The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-28 00:00:00

THE EDUCATION BILL.

The Elementary Education Bill was again the first of
the orders of the day, and immediately after questioning
time, the House went into committee on the measure,
resuming the discussion on clause 7. The attendance of
hon. members was at the beginning of the discussion very
small, and the treasury bench was only occupied by Mr.
Cardwell, Mr. Forster, the Vice President of the Council,
and Mr. Glyn. Mr. Gladstone made his
appearance about half-past two, just as Lord
Robert Montagu was endeavouring to persuade
the committee to adopt an amendment which
stood in his name, that the Revised Code should be put
in the schedule of the bill. There was, however, a
formidable little knot of the irreconcileables below the
gangway. The member for Huntingdonshire contended
that they were asked to pass a clause without know-
ing what the new code next April might be, although
it was certain that the new code might utterly alter the
character of the bill. He thought the committee were
being hoodwinked and asked to legislate in the dark. His
object was to give security to the promoters of voluntary
schools. The noble lord stated that an acquiescence to
his proposal would prevent agitation, and he alluded to
divisions in the Liberal party. As the noble lord resumed
Mr. Vernon Harcourt rose, but he had to give way to
Mr. Gladstone, who, with a mixture of sarcasm and
humour, said the humanity of the noble lord to the
Liberal party deserved immediate acknowledg-
ment. He compassionated the schismatic state
in which he found the Liberal party. " But,
added the Premier, " probable his lordship derived his
inspiration from what had occurred in another place a few
nights ago, and had obtained a lively sense of schism in a
party." The Premier was loudly applauded on making this
" palpable hit." Mr. Gladstone went on to state that
the demand of the noble lord would, if acceded
to, be fatal to the bill on account of the ob-
stacle of time and other impediments. His lordship
asked them to give certainty with regard to the aid to be
given to voluntary schools equal to the certainty which
the bill gave in regard to the rate supported schools. It
was simply impossible, remarked the Premier, by any
process except one, and that was not only to set out in
the bill the whole conditions upon which it was to
be administered, but to likewise provide that
the sum and disbursements necessary for the purpose of
affording the aid should be charged upon the Consolidated
Fund, and surelyhis lordship did not intend that should be
the case. In the course of the debate Lord Henley, whilst
he hoped that the amendment would not be pressed to a
division, expressed an opinion that they ought to have
had something definite in relation to the subject laid
down. Mr. Fisher opposed the proposition. His first
objection was that it was an inconvenience
to have any code in any Education Bill,
and it could not be supposed that they had yet
obtained the best means of promoting and stimulating
education. He said it was impossible to extemporise a
code for the session which should prove a permanent re-
vised code.—The leader of the Opposition hoped his noble
friend would hesitate to press his amendment. Unlike
those who had preceded him on his side of the committee,
the right hon. gentleman did not think that
on the whcle they could receive a more satis-
factory assurance from the Government than they
had already received. "It must necessarily," he ex-
claimed, " I think be in the nature of the Bill before
us a moral assurance." This generous admission was
properly appreciated, and the Liberals were pretty loud
in ther expressions of satisfaction at the course which he
had adopted. Of course, after such a statement from his
leader, Lord R. Montagu intimated that he would
not persevere in pressing his amendment which
was negatived in the usual way. Dr. Brewer
moved an amendment that the master or mistress of every
rate-supported school should keep a register of every
admission or dismissal, and that the register should in-
dicate the degree and proficiency attained by the scholar.
Contrary to custom, the hon. member for Colchester made
a very short speech. Probably the experience he has
latterly gained has awakened him to a sense of the
folly of occupying the attention of the House for an inordi-
nate time on uninteresting subjects. The proposition was
opposed by Mr. Forster and withdrawn.
Mr. VERNON HARCOURT moved an amendment raising
the principle, which he asked the committe to affirm, that
in every public elementary school in this country the
parents of the children should have some voice in the
management of that school. He wished to avoid, he said-
that most odious contrast between the supremacy
given to influence and wealth, and the com-
parative powerlessness of poverty. He said that
by the bill they were going to sell the birthright
of the parent in the education of the child " for a miser-
able mess of voluntary pottage." The hon. member pro-
duced considerable merriment by this expression, although
the Treasury bench was grave enough, and evidently
unable to see either the force or the fun of it.
Mr. FORSTER opposed the amendment, remarking that
the hon. member was mistaken in supposing that the
parents were unrepresented or had no voice in the manage-
ment. Almost all the school deeds which the Education
Department required to see before giving a building grant,
pre-supposed an election of managers, which was generally
brought so low as to make it quite possible for the
parents to have a share in the management.
Colonel BABTTELOT complained of the course adopted
by members below the gangway,
especially referring
to the hon. members for Birmingham and Oxford. He
accused them of " producing cases which were never likely
to occur, and which with very rare exceptions, never did
occur." He did not hesitate to say that the religious diffi-
culty would never have been heard of had it not been
put into the mouths of. people. He thought it was
simply mischievous to persuade the poor people that
they had a right to have a share in the rafinagemenl
of thc. sinhoolFt.

(LEFT SITTING.)