,transcribed from the #ahcf ,j4         
,fletcher edition by ,david ,price4     
,a ,,letter                             
,,of                                    
,,affectionate ,,remonstrance           
,,addressed                             
,,to ,,the ,,members                    
,,of                            ,,the   
,,established ,,church                  
,in ,norwich and in ,norfolk1           
,,and ,,occasioned ,,by                 
,,the ,,proposed ,,exclusive ,,system   
,,of                                    
,,infant ,,education4                   
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,by ,,john ,,alexander1                
,,minister ,,of ,,prince',s ,,street    
,,chapel1 ,,norwich4                    
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99        8,there are still 
some who wish to confine the element of 
water to      their own well1 and       
to find the full ripe corn only in their
 own fields4  ,with them1 ,i            
confess1 ,i have      no sympathy40     

,,samuel ,,wilderspin4                  
99 99 99 99 99                          
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,norwich3                       ,,sold 
,,by ,j4 ,,fletcher2 ,,jarrold  ,,sons2 
,,and ,,the ,,other ,,booksellers4      
#ahcf4                                  
,price ,fourpence4          ,,preface4  
,,it would have been most agreeable to  
the author of the following letter  to  
have published it anonymously2 but he   
thought that1 however  insignificant a  
writer might be1 it was more respectful 
to the parties  addressed to affix his  
name to his publication4  ,his object1  
in writing  it1 he can truly say1 has   
not been to offend1 but to convince2    
and1  though he feels deeply on the     
subject of the letter1 it would have    
been  highly unbecoming1 when addressing
 a respectable and influential body of  
persons1 to convey his remonstrance in  
any other language than that of         
affectionate fidelity and firmness4  ,he
 has never yet come forward1 on  any    

occasion1 to widen the distance which   
may exist between any  denominations of 
,christians2 and he feels1 increasingly1
 the importance  of employing his single
 talent in promoting the salvation of   
sinners1 and  the holiness and peace of 
the ,christian ,church4    ,norwich1    
,march #bhth1 #ahcf4          ,a        
,,letter4      ,,christian ,,friends1   
,,an advertisement has appeared in the  
,norwich papers of the #bfth instant1   
announcing that 8a public meeting of    
members of the ,established ,church     
will be held in the ,hall in the        
,market1 ,norwich1 on ,thursday1 #gth of
  ,april1 for the purpose of forming a  
,society to promote the extension of    
the ,infant ,school system in the       
,county and ,city40  ,it is somewhat    
remarkable that a notice of such        
importance1 and addressed to a large and
  respectable body of ,christians1      
should have been inserted in the public 
papers anonymously1 and that you should 
be called upon to assemble in  the      

,hall1 without knowing by whose         
authority such an assembly is  convened1
 and without even knowing who is to     
preside on the occasion4  ,believing1   
however1 that the advertisement does    
proceed from some  competent authority1 
and perceiving1 from the terms in which 
it is  expressed1 that all the          
inhabitants of this ,city1 except 8the  
members of  the ,established ,church10  
are prohibited from attending the       
meeting1 ,i  take the liberty1 as one of
 the excluded party1 of addressing you  
from  the press--and my object in so    
doing1 is to explain to you the         
principles  on which the ,infant schools
 in ,norwich have hitherto been         
conducted1 and  to recommend those      
principles to your adoption at the      
approaching  meeting4    ,you are       
probably aware that several friends to  
the education of children1  and         
especially to their moral and religious 
education1 have originated1  and1 for   
some years1 supported ,infant schools in

 this neighbourhood1 the  principal of  
which are to be found in ,lakenham1 in  
,crook's ,place1 and in  the parish of  
,st4 ,miles4  ,these schools have       
hitherto been conducted not  on         
sectarian1 but on catholic and          
,christian principles4  ,children of all
  classes have been admitted as         
scholars1 and1 besides imparting to them
  the elements of general knowledge1    
they have been taught1 according to     
their capacities1 the facts and         
histories recorded in the ,holy         
,scriptures1 and the great doctrines    
relative to the sinfulness of man1  and 
to the redemption which is in ,christ   
,jesus1 on which the majority of        
,christians are agreed4  ,the committees
 of these schools are composed of       
members of the ,establishment and of    
other ,christian churches1 all of  whom1
 without the slightest degree of        
jealousy1 or of difficulty1 have        
cordially united in carrying into effect
 both the intellectual and the          

religious parts of the system4  ,the    
committee of the ,lakenham school1      
though it1 as well as the other schools1
 is1 ,i believe1 chiefly supported  by  
,dissenters1 has1 ,i am informed1       
regularly invited the respected         
clergyman of the parish to attend its   
meetings2 and my connexion with the     
school in ,st4 ,miles'1 enables me to   
declare1 most confidently1 that         
repeated efforts have been made to      
induce members of the ,established      
church to afford greater help in        
directing its concerns1 as well as in   
defraying its expenses4  ,i have no     
doubt that in the other schools1        
equally liberal measures have been      
adopted4    ,the children of these      
schools composed the principal part of  
the  interesting group which filled the 
platform in ,st4 ,andrew's ,hall1 on    
,tuesday the #bbnd instant1 when the    
mode of teaching in ,infant ,schools1   
and the kind and degree of useful       
knowledge acquired in them1 were        

illustrated by the examination1 which   
,mr4 ,wilderspin conducted1 in the      
presence of perhaps two thousand        
spectators2 and the satisfaction which  
he expressed1 both publicly and         
privately1 with the manner in which the 
schools had been trained1 imperfect as  
they confessedly are1 was in no  small  
degree gratifying to those who have     
hitherto supported them amidst  many    
difficulties and discouragements4       
,hitherto1 the labourers in the cause of
 ,infant education1 in this city1  have 
been principally ,dissenters2 but it is 
well known that they have  always       
desired1 and that they would have gladly
 received1 a greater  number of their   
brethren in the ,establishment as       
coadjutors4  ,whatever  degree of       
influence they may have had in the      
schools which have been  referred to1   
they have never formed any rules or     
adopted any principles  or plans of     
education1 against which the most       
scrupulous ,episcopalian  need object2  

and1 during the recent visit of ,mr4    
,wilderspin1 they had  their full share 
in contributing to his introduction to  
this city1 to the  support of his       
,lectures1 and to the attendance in ,st4
 ,andrew's ,hall4  ,the  very first     
meeting that was held1 to make          
arrangements with ,mr4  ,wilderspin1 was
 summoned by a member of the ,society of
 ,friends1 who1  without partiality1    
invited both ,churchmen and ,dissenters 
to meet ,mr4 ,w4  in the ,lakenham      
school4  ,the ,lectures1 which ,mr4 ,w4 
delivered in the  ,guildhall1 were      
attended by at least as many ,dissenters
 as ,episcopalians4  ,when1 after those 
lectures1 a meeting of ,clergy and      
members of the  ,establishment1 to which
 no ,dissenter was invited1 resolved    
8that there  should be an examination of
 children now receiving instruction in  
the  ,infant schools of this city10 the 
committees of those schools1 whose      
concurrence with the resolution was ,i  
believe never asked1 kindly  assented to

 it1 and suffered their teachers and    
children to assemble on  the platform in
 ,st4 ,andrew's ,hall4  ,the ,dissenters
 in this city1 gladly  and gratuitously1
 sent forms from their chapels1 on which
 the spectators  might be seated4  ,they
 purchased tickets1 and attended the    
examination in  very considerable       
numbers4  ,they beheld clergymen1 and   
other churchmen1  beginning to manifest 
an interest in ,infant schools1 by      
conducting the  little children to the  
platform4  ,and after having1 in these  
various  ways1 received assistance from 
your dissenting fellow citizens1 as well
  as from others--after having borrowed 
our schools for a public                
examination--after having received our  
money towards defraying the  expenses of
 that examination--after having told us 
that 8such an  exhibition of ,infant    
schools would afford a most agreeable   
testimony of  their efficacy1 and be a  
means of enlisting both the feelings and
 the  judgment of the audience in their 

favour0--we were not prepared to expect 
that such friendly proceedings on our   
part would ultimately be used  against  
ourselves1 and that they were to be     
rewarded by our utter  exclusion from   
all future participation with you in the
 system of ,infant  education4          
,having thus briefly sketched the       
principles and the proceedings which    
have been hitherto adopted by the       
conductors of ,infant schools in        
,norwich1 ,i now proceed to direct your 
attention to the advertisement1  by     
which this letter was more particularly 
occasioned4  ,that  advertisement calls 
upon you1 as 8members of the            
,established ,church10 to  form 8a      
society to promote the extension of the 
,infant school system in  the county and
 city0--and ,i understand it to mean    
that the members of no  other ,christian
 church shall be allowed to participate 
with you in the  formation of the       
society1 or in its committee1 or in its 
operations4  ,this mode of proceeding1  

you perceive at once1 is the very       
reverse of  that which has hitherto been
 adopted2 it is contrary even to the    
bill  which has been passed for the     
emancipation of the slaves in the ,west 
,indies1 which provides that even black 
infants shall be educated 8on  liberal  
and enlightened principles20 and ,i ask 
you1 what would have been  your thoughts
 and feelings1 if any other ,christian1 
and ,protestant  church1 in this city1  
besides your own1 had ventured to       
suggest a society  for the education of 
little children so utterly exclusive and
 illiberal8    ,whatever may have been  
the condition of other parts of the     
kingdom1 this  city has been lamentably 
deficient in public unity and           
cooperation in the  accomplishment of   
that which is good--and a different     
state of things is  not to be expected  
from the mere politician1 or from any of
 8the men of  the world which have their
 portion in this life40  ,it is to the  
religious  only that we must look for   

the desired reformation2 and if mankind 
are  ever taught to dwell together in   
love1 it must be by those who have      
imbibed and who exemplify the spirit of 
,christianity4  ,but if the             
religious--if those who profess to have 
8the same mind that was in  ,christ10   
refuse to associate with those who love 
the same ,redeemer1 and  are regenerated
 by the same ,spirit1 merely because    
they differ respecting  some points of  
discipline in the church--if they thus  
8set at nought their  brother0--if they 
thus practically declare that 8,christ  
is divided10 and  so divided that his   
members cannot unite even in the        
education of  infants--will not such    
conduct bring religion itself into      
dishonour1 and  will it not 8cause the  
enemies of ,god to blaspheme80  8,for if
 these  things be done in the green     
tree1 what shall be done in the dry80   
,had the system of ,infant schools been 
the offspring of the ,church of         
,england--could it be shewn that no     

infants1 but such as have been baptized 
at its font1 had the capacity to receive
 instruction--or if the ,dissenters  of 
this city had set an example of         
exclusiveness in infant education1  then
 indeed some apology or even            
justification might be offered for the  
course which is advertised for adoption4
  ,but it is well known that the  system
 of infant education is quite           
independent of any form of              
ecclesiastical polity4  ,it is as much  
the property of the nonconformist  as of
 the conformist4  ,it has nothing to do 
with the peculiarities of  either2 but  
it asks1 and has hitherto cordially     
received the cooperation  of both4  ,and
 the attempt to make it the appendage of
 a particular  church1 and 8a great     
gulph0 of separation between            
,christians--to enlist  infants1 just   
8weaned from the breast10 as parties in 
ecclesiastical  strife1 must be         
productive of a lamentable influence on 
the minds both of  infants and adults1  

and must be highly offensive to ,him who
 rebuked his  disciples and said1       
8,suffer the little children to come    
unto me1 and  forbid them not1 for of   
such is the kingdom of heaven40    ,the 
,church of ,england--established by the 
authority of parliament--having         
dissented from the pale of popery1 whose
 intolerance and exclusiveness  she     
professes to abhor--declaring that she  
is emphatically and eminently  the      
church of ,christ--and praying1 as she  
does1 not only for 8all sorts  and      
conditions of men10 but 8more especially
 for the good estate of the  catholic   
church1 that all who profess and call   
themselves ,christians may  hold the    
faith in unity of spirit1 and in the    
bond of peace0--ought1 most  assuredly1 
of all churches1 to be the most         
comprehensive in her charity1  and to   
set 8all sorts and conditions of men10  
and the whole 8catholic  church10 an    
example of meekness and conciliation4   
,but when an  opportunity presents      

itself1 the most favourable for         
exhibiting these  graces1 without the   
slightest compromise of principle1 are  
all these  professions and all these    
prayers to be forgotten2 and must the   
unestablished and self-supported        
churches of our land be the only        
sanctuaries where charity can take      
refuge1 and the only societies whose    
members add practice to profession and  
to prayer8  ,i hope not1 my  brethren2  
and devoutly as ,i am attached to the   
great principles of  nonconformity1     
because ,i consider them to be in       
harmony with  ,christianity1 yet ,i     
should strongly suspect their character 
if ,i found  that they prevented me from
 cooperating with my fellow ,christians 
in any  8work of faith or labour of     
love40    ,if1 my brethren1 you seize   
the present occasion for the purpose of 
widening the distance between           
,christians of other communions and of  
your  own--if you render the ,infant    
school system1 which has hitherto been  

made  a bond of union1 a 8wall of       
separation0 between yourselves and      
others1  the sin will lie at your own   
door1 and you alone will be answerable  
for  the consequences4  ,i know well    
that such an exclusive system is not the
  desire of you all4  ,there are some   
among you who wish to see the ,church   
of ,england 8national0 in her feelings  
and in her philanthropy1 as well as  in 
her name2 and who would be glad to      
cooperate with other ,christians in     
educating and in evangelizing the       
people1 but who at the same time deem   
it desirable on the whole1 to submit to 
other parties in the church whose       
patronage and support are valued4       
,permit me to say1 however1 that such   
policy is of a very questionable        
character2 and the course of conduct1   
which your acquiescence sanctions1      
appears to me not likely either to      
promote the interests of true religion1 
or to increase any feelings of  respect 
for that ,establishment which you       

conscientiously support4  ,for  if1 in  
the nineteenth century1 you legislate as
 if you were in the dark  ages--if you  
try to revive again the spirit of 8the  
five mile act10 which  denounced the    
nonconformist as 8incapable of teaching 
any public or  private schools0--depend 
upon it that you will find the current  
of feeling  in the present times to be  
decidedly against you2 and not only so1 
but  you will sin against the spirit of 
that religion whose essential  doctrines
 and whose hallowed influences ought to 
be far dearer to us all  than any forms 
of ecclesiastical government4  8,for the
 kingdom of ,god is  not meat and drink2
 but righteousness1 and peace1 and joy  
in the ,holy  ,ghost40    ,in many parts
 of ,great ,britain1 where ,infant      
schools have been  established1 the     
population generally have been united in
 their support2  and ,mr4 ,wilderspin1  
in his book entitled 8,early ,discipline
 ,illustrated10  furnishes many facts1  
in addition to his own opinion1 to shew 

that such  schools always succeed well  
when various ,christians are associated 
in  their committees and in their       
operations4  8,i proceeded to ,durham10 
says  he in page #de1 8where a committee
 was formed of ,churchmen and           
,dissenters40  ,when speaking of        
,ireland1 in page #gf1 he says1 8it may 
be  well to shew that wherever ,infant  
schools have been established in that   
country1 and properly conducted1 they   
have been found to be real  blessings by
 all parties1 as the following circular 
will shew40  ,that  8circular0 was an   
address of the parish of ,booterstown to
 the ,rev4 ,a4  ,sillery1 from which ,i 
extract the following sentence3 8,that  
invaluable  institution1 the ,infant    
school1 which in this parish owes its   
origin to  you--and the many other      
excellent arrangements for promoting    
education and  religious instruction1   
bear ample testimony to the talent1     
zeal1 and  piety1 which characterize    
their exemplary founder and promoter2   

whilst  the impartiality with which you 
administered to the wants of all1       
without distinction of sect or party1   
manifest the unbiassed liberality  of   
your truly ,christian mind40  8,i       
distributed many circulars and papers   
at ,leicester10 says he1 page #hg1 8but 
hostility was threatened from one  of   
the pulpits of the ,establishment20 and 
he then quotes what he justly  calls 8an
 admirable speech1 by ,m4 ,babington1   
,esq40 a member of the ,church  of      
,england1 from which ,i extract the     
following sentences4  8,i proceed to    
that objection on which the greatest    
stress will probably be laid1 that  we  
are forming an unnatural and improper   
union of individuals of  different      
denominations2 and that we are          
undermining the influence and  doctrines
 of the ,church of ,england4  ,it seems 
to me that those who thus  argue shew   
some distrust of the excellence of that 
church4  ,the  extension of knowledge   
can hardly fail to be favourable to the 

cause of  truth2 and as a member of that
 church1 ,i am of opinion that its      
doctrines will be more fully established
 by such intercourse4  ,but it  has     
ceased to be a question1 whether a mixed
 committee can succeed  satisfactorily  
in such an object2 for the experiment   
has been tried  extensively in other    
towns for nearly seven years1 and has   
lived down the  opposition which was    
first raised against it4--,really such  
arguments are  too trifling even for    
ridicule1 if it were not1 as it appears 
to me1 a  suicidal act1 on the part of  
our church1 to urge a system so         
repugnant to the feelings of mankind40  
,after relating some interesting        
occurrences at ,taunton1 ,mr4           
,wilderspin says in page #aah1 that 8a  
committee of various denominations      
proceeded with great encouragement1     
intimating1 by their union1 that their  
object was the general good1  and that  
no party apprehended the occurrence of  
injury40  ,injury was  however inflicted

 by unhallowed hands1 and a school was  
set up 8on  opposite principles40  ,in  
page #bjb1 when speaking of ,joseph     
,lancaster1  ,mr4 ,wilderspin says1     
8with one part of his system ,i was     
always charmed1  and1 so far from the   
feeling diminishing1 it is even now     
increasing in  vigour1--,i mean its     
freedom from all shackles--its entire   
exemption from  sectarianism--its       
benevolent and catholic spirit1 which   
urges not  merely to the establishment  
of schools1 but #8,,schools ,,for       
,,all4'  ,often  have ,i regretted that 
this is not universally discoverable4   
,there are  still some who wish to      
confine the element of water to their   
own well1  and to find the full ripe    
corn only in their fields3--with them ,i
 confess  ,i have no sympathy2 on the   
broadest principle ,i have hitherto     
labored2  and on that1 and that alone ,i
 propose to act through the remainder of
  my life40  ,but ,i must conclude these
 testimonies1 which might be greatly    

multiplied1 by recording a sentence or  
two from page #bei1 respecting          
,sheffield4  8,five ,schools10 says ,mr4
 ,wilderspin1 8containing little short  
of one thousand infants1 are now in full
 and efficient operation4  ,the  harmony
 of ,churchmen and ,dissenters in the   
work is here most delightful2  and as a 
specimen of the generosity displayed1 it
 may be stated1 that one  gentleman     
built a school1 at his own expense1     
which cost #ajjj40  ,these  quotations  
abundantly prove that 8the originator of
 ,infant schools10 who  has visited many
 of the towns in the three kingdoms1 and
 who is perhaps  better qualified than  
any other person to form an opinion as  
to the best  mode of conducting them1 is
 decidedly opposed to the exclusive     
system  advertised for ,norwich4  ,he   
has 8no sympathy0 with it--and he       
declares1 as  the result of his         
extensive observation and experience1   
that 8the union  between ,churchmen and 
,dissenters is delightful40    ,should  

the decision of the approaching meeting 
be in opposition to this  delightful    
union1 and should the ministers and     
members of the ,established  ,church    
determine to prevent the ,dissenters    
from cooperating with them in  this     
interesting work1 the parties thus      
excluded will not1 ,i trust1 be         
instigated to pursue a similar course1  
and to form a society for  themselves   
alone1 to the exclusion of ,churchmen4  
,no4--,let them proceed on  other and   
better principles4  ,let them call a    
public meeting of all  denominations of 
,christians who can conscientiously     
unite in pursuing the  same system of   
,infant education1 which has been       
hitherto adopted in this  city4  ,let   
them cordially and earnestly invite the 
cooperation of liberal  and religious   
,churchmen4  ,and let them determine    
that neither conformity  nor            
nonconformity shall be taught to babes  
in an ,infant school1 but that  they    
shall receive only 8the sincere milk of 

the word1 that they may grow  thereby40 
8,,for ,,in ,,christ ,,jesus ,,neither  
,,circumcision ,,availeth ,,any ,,thing1
  ,,nor ,,uncircumcision1 ,,but ,a ,,new
 ,,creature4  ,,and ,,as ,,many ,,as    
,,walk ,,according ,,to  ,,this ,,rule1 
,,peace ,,be ,,on ,,them1 ,,and ,,mercy1
 ,,and ,,upon ,,the ,,israel ,,of ,,god4
  ,,brethren1 ,,the ,,grace ,,of ,,our  
,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ ,,be ,,with     
,,your ,,spirit4  ,,amen40              
99 99 99 99 99                          
,norwich3                               
,,printed ,,by ,,josiah ,,fletcher4