第3章

　　Thewarinvolvedapersonalelementandthechargesofplagiarismwhichgivespicetoapopularcontroversy，Allparties，andcertainlytheUtilitarians，strangelyexaggeratedthevalueofthenewmethod。Theyregardedtheproposalthatchildrenshouldbepartlytaughtbyotherchildreninsteadofbeingwhollytaughtbyadultsasakindofscientificdiscoverywhichwouldenormouslysimplifyandcheapeneducation，Believersinthe’Panopticon’sawinitanotherpatentmethodofraisingthegenerallevelofintelligence，Buttherealquestionwasbetweenchurchanddissent。Wasthechurchcatechismtobeimposedornot?

　　This，aswehaveseen，wastheoccasionofBentham’sassaultuponchurchandcatechism，ontheotherside，Bell’sclaimsweresupportedwithenthusiasmbyallthetories，andbysuchmenasSoutheyandColeridge。Southey，whohaddefendedBellintheQuarterly，12undertooktobeBell’sbiographer13andliteraryexecutor。Coleridgewassovehementinthecausethatwhenlecturingupon’RomeoandJuliet’in1811，heplungedbywayofexordiumintoanassaultuponLancaster’smodesofpunishment。14DeQuinceytestifiesthathebecameapositiveboreuponBell’svirtues。

　　In1812LancasterhadgotdeeplyintodebttothetrusteesoftheSociety，whoincludedbesidesAllen，JosephFoxa’shallow，gloomybigot’accordingtoPlace——andsomeotherQuakers。Lancasterresentedtheircontrol，andin1812madeoverhisBoroughRoadschooltothem，andsetuponeofhisownatTooting。Theycontinued，however，toemployhim，andin1813formedthemselvesintothe’BritishandForeign’SchoolSociety。PlacehadknownLancasterfrom1804，andMillhadsupportedhiminthepress。Theybothbecamemembersofthecommittee，thoughPlacetookthemostactivepart。

　　HemakesmanygravechargesagainstLancaster，whomheregardedashopelesslyflightyandimpracticable，ifnotworse。Ultimatelyin1814Lancasterresignedhisposition，andnaturallyretortedthatPlacewasaninfidel。Place，meanwhile，wasillateasewiththe’gloomybigot，’ashecallsFox。Aftermanyquarrels，Foxsucceededingettingtheupperhand，andPlacefinallywithdrewfromthecommitteein1815。

　　Twootherschemesaroseoutofthis，inwhichMillwasspeciallyinterested，butwhichbothprovedabortive。MillandPlaceresolvedin1813tostarta’WestLondonLancasterianinstitution，’whichwastoeducatethewholepopulationwestoftempleBar。TheywerejoinedbyEdwardWakefield，fatheroftheEdwardGibbonWakefieldwhoinlateryearswasknownasaneconomist，andhimselfauthorofaworkofconsiderablereputation，AnAccountofIreland，StatisticalandPolitical1812。ThethreejoinedJosephFox，andultimatelyameetingwasheldinAugust1813。SirJamesMackintoshwasinthechair。Millwrotetheaddress，andmotionswereproposedbyhisfriendJosephHumeandbyWilliamAllen。Paperswerecirculated，headed’Schoolsforall，’15andtheinstitutionwaslaunchedwithasufficiencyofapplause。Butthe’gloomybigot’wassecretary。Hedeclaredthathewouldratherseetheinstitutiondestroyedthanpermitittobeusedforinfidelpurposes。TheBiblewas，ofcourse，tobereadintheschools，butFoxwishedthattheBiblealoneshouldberead。Asthecommittee，accordingtoPlace，includedfourinfidels，threeUnitarians，sixMethodists，twoBaptists，twoRomanCatholics，andseveralmembersoftheEstablishedChurch，itwashardlyahappyfamily。Toaddtotheconfusion，SirFrancisBurdett，whohadcontributedathousandpounds，hadtakenitintohisheadthatPlacewasagovernmentspy。16TheAssociation，asishardlysurprising，ceasedtoexistin1816，afterkeepingupaschooloflessthanthreehundredchildren，andendedinhopelessfailure。TheUtilitarianshadhigherhopesfromaschemeoftheirown。ThiswastheChrestomathicschoolwhichoccasionedBentham’swriting。AnassociationwasformedinFebruary1814。Mackintosh，Brougham，Mill，Allen，Fox，andWakefieldweretobetrustees。TheschoolwastoapplyLancasterianprinciplestotheeducationofthemiddleclasses，andBenthamwastosupplythemwithaphilosophyandwithasiteinhisgarden。TheretheoldgentlemanwastoseeasmallversionofthePanopticonbuilding，and，foratime，hetookgreatdelightintheprospect。Gradually，however，itseemstohavedawneduponhimthattheremightbeinconveniencesinbeingoverlookedbyasetofevenmodelschoolboys。Thereweredifficultiesastofunds。Ricardooffered&pound；200andcollectedsubscriptionsfor&pound；900，butPlacethoughtthathemighthavebeenmoreliberal。About1817theycounteduponsubscriptionsfor&pound；2310。Allenwastreasurer，Placesecretary，andthedukesofKentandYorkwereonthecommittee。