent to
contend for the prize, and the successful town caused a mass to be
celebrated in honour of the victor, and gave to the poor the scarlet
cloaks, laced with gold, which had been worn as the costume of the day.
The roads through this part of Belgium are made like those of France,
with a raised pavé in the centre only, a custom enforced, in a great
part, by the great expense of bringing stones from a distance for their
construction, scarcely any being to be found in Flanders or the west.
The bye-roads being all across sand, unconsolidated in any way, are all
but impassable.
The Belgian hour for dinner is equally early with that of the
tables-d’hôte, being from two to three or four o’clock, and as there
is no prolonged sitting for wine afterwards, the entertainment ends
before we in England think of dressing for dinner. The cuisine at
M. Grenier’s was altogether French, including, however, some dishes
peculiarly Flemish, amongst others, the large smoked ham, which is an
invariable accompaniment at every table throughout Belgium, and seems
to be in as high estimation now, as when Rome was supplied with them
by the ancient Menapii of the Ardennes; it comes to table decorated by
a chased silver handle screwed on to the shank bone, to avoid using
the fork in carving it. Another national dish was the _hareng frais_,
herring pickled like anchovies, and used like them without further
cooking: it is, however, equally common in Holland, where the fishery
is of high importance--in Belgium it is rapidly declining.
The style of everything in M. Grenier’s establishment, and in those of
the same rank where we had the honour to visit, was essentially French,
his family having been educated in Paris, and the conversation was
of course in French, although every one at table seemed to understand
English perfectly. Flemish is spoken only by the peasantry and the
working classes. The account given of it as a dialect was, that “Dutch
is bad German, and Flemish bad Dutch.” It is, however, by no means
inharmonious, and in point of antiquity, I was told by Count d’Hane,
that the earliest printed comedy in Europe still exists in Flemish. A
stroll in the grounds after dinner, and music and singing on our return
to the drawing-room concluded an exceedingly agreeable evening, and we
returned early to Ghent.
10 September, 1840.
We had, this morning, a visit from Count d’Hane, a member of the
“senate,” the elective House of Peers for Belgium, to which he is
returned for the district of Alost. The Count is a younger brother of
the most distinguished family of Ghent, and head of the educational
section of the legislature, besides being an ardent amateur of
agriculture. He is married to the only daughter of M. de Potter (not
the de Potter of the Revolution, however) and in conformity to the
Flemish usage, has appended the name of that family to his own. We
drove along with him to the house of his mother, the Dowager Countess
d’Hane de Steenhausen, in the Rue des Champs, the most splendid
mansion in the city, built in the style of Louis XIV, and containing a
collection of choice pictures of the Dutch school. The dining-room is a
superb saloon with mirrored walls, an inlaid parquet and richly painted
ceiling: the latter, however, is torn down in many places, the soldiers
of the French revolutionary army having thrust their sabres through it
in 1794, in the hope of finding gold concealed between it and the floor
above, an outrage, the traces of which the owners have never removed.
It was in these apartments that the late Count received the Emperor
Alexander on his return from England after the Peace of Paris, and the
same suite of rooms were subsequently the residence of Louis XVIII,
who fled hither during the Hundred Days, and remained till the events
of 1815, restored him to his throne.
A few doors distant in the same street, we visited the gallery of M.
Schamps which had long been regarded as one of the lions of Ghent. It
has since been dispersed and sold. When we saw it, it was numbered and
catalogued, and the rooms filled with dealers from all parts of Europe,
inspecting their intended purchases previous to the auction, which was
to take place a few days after. The gentleman by whom it was originally
collected is but recently dead, and its dispersion now was attributed,
we were told, partly to impatience of the present proprietor, at having
his retirement perpetually invaded by travellers to see his pictures,
and partly by the operation of the law against primogeniture, which
rendered its sale indispensable, in order to a more equal partition of
the family estates.
Count d’Hane did us the favour to conduct us over the buildings of the
University, one of the many valuable institutions for which Belgium
is indebted to the munificence of the King of Holland. It was founded
by him in 1816, and thrown open for the reception of students in 1826;
an inscription upon the portico records the event, _Auspice Gulielmo
I. Acad. Conditore, posuit, S. P. Q. G._ DCCCXXVI. the initials in the
usual magniloquence of the low countries, represent the Senatus Populus
Que Gandavensis!
The buildings from a design of Roelandt, an artist of Nieuport, are
in a style of chaste Corinthian architecture, the portico ornamented
with sculpture in alto relievo, the vestibule superbly flagged in a
mosaic of colored marbles, and the hall and staircase ornamented with
busts and caryatides in white marble. The theatres are on a magnificent
scale, richly furnished and lighted by lofty lanterns in the vaults
of the roof. The course of education, besides most extensive primary
schools, comprises the faculties of law, medicine and divinity, with
science and belles-lettres, and the number of students is between 300
and 400 attending the classes of thirty professors. There is attached
to the University a library of sixty thousand volumes, a collection of
philosophical apparatus of great value, and museums of antiquities,
natural history, mineralogy and comparative anatomy, and the whole
institution having been recently remodelled and placed under the care
of a vigilant and anxious committee, it promises to be one of the most
important and beneficial foundations in the kingdom.
The entire system of primary education, however, is in anything but a
satisfactory position in Belgium. Under the regence of Holland, the
Dutch system of rational education was imparted to Belgium. Schools
were established in every district, under the superintendance of
provincial committees, instruction was supplied gratuitously, and the
children of the poor were required to avail themselves of it, whilst
to secure its efficiency, no teacher was allowed to be employed who
had not undergone a thorough examination, and been furnished with a
diploma of competency.
This feature of the government was from the first vehemently opposed
by the Belgian clergy, who saw in it an encroachment upon the right
claimed by the Catholic Church to regulate the quantity as well as the
quality of national education, and when in 1830, they succeeded in
effecting the “repeal of the Union,” between the two countries, the
entire system was abolished at one fell swoop.[19]
Education, like every thing else, was declared to be free, and the new
government did away with all official supervision of schools, and the
necessity for any enquiry into the competency of teachers. The result
of this has been, that although the number of schools has not been
diminished, the nature of the instruction and the qualification of the
teacher, is of so very low a description, as to be thus characterised
in a modern work upon the subject, by M. Ducpétiaux,[20] himself, a
distinguished Belgian, and intimately acquainted with the subject.
“Instruction in our schools is generally faulty and incomplete, and
little merits the praise which has been bestowed upon it. _The best
thing that can be said in its favour is, that it is better than no
instruction at all_, and that it is more satisfactory to see children
sitting on the benches of a school, even although they be doing nothing
to the purpose, than to behold them working mischief on the streets.
They are taught to read, write, and figure a little; _to teach them
less is scarcely possible_. We speak here of primary schools in
general, and affirm that those who attribute a moralising influence to
the majority of these schools, deceive themselves in a manner the most
strange and prejudicial to the interest of the class whose children
are the pupils in these seminaries. A degree of instruction so limited,
so meagre, is nearly equivalent to none whatever; and it is impossible
that things should be in a better case, seeing that the education of
the _teachers_ themselves is of the most imperfect kind. Barely do
these persons know the little which they undertake to impart, and they
have, generally speaking, the most superficial notions of those methods
of instilling knowledge, which they impudently attempt to apply in the
case of those only a little more ignorant than themselves.”
The experiment of education on both systems has now had an ample trial
in Belgium; first in fifteen years of government protection, and
now in ten years of “free trade.” The result has been a convincing
failure, and those most clamorous for the latter system in 1830, are
now the most urgent in their demands to revert to the former. The
provincial deputations, in their reports, recommend the same course,
and the legislature have so far subscribed to their views, as to
propose a projet de loi for carrying them into effect, by restoring a
modification of the system, as before the revolution.
We dined with Count d’Hane at three o’clock in the afternoon, and as
usual, the party broke up between seven and eight o’clock.
NOTE.--As the comparative cost of machinery in Belgium, and in
England, is a matter of much interest at the present moment, a
list of the prices of that manufactured at Ghent, with the English
charges for the same articles, contrasted with each item, will be
found in the Appendix No. I.