Infant Schools and Dissenters

A fierce 19th-century polemic at the intersection of religious authority and early childhood education. John Alexander defends his "Letter of Affectionate Remonstrance" against attacks from William Geary and Rev. John Perowne, whom he accuses of deliberate misreading and harassment for his evangelical convictions. Set during the early Victorian period, this tract captures a heated theological dispute over whether infant schools should fall under Church of England control or remain with Dissenting congregations. Alexander argues his separation from the established church stems not from fractiousness but from the gospel's plain teachings - he rejects what he sees as manipulative conversion tactics and hierarchical clergy dominance. For historians of Victorian religion, scholars of 19th-century education policy, and anyone interested in the fierce debates that shaped nonconformist identity, this text illuminates how Protestant Dissenters navigated their place within a nation officially dominated by the Church of England.