The sun., 1891-07-12
FREE EDUcA11oN IN ENGLAND
The Tories Fiop-what They VIII Give
Objections TO tho Biii-Mr. Fowier's Fro
nosnla-Thn Working of the Now Act.

The Tories F1oD-whnt They VIII Give
Objections to tho Biii-Mr. Fowier's Fro
posnis-The Working OF tho New Act.
LoSDoN, July 1-Power must exert irtesisti-
BILE attraction. and It's duties which to out
siders look 50 heavy and portontous, must
have inorGinate compensatory advantages or
the greatest eectioneernE coup ever made fn
this country. perhaps in anv country, the in
PRODUCTION OF q FREQ education bill by a Con-
servative Government. could never have takcn
place. Niscount Cross. Secretary of State Tor
ILdia, and other supporters OF the esent Ad.
minissration, had decided hs mem'er OF tho
last royal Commss on on education that
Tho balance OF advantage was greatly In
favor Of maintaining tho present system es-
tablshed by the act OF 1870. whoreby the
parents who can afford It contribute SUBJ
stantinl Iroportion OF the cost Of the eduoa.
tion OF their children In the form OF school fees.
Now, suddenly, not a centu, y later. but while
this so called balance OF advantage IA still puz-
cling the keenost minds. tho Government,
viscount Cross and his friends. proclaim that
the balance OF advantage is all the other way,
and a majority OF 230 to IL has voted In the
House Of Commons the second reading OF the
Governmental bill embodying the new Con.
scrvntive but old Liberal principle. The op.
position greeted with cheers mingled with
laughter tb % Ministerial triumph founded on
its conversion to the Liberal viows.
These views, or. to be more correct, tho views
OF the most advanced section OF the Liberal
party. aro not. howevor, autte carried out In
tho present bill, for the advanced Liberals
declare that they shall never be satisfied until
| they have obtained the complete abolition OF
school feos and popular control OF all schools
receiving State aid.
On the otnor hand n few Tories have la
| mcnted Tho change OF prnci, les on the part OF
| ther londers. especially on the ground that 10
will injure the deuominational State church
| schools. which they regard Is the Tories pri.
| vate property. AS matter OF fact this appli.
cation o; a portion Of the surplus OF the na-
tional revenue to FREQ education. or. as 1t has
| been calod by some. government by lnrgesS.
| has truly produced very little emotion 10 the
country. though. OF course. 1t will do duty to
secure the Conservative vote at the next gen.
| eral election.
1t is clear to the majority that the Tories. Ia
| appearing to act with impressive disinterested.
ness. have only saved themselves from . cor
tain defeat. and so far. Of course. they must be
credited with judgment aud good generalship.
| Free education is tho necessary accompani.
ment OF compulsion. The whole system OF
payment OF foes has long been breaking down.
| Their collection is serious and costly trouble
| and loss OF time to teachers. Moreover, It 10
the Groatost cause Of irregular attendance.
| And therefore conservatism has only shrewdly
| given today what 1t would have been unable
| to refuse tomorrow.
No doubt the present bill does not grant free
education In its entirety; 1t still submits It to
certain restrictions. but these restrictions
or limitations can only be compared to those
| castles OF sand which children oppose to the
| ocean. Free education In Its competent sense
before long will huve swept thom all away.
| What hns happened in Scotland. where un-
der the Local Government act Of 1889. fees
| have been abolished in the case OF children
ssd s ..nsss thss ss ssasldsfsS!e IN ine5sss:
sse'sssa
school early In order to have them back as
soon as the, can be Of " use e him. We are are
SO. that the edu"ation Of SO many children Of
10 years and upward Is DISCONTINUED as soon
eea rom she to asnd sohsoo
We regret" observes the !, Scotch report .thst
discontinued as soon, soon % ihe stan lsrd iof eg-
emption e reaehed;o We We o find p nroo: q this IN
which they wenId naturally rise In 1882.
sve % and M and
in the present - by no adequate
Hs
talnly quite US important o m9tter as tts dis
Dnlsh osas sas essn
havo all aimed at making the primary and the
see;ondary schools one single i system. ttWoud
posing to spend e.. o0o.o69 year for gratuitous
eduentionmi IL would M d not at the same time provide
stands at present arcs, First. exceptions to the
retention OF ices: and second. exceptions to
tho absence OF, public control over schools. the
private suhscrIIti ms 70 which are merely nom.
Ing ssssH sy ss SSP'si5
nirnn
which. as has said Sir Lyon PIaylair. g
seems pr.posrero!'s that those schools being
sInpporsd sIIs BY rhiS rmhhiS money should % d, not be
hand, it is suggested that the schools OF de-
no,Iinationalists should be oxem,led from
board schools how ;hey are rated. because
they can make good M the outlay BY m,rsking ,r the
them hardly fair advantage over their COM
hSett0rn Loyes Of fir %y that
any schoo! in. which an efficient elementary
education Is dispensed
finding fault with the present Bin. ths Tues-
tlon OF frea education IN this country fects SO
sencs OF a real man of genius cannot DO easily
carried through at ono rush. ,,,
Tdhns TOR sS INSTANCE % 5 When the Liberals and
poWsr asked that IA he biz sh".d contain ne
% placed nndor the snporvsi'n OF n locnl rer-
resontation' the Government appealed to tho
swered that mo attempt should TO made 10
secure ,s public Pub, Sontr9l" , We must keep
nnd the present Government tho Church IT
England. ami that the sum tho country
sents hall tho tea duly, Tho tut.l cost OF
public elementary schools. exclusive OF the
was over ~. .0OO. goo: this was def ayod TO the
extent OF Si50o,O00 BY grnn;s from the ex-
chouuer and by local rates. lcI' ing GJ.OOJ. .0U0
which had been betrayed by parents and by
voluntary contributions md cndnwments.
The proposal o! the Cover nnent In to give nm nd
ditto mi subsidy from he Stat" Gf OH shillings
iorabout 750. OnD chi ldren. which woul AZ once
In olive II 800 600 and soon bs G20DO. 100 thtre-
fore tho result would bs that taxntIon would
find E65nUUl0 and voluntary efforts q .oU0, 900.
Voluntary schools dealt with 25li0 900 ch ldren
and the income OF voluntary schools was fI,-
100000. ~ this sum E3 $50 DUO was raised out
OF the publ @ treasury and from parents and
less than El.00D..nlO from private donors and
endowments. The Governnent lropo.Rl L.