The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-23 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 23, 1861.

ALLEN'S PATENT PORTMANTEAUS and
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and Patentee, 18 and 22, Welt

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TO COULTSPONDENTS.
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HATMAIIII7.

lerturne, THE 11153gTIN THE WOOD. Mama Back-
stop* & Compton; Misr. Stirling. );Irs.Wllkinc—AnS QUEEN
LADYBIRD AND HER CHILDRYN : or, Harlequin and a House
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rainy:we.

A.8.14.—D0N CASA R DE B AZA N. Masora !More
and Pechter. Ilia M. Marna Mrs. Weston.—And ROBINSON
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ST. lAlari.

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LONDON, SATURDAY, FEB. 23.

MR. Ditzwrs'a Bill, enabling Nonconformists
to act as Trustees of Endowed Schools, has been
read a second time. It is impossible to frame a
more moderate proposal. At present none except
members of the Church of England are eligible an
trustees, and the object of this Bilk is merely to
do away with this disability. Already, when •
trustee has been appointed, he cannot bo removed
on the mere ground of his convictions ; and
by an Act of Parliament passed last session the
children of Dissenters are admissible to Endowed
Schools. Only one step remains, and that is taken
in the Bill now before Parliament.

So long as the benefit of such charities was con-
fined to a particular sect there was no reason why
the governing body should belong to any other sect.
But now that these schools have resumed the
national character which the founders originally
impressed upon them, and are open to scholars
of every persuasion, the same principle should be
applied to the trustees. The fact that a man be-
longs to a particular church is not the moat import-
ant qualification for the governor of a schooL If,
indeed, the deed of foundation expressly declares
that none except a certain class of persons shall be
eligible, the directions of the deed must be fol-
lowed, and accordingly for this case Mr. DILLWYS'I3
Bill expressly provides. But in the great majority
of cases nothing whatever is said of religious views.
The founder probably never thought of the matter.
At the time of his gift there might be no serious
differences in religious opinions, and the children,
so far as religion was concerned, were to be edu-
cated in the ordinary way. The chief purpose of
the donation was to supply education to those
who could not afford to supply it for themselves.
There was no intention whatever to support one
sect at the expense of another. The persons who
would simply carry into effect the intention of
the donor would not be persons remarkable for
sectarian fanaticism, but of influence in the neigh-
bourhood and deeply interested in education.
It has indeed been confidently asserted that a
mixed body of trustees would of necessity lead to
religious dissensions. But upon what grounds ?
The Church of England has the advantage of
including more variety of opinion than any other
body of Christians, yet its members act together.
And even if a board of trustees were coin-
posed of ten men, each belonging to a different
sect, it would be difficult to suppose more diversity
of opinion than now exists between any ten of the
Prelates who now occupy the episcopal bench. If
these fathers of the Church can act with sufficient
unanimity to represent the national establishment,
there is not much doubt that the chief inhabitants
of any country town will prove quite able to manage
the affairs of a school without indecent quarrelling.
Besides, it is a notorious fact that throughout the
kingdom there are numerous boards of municipal
trustees, including men of every variety of religious
opinion, who nevertheless manage Church of
England schools with the most complete success.
Only go to Bristol, with its enormous charities,
and observe the result. There are no doubt acrid
sectarians in every village and county town, but it
is the duty of those in whom the appointment of
..rustoes rests to take care that such men are not
appointed.
But this question has assumed a new phase since
the last session. Mr. Lows is quite right in his
opinion that the Dissenters enjoy rights which they
did not enjoy before. The Legislature has declared
that no child shall be excluded on account of its
religion, and it is only fair that means should be
taken to secure this privilege. The trustees are
the persons who have power to make rules and
regulations for the government of the school, and
it is clear that unless these rules are conceived in
a fair and liberal spirit Nonconformists may be
practically excluded. If the neighbourhood from
which the school is recruited is an Established
Church neighbourhood, the members of that
persuasion will naturally have the prepon-
derance, and the presence of a trustee differing
in religious opinion from the majority will be
necessary to secure fair play to his friends.
If, on the other hand, the neighbourhood 'is filled
with Nonconformists, the school must either be
made to suit the population amongst which it is
placed, or it must remain comparatively useless.
We soe this in the case of the Universities. It
is unfortunately too true that the power reserved
to the Universities to regulate the mode in which
students shall be admitted has practically
curtailed many of the benefits which Parlia-
ment intended. The difficulties in the way
of poor men who differ in opinion' from
the: Church of England obtaining an University
education are still very great. The Church of
England insists upon retaining the monopoly
which she now possesses. And it is not easy to
see how this monopoly is to be broken down, until
the members of some other body force their way
into the government. It is' the same with the
endowed schools. The only way in which the
Dissenters can secure their share in the privileges
of such institutions is by being admitted as
members of the governing body.
The Bill has passed the Commons. But what
fate is reserved for it in the House of Lords
The doctrine has been proclaimed aloud that
where measures affect the power of any section in
the State, it is no use discussing them upon their
own merits. The Lords will not yield to argu-
ment. They will hold what they have until it is

wrenobedlrom them by force or terror. They
treat witbrozontempt the demand for Reform—they
resist the creation of Life Peers—they encroach
upon the functions of the House of Commons—
they cling with a desperate resolution to Church
Rates—and they may possibly reject the claims
of the Dissenters to be no longer ineligible as
trustees of endowed schools. But these things
cannot last for ever. The time will come when
demands so just will be granted. But even if
they are rejected now, the only consequence will
be, that the reform will be more complete when
it does come.

LORD PAUSERSTON announced last night that
the Government had resolved to bring in a Bill to
encourage the improvement of the harbours on our
coast. The Panama recoils from the stupendous
undertakings which some of the representatives of
our maritime towns and districts, with the most
magnificent conceptions of the resources and duties
of the Government, would press upon him. If it
were to be understood that the government were
bound to make a harbour of refuge, with the
public money, on every part of the coast
which can be correctly described as dangerous,
or where the wreck chart shows many black dots,
scores of millions sterling would not suffice. Of
course the gentlemen who were so importunate
last night did not contemplate this. Each spoke
for his own locality. But if all were gratified the
result would be as we have stated. The extreme
difficulty of averting the terrible loss of life on the
coasts by anything the Government can do may
be inferred from last night's debate. It might be
supposed that the best way of saving a vessel was
not to send her out of port just as a gale was
coming on, and that the shipowner would be
very thankful for information of an im-
pending storm. But Mr. LIDDELL, referring
to the organization connected with the Board of
Trade and administered by Admiral FITZROY, for
giving warnings of gales at our ports, said he must
remind the House that "large fleets of coal-ships
"could not remain in their ports without enormous

" expense." If this is the view of the matter
taken by those who have property at stake—if
they would rather run enormous risk and expose
the lives of their men than observe • natural pre-
caution—there is very little encouragement for the
community to interfere at a great sacrifice.
The object of the measure which Mr. MILNER
GIBSON is to bring in, and which is already prepared,
is the improvement of the harbours already exist-
ing. This is to be effected not by the initiative
of the government, but by local enterprise.
The Exchequer Loan Commissioners are to
have very large powers to make advances on easy
terms to those who are willing to take money for
the purpose on certain conditions. The efficacy
of such • measure will of course depend on the
detailed provisions by which its principle is ap-
plied, but that principle seems the only one appli-
cable to the case. If we were not spending pro-
digious sums every year in warlike works, fortifi-
cations, " Warriors," and the like, to say nothing
of China wars, we might be able to take a broad
and generous view of the case of our seamen.
Perhaps we may bo able to do this some day.
But while our present belligerent expenditure
lasts, harbours of refuge are not the only glorious
works of peace which must remain in abeyance.