The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-15 00:00:00

JUNE 11), 1870,

SKETCHES IN PARLIAMENT.

TUESDAY,

Notwithstanding the heat, the House of Commons was
in its liveliest mood yesterday evening. The seats on both
sides were filled, and as every member held in his hands
the orders of the day, the effect of the dark forms
speckled with white was somewhat curious. The
list of questions was longer than we have had
for many a day. There was only one of very great
interest. It was Lord Robert Montagu who asked if the
Government would not hold morning sittings in order to
get through the Education BilL It is not usual for the'
Opposition to shew any great eagerness for working double
tide. As a rule, the Opposition does not like the mea-
sures which the Ministry bring forward : and even if it
does not dislike them, it has no desire to see
the Government win more laurels in the work
of legislation than can be helped. But the
Conservatives know perfectly well that the Education
Bill is an exceptional measure, and that every day's delay
is against them. Mr. Gladstone, too, thoroughly under-
stands the position, and wishes to put an end to an unde-
sirable agitation as soon as possible. So for once the
leaders on both sides were agreed, and amid tokens of satis-
faction from both the front benches, the Premier
announced that Lord Robert Montagu had only fore-
stalled the Ministerial announcement, and that it was
intended to have morning sittings from Friday next, and
to push on the bill with all possible speed.
Under no circumstances was the announcement likely to
give satisfaction to the Radicals: Last evening it only
added fuel to the long smouldering fire of their discon-
tent. This broke out into a flame as soon as
the House (at 5 o'clock) went into commit-
tee on the University Tests Bill. The seats
below the right-hand gangway were closely packed,
not, as before Whitsuntide, with Irish members ; for Mr.
Maguire was, I think, the only one present, but with the
very advanced Liberals and the Nonconformists, who
even overflowed into the seats above the gangway. It
was soon clear that there was to be a revolt on the part of
these gentlemen against the Government. Mr. Lewis,
M.P. for Devonport, was to have led the attack,
but he withdrew from that position and occupied
one of less prominence, though he continued to
act with his own party. Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice who,
a few nights ago delivered a very successful maiden speech,
was the first to attack the bill. He urged that the aboli-
tion of tests should extend to the heads of houses, and he set
forth his arguments with a good deal of skill, and abun-
dant fluency, mentioning, by the way, that a meeting had
just been held at Balliol College to recommend this course.
Mr. Gladstone, with his usual copia fandi, took seven
minutes to say that Government wished to consider the
matter, and that if the member for Caine would withdraw
his motion for the present, he would have another
opportunity of bringing it forward. This inti-
mation drew down the wrath of Sir Michael Hickes
Beach, who told the Government that they had no will
or policy of their own, but gave themselves up to the
guidance of Professor Jowett. Thereupon up rose the
Solicitor-General in mild anger, and he suavely repudi-
ated the charge brought against him by the member for
East Gloucestershire. Nevertheless Mr. Mowbray and
Lord John Manners reiterated it. Lord Edmond
Fitzmaurice was not inclined to quarrel with the Premier
on that account, and so withdrew his amendment,
trusting that in due time the influence of the Regius
Professor of Greek would be made manifest on the
Treasury Bench.
Mr. Stevenson, the member for South Shields, was the
next to find fault with the bill. Why did it not allow
Dissenters to take degrees in divinity ? Be-
cause. said Sir John Coleridge, it would be absurd
to confer a degree in divinity without laying down some
.{definite form of divinity. Having enlarged upon this
theme he was followed by an old gentleman who has not,
I think, spoken for some months. At soon as you
heard him, there could be no doubt as to who he was.
There is only one man in the House who ex-
asperates his h's so cruelly as this veteran
legislator did ; and that is Mr. Hadfield. He
spoke alternately in a very low voice and
with a shout. It was in his forte, not his
Piano, voice that he exclaimed, amid patronising cheers,
" I wish thought to be hunfetterred." Then followed a
succession of sotto rose sentences which no one could hear,
and then words hurled forth in the voice of a Stentor. The
effect was exceedingly comic, and members—yes, I grieve
to say, Radical and Nonconformist members—laughed
heartily at their eccentric colleague. I had no mind to
laugh. It was really quite refreshing, in these days of
blasé striplings, with whom
"Nought is everything, and everything is nought ;"
to find a man of four score and three who can retain the
enthusiasm of a youth which really was youthful, and
who can still shout for the old battle cry of " civil and reli-
gious liberty all over the world." It was a pity that Mr.
Hadfield did not content himself with this one oration.
He rose again and again. The second time he excited a
loud roar of laughter by his peroration in which,
after denouncing the High Church party, who denied
the " harticles," and after declaring that it was the Non-
conformists who really believed them, he asked why these
should not be allowed to compete with " your rotten
hold professors." The third and the fourth time the hold
but not rotten member for Sheffield rose he was greeted
with anything but complimentary noises, and if it had
not been for the patronising, humouring manner in which
middle-aged men treat octogenarians, just as nurses
treat their babies, Mr. Hadfield would certainly have
been put down. The discussion was decidedly warm. Mr.
Gladstone asked Mr. Hadfield if he was prepared to fol-
low out his proposal to its logical result, and to see Arch-
bishop Manning installed as Regius Professor of Divinity.
That prospect seemed to the member for Sheffield
so remote that it did not terrify him. Younger
Nonconformists, Mr. Miall and Mr. Winter-
botham, were of a different opinion, and they
opposed Mr. Stevenson's amendment. Mr. Mowbray,
amid much Conservative cheering, asked the Radicals if
they were prepared to reciprocate, would they allow
members of the Church of England to present them-
selves for examination in divinity at the London Univer-
sity ? Mr. Stevenson, finding that his co-Dissenters did
not unanimously support him, said he should withdraw
his amendment, but the Secularists, in the person of
Mr. Fawcett, interposed, and argued that a divinity
examination was not a test of belief, but a test of know-
ledge, and that he could not consent to the withdrawal.
'Dr. Lyon-Playf air described what had been done at the
Scotch Universities. Sir Roundell Palmer reminded the
House that he had proposed without effect to adopt the
Scotch system last year. Mr. Osborne Morgan followed
up Mr. Fawcet t's argument, and the House cleared for a
division. The formality took a long time, for more than
360 members voted, and it was then found that in spite of
the union of the Conservatives and the Ministsrialists no
fewer than 103 members (including tellers). had gone
against the Government.
Mr. Vernon Harcourt was the next to lead the charge of
the Secularists. " liistoricus" is a very large man, with
very decided features, and a strong sonorous voice. He
is a ready speaker, moreover, and looks just the sort of a
man who ought to be sitting on the Treasury bench,where
he would become as dear to the House as Mr. Lowe or
Mr. Ayrton. Mr. Harcourt is one of those very ad-

vanced Liberals who have got behind the north wind,
who have discovered that the essence of religious tolera-
tion is, not to treat all religions equally well, but to treat
them all equally ill. So he was very bitter against the idea
of founding religious colleges in connection with a
national university, and Keble College especially was the
object of his sarcasm. He saw in the royal charter
given to that institution an intimation of what
Government intended to do with regard to
the Irish Universities. However, finding that
he was not likely to get much support in his
novel rendering of the word toleration, he said he
should not press his amendment, but content him-
self with moving a clause on bringing up the report, for-
bidding the Government to grant any charter without
having laid it upon the table of the House of Commons
thirty days previously. Mr. J. G. Talbot (brother of the
warden of Keble College, and who himself looks like a
young High Church clergyman), moved the omission of
some words which he said were offensive to clergymen.
Sir John Coleridge said that there was no intention to
offend, and that the words might be left out: Thereupon
Mr. Winterbotham and Mr. William Fowler protested,