The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-11 00:00:00

THE STTN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL U, 1862.

a rather prominent British Peer—prominent in
ecclesiastical matters, we mean, Lord EBURY, is at
this time bringing forward a bill virtually to re-
peal the Act of Uniformity. We have plenty of
sectarianism, bigotry, and the persecuting spirit left
among us to this hour, but when we look at the
cool proposal of the Church of Rome and of an
Archbishop in France—not a mere ignorant coun-
try priest—to commemorate, as a religious feast,
one of the most atrocious crimes of the Roman
Catholic Church, we can but feel thankful that
England is at least immeasurably in advance of
the country which "stands at the head of European
civilisation." No Archbishop here, of any sect,
could be guilty of such a display of savage
ociety would "send him to Coventry."
bigotry. 8

Lord ELLENBOROUGH'S sensible observations
last night give hope that ultimately truth and
common sense on this ♦exed Education question
will prove stronger than party. If but a few more
of his own political bias be found to act the same
manly and patriotic part, the country will be saved
a wasteful expenditure, and the children of the
poor will gain something substantial for what we do
spend upon them. The commendation of these
proposals by Lord ELLENBOROUGH may well give
the President and the Vice-President of the Com-
mittee of Council on Education, and the Govern-
ment which sanctioned their scheme, both pleasure
and hope. The praise is certainly impartial, and
the hope is reasonable, that if a Tory lord of such
position can speak so decidedly, the mere party lords
who do but follow their party leader will be com-
pelled at last to yield.

Lord ELLENBOROUGH does not blame the Govern-
ment for yielding; he confesses that they had
no alternative, but he blames without mercy
the coalition which compelled them to yield.
He expressed himself as thoroughly dis-
satisfied with the position of the question,
and believed the country would soon become dis-
satisfied also. The plain fact is, the Tories in both
Houses have on this question openly sacrificed
their duty to the country to the interests of party.
They found in half the parishes of the country a
hoet of schoolmasters clamorous for what—to se-
cure the public money for their schools, although
these schools might fail to teach the children to
" read, write, and count." A more shameless cry
We never remember. It was nothing less than
demanding Government pay whether the work were
done or uot. We commend to the attention of every
member of the House of Commons, who truckled to
the school-managers and masters, the following
spirited but just remarks of an independent Tory
Lord. " Government had," said Lord ELLEN-
BOROUGH, " a case of the most monstrous abuse
shown in the report of the royal commission—an
excessive expenditure constantly increasing, very
little good obtained, and no hope of more good
being done. They endeavoured to apply a remedy.
They could not reduce the expenditure, but they
desired to make such an alteration that at least
the benefit obtained should be commensurate with
the expenditure. That was a legitimate object
which it was their duty to endeavour to effect,
and it would have been contrary to their duty
if they had not made the attempt. They had
been driven to make concessions—they would
have been. beaten on a division if they had not.
That be feared was the consequence of those con-
cessions, as when the question came on again there
would be just the same coalition, and there would
be a constant fight for more concessions. He saw
nothing in prospect but a constantly increasing ex-
penditure without a corresponding benefit to the
public."
We were, however, not prepared to find his lord-
ship following the views of the minority of the
Commissioners—Mr. GOLDWIN SMITH and Mr.
MIALL, and of Mr. OSBORNE, Mr. BAINES, and we
might almost include Mr. ADDERLEY—in the House
of Commons. None, however, of the Educational
Voluntaries could put their case much more tersely
than did Lord ELLENBORoUGH last night. " The
only interest," he remarked, " that he took in the
matter was on the ground of public economy. He
was perfectly satisfied that if Parliament were to
refuse all grants for education, such an impulse
having been given to it, the education of the people
would still go on with great advantage, because the
greatest portion of it would be owing to the charity
of individuals, and that would be received with
gratitude. But when the public purse came in at
one door, charity and gratitude generally went out
at the other, and economy went with them. He
wished success to the Government in their efforts
to arrest the progress of this enormous charge,
which the most eloquent advocates of the system
rather gloried in, and which, if it were allowed,
would absord a still larger portion of the revenue."
Lord LTVEDEN's and Lord GRANVILLE'S observa-
tions were also excellent, but we might expect them
to be of such a tenor from them. Lord GRANVILLE
did not conceal his opinion 'ghat the concessions
"were not improvements in the Government plan,"
that they " diminished the economy of the
plan, and diminished also the efficiency
of the stimulus," which it would have
applied to elementary education. To-night we are
to know the extent of the concessions, as Lord
GRANVILLE is to lay the altered—not amended—
Code on the table. It is, however, satisfactory to
find that Bishops and party leaders are not to have
it all their own way, even in the House of Lords
but that one on their own side has the independence
and the courage to rise and commend a Ministry to
which he is politically opposed, when he saw it
serving honestly the public interests in regard to
economy of public money, combined with efficiency
of administration.

COURT CIRCULAR.

OSBORNE, APRIL 10.

The Queen, with Princess Alice and Prince Leopold,
drove out yesterday. Lieut.-Colonel Du Plat attended on
horseback.

Sir Chas. Wood arrived yesterday and had an audience
of her Majesty.
Sir Charles Eastlake also arrived from London.

The Marchioness of Downshire gave her third
dancing party last evening, at the family mansion in Bel-
grave-square.

The Countess Apponyi and the Countess Marie
Paumgarten left the Austrian Embassy, yesterday, for
Paris.

The Duke and Duchess of Montrose and Lady
Violet Graham will leave town on Monday, on a visit to
Lady Emily Foley, at Stoke Edith Park, Herefordshire.
The Duke and Duchess of Marlborough left St.
James's-square, yesterday, for Paris, with the intention of
passing the holiday in the French capital.
The Earl and Countess of Erne entertained at
dinner last evening-, at their residence in Eaton-square, the
Marchioness of Ormonde, Lord and Lady Cremorne and
the Hon. Vesey Dawson, Mr. and Lady Louisa Tenison,
Sir Walter and Lady Caroline Urling, Mr. To wnshend,
Mrs. Staples, &c.
Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston will leave
Cambridge House early next week for Broadland,, for the
holidays.

Viscount and Viscountess Lismore have arrived
at their residence in Grosvenor-street from Brighton.
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