New-York tribune., 1907-01-06
COMMONS AND LORDS
a Cool Critic = Manoe,l7,res An
anomaly.

London. December %

Sluggish ana sonhoient. speaking slowly and
laboriously' procrastinating and undecided. and
apparently out or touch with public opinion; and
Il is not easy for onlookers to understand how
he mas gained the reputation of being one of
the most sagacious and influential statesmen In
the Kingdom. 1t is only in exceptional circum-
stances like the final debate of the Educstion
bill that the lucidity of his mind and the So
briefly OF his Judgment disclosed with over
"he!hhlns erect ana he vindcates his fame as
champion Of common sense. Ten months have
been hiled with debate in one house or the
other on great principles of education and re-
ligion, such as public control, the rights of
parents the liberty of teachers and the claims
Of conscience; and it has had hollow and an
artificial sound. The duke, with a contemptu-
Gus gesture, brushes aside this empty declama-
tion and ssserts that the educational system of
the kingdom has never been founded on anv
great wide ana generally accepted principles
Il wish we could have been more unprincipledr'
he exclaims in the next breath. IF we could
only have recognized this bill merely set
Of regulations for the future management Of our
public elementary schools. If we could have con-
centrated our attention whether those regu-
education in this country and with a sense of
Justice on the part of all parties concerned and
have omitted all consideration Of principles
think 1t would have been possible TO have made
greater progress He had already shown
that the houses differed only on single point
and that there was justification for the
abandonment of negotiations for compro-
mise; and he ended by voting for the govern
ments concessions
The educational system in England Is ground
ed in reality upon compromise rather than prin-
ciple. When Mr.. Forster established the ma
tonal schools in 1870 he affiliated them by con-
science clauses and artificial adjustments with
thousands of voluntary denomnational
schools. AS time went and the voluntary
schools were unable to compete successfully with
the state schools another series of compromises
was adopted. BY the act of 1902 the financial
maintenance of the UNCONVENTIONAL schools was
sadded upon the ratepayers without public
control Thousands of Free Churchmen repudi-
ated the obligation to pay for religious teaching
OF which their consciences dsapproved and be-
came passive resisters: the Welsh county
cs declined TO set the act IN operation; the West
Riding Council appealed to the courts against
the law: and the general electorate. by i'm
mense majority commissioned a Parlia-
ment to redress the grievances of Noncon-
forrnists. The Liberal government undertook to
remove the grievances by transferring the vol
untary schools 10 the County Councils: but the
measure was compromised before It left the
Cabinet and again in the Commons, and when
clause to enable the teachers to remain
servants of denomna tionalism. 1t was sent
back TO the Lords without their amendments but
with fresh proposals for compromise; and 1t has
finally been killed of because the houses could
not agree 10 leave teachers in between thirteen
thousand and fourteen thousand schools at lib
erty 10 give denomina tionaI instruction at the
cost OF taxpayers ard without public control.
This larnentebe loss of the bill, IN the Judgment
averted # there had been less vaporing over
principles and more common sense In regulating
the practical management Of the schools
In place Of a conflict over prlncipies--a real
battle for conscience-there has been political
rnaneuvring from beginning 70 end. There
have been wary and defensive tactics the
government SIDE, since it necessary 10 keep
the solid 5attalions in line and to prevent Non
conformist desertions: and there ha been in
sidious strategy on the part of the Unionists
since there a party advantage TO be gained
by defeating the main measure OF a protracted
session and by drawing ministers into an embar-
RAISING position where they would be forced 70
administer a law which they were pledged to
reform The bill was -'maneuvred" from the
Lords 10 the Commons loaded down with amend.
ments so 10 be unmanagea BILE, and then it
was "manHuvred' hack again in it's original
form. with proposals for a compromise; and each
party has been anxious to put the other in a
false position and to hold II responsible for the
wrecking Of the measure. Mr. Balfour has won
tactical success since he has defeated the bill
with the help OF the Lords: but he has not
Shown his usual cleverness in conceaIing his
purposes; he has instigated too openly the ac-
uon OF the upper house; he has been embttered
eno unooncfliatory, and he has exposed himself
alike to the chilling sarcasms of the Duke of
OeFonshlre and to the fiery inyective of the
Prime Minister. The Liberal government has
displayed the superior strategy. The ministers
nave made Straightforward effort bring to
an end controversy of which the country is
weary. They have sought TO save on patriotic
grounds. peace measure which their adver-
saries were bent upon destroying for partisan
advantage. They have lost their bill but they
have strengthened their hold upon the conf
6ence of the country
There will be a reversion to the Act of
1902 with the difficulties OF administering II
multiplied. The Welsh counties are in revolt
against II, so that its enforcement in that quar-
ter will be impracticable. The passive resist
agitation will be renewed on a large scale,
and county councils. which are forced to pay
for denominatonal teaching without controlling
81, will be in sympathy with lawbreakers. The
existing Education Act longer has public
ously hundreds OF voluntary schools can be
condemned as inefficient and deprived Of local
sid from the rates Mr. BirrelPs bill is not
Ekely 10 be revived but there are direct meth
DDS OF limiting expenditures for voluntary
schools by financial measures. which cannot be
vetoed by the Lords. The Liberal government
without doubt will be harassed with difficulties
in keeping the mechanism of the Balfour Act
in operation; but IL VIII not be tempted to re-