British Genius pre Modern, Free Schools

Michael Faraday 1791 - 1867

• Laboratory Assistant, 1813,1815-1826
• Director of the Laboratory, 1825-1867
• Fullerian Professor of Chemistry, 1833-1867
• Superintendent of the House, 1852-1867
  (Acting 1821–1826)
  (Assistant 1826–1852)

Michael Faraday was born in Newington Butts, Southwark, the son of a Sandemanian blacksmith who had moved from the North West of England.

He served an apprenticeship with George Riebau as a bookbinder from 1805 to 1812. He was Assistant in the Royal Institution’s laboratory for part of 1813 and again from 1815 to 1826 (touring the Continent with Humphry Davy (qv) in the interim). He was appointed Assistant Superintendent of the House of the Royal Institution in 1821, Director of the Laboratory in 1825 and six years later the Fullerian Professorship of Chemistry was created for him. In the mid 1820s he founded both the Friday Evening Discourses and the CHRISTMAS LECTURES and delivered many lectures in both series himself. He was appointed Scientific Adviser to the Admiralty in 1829, was Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich between 1830 and 1851 and Scientific Adviser to Trinity House from 1836 to 1865.

His major discoveries include electro–magnetic rotations (1821), benzene (1825), electro-magnetic induction (1831), the laws of electrolysis and coining words such as electrode, cathode, ion (early 1830s) the magneto-optical effect and diamagnetism (both 1845) and thereafter formulating the field theory of electro-magnetism.

Hugh Miller (1802–1856) was a self-taught Scottish geologist and writer, folklorist^[1] and an evangelical Christian.

Born in Cromarty, he was educated in a parish school where he reportedly showed a love of reading. At 17 he was apprenticed to a stonemason, and his work in quarries, together with walks along the local shoreline, led him to the study of geology.

Both these brilliant British scientists were born in an age of educational advancement.  Neither had a proper education, or what the modern education establishment of today would call it.  Both made advances for Man beyond what the Modern People would ever imagine, that is a historic reality.  So how come our Forefathers could scrape themselves out of th Stone Age.  Perhaps it was sheer hard work and ingenuity.  One has to hand it to those who wanted to learn, sitting and working for hours in terrible oppressive conditions, squinting with only the feeble help of candle light to see by, often poorly fed and with uncertain future their main goals.

Instead we have to spoon feed every person in the country.  Every organisation proclaims they are not politically motivated, except they say they are determined to have equality with wealth and expectation for everyone.  If that is not a political ideal then I have never heard one.

What is wrong with parents doing the best for their children and children doing the best for themselves?  Afterall, neither Faraday nor Miller was born with a Silver Spoon in their mouths. Just look to see what ambition can achieve!  Or are they just parts of our history that the Modern teacher would like to expunge also?