New-York tribune., 1896-02-04
PRICE THREE CENTS.
BALFOUR FOR AN ALLIANCE.
ENGLAND AND THE UNITED STATES
SHOULD WORK TOGETHER.
THE TWO NATIONS. ACTING IN CONCERT. HI
SAYS, NEED FEAR NEITHER FOREIGN
FOES NOR INTERNAL DIvIsIoNs-A
BILL INCREASING AID TO sEcTA-
RIAN SCHOOLS TO BE IN
TRoDUcED IN THE

COMMONS
London. Feb 3-Arthur ]. Balfour. First Lord
OF the Treasury, in a speech at Bristol tonight
announced that the Government would intro
duce bill in the House of Commons to increase
the aid given to sectarian schools.
He also alluded to Great Britain's foreign 70
lations. and said he felt that England and the
United States should work together each In its
own sphere, to promote and extend the Anglo
Saxon idea Of liberty. II. he declared. Great
Britain was In alliance with the United States,
she could fulf! the duties Providence had in-
trusted to her and need not fear foreign foes nor
internal divisions
There will be a bitter fight In the House OF Com.
mons before a proposal to grant further aid to sec.
tartan schools be enacted into law. The qu@s-
ton of religious education in the schools has long
been hotly contested. and the feeling for and
against such education has become stronger since
the recent fight on the subject In London.
As the matter is to come before the House OF Com.
mons again a review of the school fight may be In
teresting The Elementary Education acts OF 1910
1876 and 1850 required every school district whether
municipal, borough or civil parish, to provide suf-
fcent elementary school accommodation for all the
children In such district. Education Is compulsory
and is free to all of children applying for t.
Elementary education Is impaired under the volun-
tary or private effort system. and The School Board
system but State aid granted to the schools
thus established by a committee of the Privy Coun-
Gil The chief educational societies engaged In th1
work were the National Society of the Church OK
England the British and Foreign School Society. the
WESLEYAN School Society and the Roman Catholic
Poor School Committee There are also other COM
mittees known School Attendance Committees
which cannot build carry on schools. but which
can only compel attendance In the voluntary schools
The total population within the School Board area
& 2y3 under School Attendance
Committee jurisdiction. The education department
for England and Wales. the central authority for
primary education, is committee OF the fH'y
Council The greatest share Of ministerial work
falls on the vice-president of the department, VINO
is responsible to the House of Commons. The de-
partment distributes the Parliamentary grant,
frames the code and appoints staff OF inspectors
by whom schools receiving the grant are visited.
the pupils examined and training schools for teach.
ers are b are eos arc Of tbe admIns,rs
ton the English department IN lssi was 81 tzG$i
of the Scotch department tiS9 s1 ana o' 'ne if'sn
lac religious controversy in connection VIII eie-
menay education dates from the eary part OF I'M, rns
frequent conflict in the House OF commons an, sa
We're agreed upon the necessity OF National sys-
tenn OF education bat dis agreed upon the religious
yiIei a compromise OF the religious difficulty. II
was provided tnat religious instruction, when gwen,
should be impaired at the beginning or END OF the
school meeting leaving an unbroken two hours for
secular Instruction: that there should be displayed
in each schoolroom time table OF religious and
secular teaching and parents should have the right
10 withdraw their children from the religious IN.
structon: in board schools no distinctive catech'sm
or religious formulary should be taught. ana the
educatio department should not inspect OF tah0
cognizance OF the religious instruction. -.
This compromise worked satisfactorily until the
supporters Of the dsnominatonal grant-aide1
schools began 10 feel the competition OF the board
schools and the Angcans and Roman catholice
grew npa tient under the restrictions paced on the
religious teaching in their schools The discon-
tent grew stronger and stronger. and there were
many plain utterances the subject. The most
bitter fight was wagei I'm London. and II has not yet
been settled At a recent meeting Of the LONDON
Congregational Union resolution was passed
increased financial public aid 10 denominations.
schools without public control. and asserting that
no solution of the educational problem would be
satisfactory which ala not pace an unsectar.an
elementary schoo. within the reach OF every child
At other meetings similar resolutions have been
adopted A circular issued by the National Eiuca-
t,ona. Association demanded that there should be
no reversal OF the existing educational policy, ether
by the suppressing of the natural growth or board
schools by tampering with their public ana un-
denomina tional character. and that II the question
of education reOpened In Parliament the claims
OF the parents and of the public 10 Ocal represent-
ton and management should be fully recognized.
As the Government appears 10 be desrous or grant,
ing increased aid the denominational schools. IL
is certain that Il will have lively contest on its
hands.