The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-03 00:00:00

that, in point of fact, as far as regarded religious educa- 1
tion the bill would be wholly inoperative. (Hear, hear.)
After some further criticisms on the bill, the right hon.
gentleman concluded by moving that the bill be real a
second time that day lila months. (Hear.)
Mr. R. PHILLIMORE, in seconding the amend.
went, gave the right hon. baronet who had brought for-
ward the motion on national education credit for being
actuated by no party or selfish motive ; on the contrary,
he bad bad, doubtless, to contend with a great number
of party difficulties. He (Mr. Phillimore) trusted the
right hon. gentleman would not on that account con-
sider any remarks he might have to make in op-
posing the motion as being of a personal nature.
the ground on which he (Mr. Phillimore) opposed the
~cheme proposed by the right hon. baronet, was that he
considered it was fraught with all that mischief which
aad been so eloquent:), pointed out by the hon. member
'or Buckinghamshire. He conscientiously believed that
-,he effect of the measure would be to disestablish the

Church of England as the recognised medium of reli-
gious education. (Hear, hear.) The only way in
which the right honourable gentleman proposed to
,irovide for religious teaching was by the reading of
the Scriptures in the schools ; and this experiment
had been found to be a complete failure in Anieriea. For
.hese reasons, in addition to the arguments of the hon.
•nember for Buckinghamshire, he should give his most
strenuous opposition to the measure of the right hon.
oaronet in every stage of its progress.
Mr. MILES lamented that his hon. friend the mem-
aer for Oxfordshire should have differed from the right
eon. baronet who had brought forward the motion be-
Fora the house ; but he thought that the distinctions which
were drawn by the hon. member for Oxforishire were
essentially fallacious. If he (Mr. Miles) did not think
be bill before the house was founded upon a religious
oasis no power on earth could have induced him to sup-
lort it ; for he could not but admit the denominational
system in this country had produced great effects as
egarded education ; and after what the hon. member
ror Oxfordshire had said on drawing his deductions from
,he years 1818, 1833, and 1851, it must be at once
.nore than evident that the denominational sys-
tem alone bad unquestionably produced a great
snd immense addition to the education of the people.
(Hear.) He thought that this accession, however
great, was not sufficient to the wants of the people, and
that it was necessary to adopt some other plan by which
education might be still further extended. The only
pestion was, were these efforts now made sufficient for
the educational requirements of the country ? If so, it
was not by any means advisable to intermeddle with
;hese voluntary exertions. If not, and if the coun-
ry lacked facilities of education, it became
the duty of the house seriously to consider how
it could afford it, without infringing to any extent
upon the existing schools. (Hear, hear.) This he be-
ieved to be exactiy the principle on which the right
eon. baronet had founded his measure. (Hear, hear.)
the hon. member then proceeded to reply to the argu-
ments contained in the speech of the hon. member for
Jxfordshire. He observed that it struck him, whilst
:hat honourable gentleman was referring to the sta-
istics of education in Austria as being in advance
A this country, that there was less criminality
end more morality in this country than was the case in
Austria. Coming next to the principle of the measure pro-
aosed by the right hon. member for Droitwich, he re-
:narked that it was quite absurd to talk of mere secular
teaching ' • and inasmuch as he believed that the best
neans of meeting the educational requirements of the
,resent day were to be found in the right hon. baronet's
neasure, it should have his most cordial and entire
upport. He maintained that if we taok Biblical
:duration as the foundation of the system, that in due
time they should have the whole of the populati in im-
liued with the principles of religious education ; and he
rmly believed, notwithstanding all that had been stated
the contrary, that little by little the measure would
be found to operate beneficially without leaving the
.ountry a prey to those terrors which the imagination of
the hon. member for Oxfordshire had conjured up. Did
the hon. member suppose, because they adopted that
system, all other schools were bound to be pot
lown, or did he suppose that the sixpenny rate would
be levied al over the country ? He (Mr. Miles) never
ieard of anything so preposterous. Again, if the hon.
gentleman called to mind the large amounts which crime
s.nd pauperism in this country cost us annually, he would
ierhaps be less earnest in his opposition to a scheme
which had I r its object the diminution by legitimate
deans of these prolific sources of national expenditure.
Passing on to refer to the two other educational schemes
tefore the house, (those of Lord J. Russell and Mr. M.
:Gibson) he expressed a hope that the bill before the
louse veou:d not be condemned ; but be trusted that all
the bills would be sent to the consideration of a corn-
nittee upstairs, a committee composed of men who had
given attention to the subject, and he was not
without hope that, after a short discussion, and after
careful examination of the different clauses, in each an
amalgamation might be effected, or at all events that
nit of them some comprehensive bill which might meet
with general support might be constructed. (Hear.)
Mr. DILLWYN (a new member) opposed the motion
on the ground that in parishes where religious creeds
were nearly balanced it would give rise to a sectarian
lissension of a most disagreeable character, whilst in
places where the majority of the inhabitants were
Churchmen or Dissenters the minority would. go with-
out any education whatever.
Mr. BYNG, in the course of an animated address, said
that he should give the measure of the right hon. baronet
his cordial support, reserving for a future opportunity any
opposition he might entertain to some of its details. He
gave his support to it as an importaet step towards sup-
plying those educational wants and omissions which
were now beginning to be so generally recognised.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. ADDERLEY suggested the adjournment of the
debate.
Sir J. PAKINGTON said that considering that her
Majesty's Ministers were necessarily absent he
could consent to the adjournment of the house.
He should, therefore, place the motion for re-
suming the debate on the paper for to-morrow ;
not, however, in the hope of bringing it on then, but in
order that he might make some arrangement with the
Government for an early day again to bring it forward.
After a few words from Mr. COWPER,
The debate was adjourned accordingly.
SPIRITS (IRELAND) ACT AMENDMENT BILL.
This bill, after a short discussion, in which Lord Naas,
Mr. Keogh, Lord Berners, and Mr. Macartney took
part, was read a second time, and was ordered to be
committed.