Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 3.djvu/801

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Education.—The oldest and principal institution is the Grammar School of King Edward the Sixth, founded in 1552, out of the lands of the Guild of the Holy Gross, then of the annual value of 21, but now yielding about XI 5, 000 a year, with a prospect of large increase. The principal or high school, in New Street, was erected in 1840, in the Perpendicular period of the Gothic style, from designs by Sir Charles Barry, at a cost, including land, of 71,000. This school is divided into two departments, classical and English, and educates about 600 boys; while connected with it there are four elementary schools for boys and girls, used chiefly by the lower middle class, the number of pupils being 1500. The classical school has ten exhibitions of 50 each, tenable at Oxford or Cambridge. The next most important foundation is that of the Midland Institute, which includes a general literary department (lectures, museums, and reading-rooms), and an industrial. depart ment, with classes in science, languages, mathematics, arithmetic, history, literature, and the laws of health. There are about 600 science students, and about 1600 in the other departments. The Queen s College, originally a school of medicine, founded in 1828, obtained a royal charter in 1843 as a kind of university, with departments of literature, theology, law, science, and engineering. All these branches have now fallen into disuse, excepting medicine and theology ; in the latter the college educates candidates for the ministry of the Church of England. An important foundation is Sir Josiah Mason s Scientific College, for the endowment of which Sir Josiah has con veyed to trustees property valued at nearly 100,000, and a capacious building, estimated to cost probably 40,000, is now in erection in Edmund Street, near the Town-Hall. Among the other educational foundations may be men tioned Spring Hill College, Moseley, for the education of Congregational ministers ; four industrial schools ; a large reformatory for boys at Saltley, and one for girls at Smeth- wick. For general education there are many private schools, of a good class, for boys and girls. Elementary education is provided in the Church of England day schools, Roman Catholic schools, and Board schools. A total pro vision, in all the public elementary schools, is made for 41,791 children; there are (July 1875) 51,334 on the books, with an average attendance for the previous quarter of 37,894. The School Board, though it was elected only in 1870, has, by the provision of new schools, and the exercise of compulsory powers, more than doubled the school attendance. It has already built and opened 9 schools, with accommodation for 8800 children, at a cost, for land and buildings, of about 86,000 ; and 8 other schools are now in progress, providing accommodation for 7400 children, at an estimated cost of about 103,000 making a total expenditure of nearly 200,000, and pro vision for a total of about 16,000 children.

Libraries, &c.—The principal libraries of the town are the Birmingham Library (belonging to a body of proprietors), founded in 1798 by Dr Priestley, and containing about 40,000 volumes, and the Corporation Free Libraries, in Ratcliff Place, commenced in 1861. These consist of a central reference library and lending library (the former containing 36,000 volumes of carefully chosen books), to which is attached a central reading-room. There are also four lending libraries and news-rooms in other parts of the town, and news-rooms are about to be opened by the Corporation in connection with the Board schools. The total issue of books from the libraries for 1874 was 521,991. Included in the reference library are a special Shakespeare library, containing almost all known editions of the plays and of works illustrating them ; a library of nearly 1000 volumes, illustrating the works of Cervantes (presented by Mr W. Bragge of Sheffield); and a large and unique collection of Warwickshire books and anti quities, known as the Staunton collection. An Art Gallery and Industrial Museum is attached to the Free Libraries ; and there is at Aston Hall another museum of natural history, &c., belonging to the Corporation. Art instruc tion is provided by the Royal Society of Artists, which has classes and lectures for students, and which holds two general exhibitions annually ; and by the School of Art, which has 900 students, together with affiliated classes in schools, containing nearly 1700 students.

Miscellaneous Institutions, Parks, &c.—These include 8 banks, 4 principal clubs the Union, the Midland, the Arts, and the Conservative to which a Liberal Club is about to be added. There are 3 morning and 2 evening daily papers 4 of them Liberal and 1 Conservative and 2 weekly papers. There are 2 theatres, 2 large music-halls, and several smaller ones. Musical festivals for the benefit of the General Hospital are held triennially, and are usually marked by the production of new and important works, and by the engagement of most of the leading 