The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-03 00:00:00

The Great Race.

The defeat of a favourite (favourites do not often
win), is such a common event that little notice is
usually given it; but the overthrow of Macgregor
seems to have produced a deep impression. It was an
extraordinary occurrence. First Kingcratt, the
favourite for the Two Thousand, was easily
beaten in that race by Macgregor; and then
Macgregor, the chosen one for the Derby,
was overthrown with equal ease by Kino•°craft. The
unhappy seers are quite melancholy. They know
not where to put their trust, and they prophesy with
a heavy heart. The non-sporting journals moralise
in a severe vein. The Telegraph thinks the race of
Wednesday is indicative of decay in the great na-
tional sport. " A worse horse than Muster probably
never got a place in Epsom's great contest; and
so small a field has only once before started within
the last twenty-fiye years. But, in addition,
the numbers assembled at Epsom exhibited a marked
decline, and the result of the race is calculated to put
reasonable men out of conceit with Turf certain-
ties." The Telegraph hopes that the unplaced Mac-
gregor will cause some few who are not inextricably
entangled to pause and ask themselves whether the
pursuit of horse-racing, though it may reasonably be
upheld as a diversion,isworthy to be made the business
of a life. The Times is bitterly sarcastic on the people
who rush up to London and to Epsom to see little or
nothing of the race they came expressly .to see.
44 What can be more frantic than to pursue some-
thing of which the only pleasure is in the prospect,
of which the fruition is disappointment, and of which
in countless cases the retrospect is regret ? " Alto-
gether the usual bombastic talk about this glorious
holiday is conspicuous by its absence.
The Dissenters and. Education.

It is becoming obvious that a large propor-
tion at least of the Nonconformists are not disposed

to accept the Government amendments to the Edu-
cation Bill. The Congregational Union of Surrey has
declared that no schools created by school boards
should be of a denominational character, and that from
such schools denominational formularies and teach

ing should be excluded. Religion should not be
excluded from education, but the Government should
not interfere with it.

Church Schools in Wales.

A couple of letters, on the subject of Church
Education in Wales, have passed between the 'Bishop
of Llandaff and Mr. E. M. Richards, M.P. It appears
that in some mining districts in South Wales the
inhabitants are taxed for school purposes in the shape
of a deduction from wages to meet the employers'
contributions to schools. Mr. Richards thinks this
practice—for the schools thus supported are generally
Church schools, wt ereas the inhabitants are mostly
Dissenters—exceedingly objectionable. He quotes
the report of a Government inspector to prove that
great discontent prevails among the people
employed. "In several of them the workmen
submit, as they are obliged to do, to the deduction
of the poundage, but send their children to other
schools, and pay the usual fee for them there. Nay,
in some instances they have done more than this—
they have built schools at their own expense." The
Bishop of Llandaff does not deny that the grievance
exists; but holds that the objection of the parents has
been much exaggerated. " I believe that the chief
object of the parents is to send their children to the
best school, and that the majority of the working
classes in South Wales belonging to Dissenting
denominations, whether in the agricultural or mining
districts, if left to their own unbiassed action, would
trouble themselves very little about any other con-
, sideration." This may be correct enough, but it is
hardly a justification for taxinc, Dissenting work-
people to maintain Church schools.