Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-27
The elementary schools, in point of the
number of pupils in attendance, are di-
vided prac-
About Evenly Divided tic lily
a.. evenly be-
III. 1OlUC OF dCCCUUd0Cc. twoap tho

Ill 1Out VI AIIc0uduCc. tween the
voluntary schools and the board schools.
The voluntary schools are church schools
in which UNCONVENTIONAL orthodoxy Is
large part of the teaching. These, under
the act of 1870, received aid from the
national treasury. The board schools,
supported by local taxes and governed
by locally elected school boards. gave re-
ligious instruction, but excluded denomi-
national teaching. In 1902 Mr.. Balfour
introduced an education bill which ma
tionalized the voluntary schools and in
corporated them with the board schools
in one national system, the two systems
sharing equally in the public purse. but
the control and domination lying in the
voluntary schools, whose governing
boards are selected, not by the people,
but in effect by the church. This forced
the non-conformist schools under the
control of the established church.
This bill was met by passive resist
ance," which was the refusal on the
part of the non-conformists to pay the
taxes levied for school purposes under
what they held to be an unjust law. For
this many were imprisoned, and the
household furniture and personal effects
of the passive resisters were sold to
satisfy the claims for taxes. This bill
was church measure and was support
ed by the church and by the bishops in
the house of lords.
More than any other one thing the
education bill of 1902, which deprived the
nOn-conformiSts of all rights in the
schools, was the reason for the recrudes-
cence of the liberal party and the unprece
denied liberal majority in the parliament
elected in 1906. The liberal house of
commons Immediately passed an educa-
ton reform BILL which provided for unfit
cation of the public school system; the
complete local and popular control of
schools supported by taxes, and the
abolition of religious tests for teachers.
1t may be remarked in passing that none
but members of the Church of England
are permitted to teach in the schools
The liberal education bill was killed by
the house of lords, and even the progress
sive Bishop Of London said: The house
of lords is dong Gods work.
1t appears to be impossible under the
present parliamentary system, by which
the house of lords is an active and eff
fective chamber of the legislature, to
enact any law which will give the non
conformists equal rights in the schools.
They must now send their children to
schools which they are taxed to sup
port in which forty-five minutes each
day is devoted to religious instruction of
a denominational character by Church of
England teachers. If the present con-
stitutional revolution is successful and
the veto of the house of lords is abolished
1T is certain that the school system will
be taken from control of the church.
In view of these things 1t is not strange
| that liberals should say that the church
lis ranged on the side Of authority as
against liberty, on the side of aristocracy
as against democracy. and on the side
of the past as against the future
Tomorrow-THE BRITISH CRISIS.
XXIII-The Liquor Trade.