Severn Street First Day Adult School.—­The name tells pretty well that this school was commenced by some members of the Society of Friends, though there is really nothing sectarian about it.  Established in 1815, in a simple way and with but few classes, there is hardly an institution in the town that can be compared to it in the matter of practical usefulness, and certainly none at which there has been exhibited such an amount of unselfish devotedness on the part of teachers and superintendents.  The report to the end of 1883 stated that during the year the progress of the school had been of an encouraging character.  The following statistics were given of the total attendance at all the schools connected with the movement:—­Number of teachers, 57 males, 25 females—­total, 82, average attendance, 51 males, 23 females—­total 74.  Elementary teachers, 173 males, 21 females—­total, 194; average attendance, 152 males, 19 females—­total, 171.  Number of scholars, 3,370 males, 653 females—­total, 4,023; average attendance, 2,510 males, 510 females—­total 3,080.  The total number admitted since the men’s school commenced in 1845, and the women’s in 1848, had been 40,350.  In connection with the school there are a number of organisations of great utility, such as sick societies, building societies, savings’ funds, libraries, excursions clubs, &c.  In the savings’ fund the balance in hand reached L14,000, while over L18,000 had been paid into the building societies.  There are a dozen other “adult schools” in the town which have sprung from Severn Street.

Spring Hill College.—­For the education and training of Independent ministers, was first opened in 1838, in the mansion of Mr. George Storer Mansfield, at Spring Hill, that gentleman giving certain landed property towards its future support.  The present edifice, near Moseley, to which the old name was given, was opened in June, 1857, the cost of the building, &c., nearly L18,000, being raised by voluntary contributions.  It has room for 36 students.

Sunday Schools.—­Sunday classes for the teaching of the Catechism, &c., date from a very early period of Church history, but Sunday Schools as they are now known seem to have been locally organised about a hundred years ago, the Sunday after Michaelmas Day in 1784 being marked as a red-letter-day on account of there being twenty-four schools then opened, though the course of instruction went no further than teaching the children to read.  In 1789 some young men formed the “Sunday Society” as an addition thereto, the object being to teach writing and arithmetic to boys and youths of the artisan class.  In 1796 the society was extended, other classes being formed, lectures delivered, &c., and it was then called the “Brotherly Society.”  Mr. James Luckcock and Mr. Thos.  Carpenter were the leaders, and this is claimed to have been the origin of Mechanics’ Institutes.  The Unitarians date their Sunday Schools from 1787:  the Baptists and Methodists