The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-25


A London cablegram tells of great mass
meeting at Hyde Park on Saturday, at
which the crowd was variously estimated
at from 10000 to 100000. Professions headed
by brass bands marched from every part
of the city carrying banners with notices.
Very great enthusiasm marked the
marches of the thousands to the park"
says the dispatch. 1.-The columns, which
were made up of a strange medley OF cler-
gymen, members of Parliament. clerks.
teachers, laborers and tradesmen. traversed
many of the principal thoroughfares."
When the people of London assemble in
Hyde Park by hundreds of thousands it
means something. The object of this great
demonstration was to voice popular op
position to the new education bill. The bill
was introduced and passed as a government
measure and will work a radical change
in the school system of the United King
dom. Under the law of 1870 the system
included what were known as board
schools and voluntary schools. The former
were really public schools, under the con-
troll of boards elected by the people. Since
1891 these schools have been free and sup
ported by an appropriation Of public money.
The so-called voluntary schools are Church
of England, sectarian schools. In the board
schools unsectarian religious instruction
is given, while the voluntary schools impart
sectarian instruction. For several years
past there has been a conflict Of interest
between the two systems, and the new edu-
cation bill sought to end it and lay the
foundation of a uniform system by plac-
ing the board and the voluntary schools-or
as We would say the public schools and the
church schools-on an equal footing, to be
maintained by taxes assessed by county
and borough councils. In most country dis
tricts OF England and Wales there are no
schools except the church schools. and peo-
pie of other denominations besides the
Church of England help to support these
| in preference to paying taxes for public
| schools that would be necessary if the
| church schools went out of existence. The
new bill provides that country schools shall
| be managed by a committee composed of
| the resident minister of the Church Of Eng
land, three laymen of his parish, and two
representatives of the public authority.
| The bill is bitterly opposed by dissenters.
non-conformists and the working class on
| the ground that it tends to the establish
ment Of the church schools at public ex-
pense. On it's passage in the Commons.
| the Roman Catholic members voted for 1t
| on the ground that il provided for paroch-
ial schools and religious instruction. AS
| there are some Catholic schools in England.
| they would come in for share of the pub
lie support OF voluntary. or parochial
| schools.
| The foregoing is a general outline of the
new measure, without going into details.
/ From an American point of view its fun
| damentai defect seems to be the mingling
| of church and state schools. giving the
| church too much control over public schools
4 and appropriating part of the money raised
| by taxation to the support of parochial
| schools Nothing of the kind could sue
| coed in this country or would even be at
| tempted, though it was advocated with
great ability by Archbishop Hughes in New
| York more than fifty years ago. 1t may be
| that from an educational point Of view the
new bill is an Improvement on the presen,
plan. but it will meet with strenuous oppo-
sition from the people. and may cause a
| change of ministry.