“You may say what you please, sir, in disparagement of the system of enlightening the public mind; but surely you must allow that it is far better for a poor industrious mechanic to attend some lecture on a subject of science or philosophy, than to spend his evenings in drunkenness and intemperance.” “Indeed, sir, I have no wish to disparage the system of enlightening the public mind; and I am quite of your opinion, that it is much more desirable that a labouring man”---- “Operative, if you please,” said Mr Kipperson; “we have no labouring men.” “Well,” pursued Mr Primrose, “operative; the term used to be labouring or working when I was last in England: I will agree with you, sir, that it is really better that an operative should study philosophy, than that he should drink an inordinate quantity of beer. But do you find, sir, that your system does absolutely and actually produce such effects?” “Do we?” exclaimed Mr Kipperson triumphantly: “That we certainly and clearly do: it is clear to demonstration; for, since the establishment of mechanics’ institutes, the excise has fallen off very considerably. And what can that deficiency be owing to, if it be not to the fact which I have stated, that the operatives find philosophy a far more agreeable recreation after labour than drinking strong beer?” “You may be right, sir, and I have no doubt you are; but, as I have been so long out of England, it is not to be wondered at that my ideas have not been able to keep pace with the rapid strides which education has made in England during that time. I am very far from wishing to throw any objection or obstacle in the way of human improvement. You call these establishments ‘mechanics’ institutions:’ but pray, sir, do you not allow any but mechanics to enjoy the benefit of them? Now there is a very numerous class of men, and women too--for I should think that so enlightened an age would not exclude women from the acquisition of knowledge;--there is, I say, a very numerous class of men and women who have much leisure and little learning--I mean the servants of the nobility and gentry at the west end of the town. It would be charitable to instruct them also in the sciences. How pleasant it must be now for the coachman and footman, who are waiting at the door of a house for their master and mistress, at or after midnight, instead of sleeping on the carriage, or swearing and blaspheming as they too frequently do, to have a knowledge of astronomy, and study the movements of the planets. Is there no provision made for these poor people?” “Certainly there is,” said Mr Kipperson. “There are cheap publications which treat of all the arts and sciences, so that for the small charge of sixpence, a gentleman’s coachman may, in the course of a fortnight, become acquainted with all the Newtonian theory.”