EDUCATION BILL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 132, 27 February 1908, Page 7

EDUCATION BILL.

A CRITICISM BY "THE TIMES." '1 ■ ■ BIT'TELEGRAPH —PHESS ASSOCIATION— COPYRIGHT.. ' London, February 25. '.'The Times" says the ■ English senso of justice will resent tlio obvious attempt to cripple the-Church rural schools unless they accept tho proposed limited facilities of dcliominatioiial'teaching.- ■ . VARIOUS ATTITUDES. ANGLICANS AND BOMAN CATHOLICS... Tho attitude of. the Anglicans and Eoman Catholics regarding the education question may, be gathered from- an , article iii the "Catholic Times," which' snvs the Bishop of Manchester - and Mr. F., E; Smith; II.I\, ■ have | stated the position.' " through ' the columns of the , daily s press in. languago which Mr. -M'Kc'nna must heed, under pain of political extinction.' If, these two gentlemen tell him, any ~-sxtensive. system -oi - contracting out, 'under'.which rate-aid will be withdrawn from 'non-provided schools;, though the the Parliamentary grant (or" possibly .an increased grail t)will be. maintained or conceded, then, tho writers say, ' explicitly, decisively, and once for all, Lancashire wiil not tolerate'any such proposal. We. refuse, unequivocally, and' point- blank, to. cut our- children adrift ;'froni public funds to ..which we are compulsory contributors.' ■. They appeal, for proof of the existenco of this sentiment in Lancashire, to the results of the'- municipal : elections •in Liverpool,, i Manchester, Preston, _ and other centres of population; They point out-'tha't Lancashire vnll insist on the recognition .in till the elementary schools of the country ■ of the right. of . parents to determine the character of the religious education which .shall be given to their children in. those,, schools. -Lest there miglit. be' any misunderstanding, about their resolve to uphold ' these,' claims, they go oil to. threaten .that acts may follow words. '.If,'- tliey, say, "it be tho intention of .tho Government definitely to proscribe - the claim ■ embodied in the; parents'- right;-.-:we shall deplore the; decision, but wo shall'not shrink from the conflict; which that decision will provoke. :We .think" that this conflict may :bo both, bitter and protracted.'. This -.Government, have justified Passive' Resistance.' Their principle will be acted up to, and on a'scale that will hurl them to ruin.'" [ SKVEX PKINCII'IES. At. tho Anglican Church Congress held in October, the Bishop of Manchester , submitted that' tho future of-'religion in public elementary. schools would be secured and, the religious controversy .minimised, if' not ended,: by: tho frank admission of the,". following principles,;— 1.. Supremacy of. the. State in all schools. '■■2: Liberty to teachers who wish" to, givo religious instruction to ,givc it to children whose parents desire that- their 'children''"should receive such instruction,; and,iii .conformity withtho religious faith of both teachers anilchildren. - i'. L .; , : -. ■ ■ . ;.: ■ 3. The instruction io be; given in >11 schools alike in school hours, without the 1 restriction' of the Cowper-Tcmple.. clause, by • teachers on tho school .staff,'as far aii- possible co-operation' of tho religious organisations -bfeinfe 'effectively' secured through managers or. otherwise. , ' 4. Promotion of. teachers'not to bo. affected ,by. their religious beliefs. ■ v 5. All forms of religious instruction to -be equally treated as to the cost of the instruction given..

.G. No. school. having denominational : trusts to bo used for educational:purposes;other>than thos.e of its-trust deed,' and 1 no denominational school to bo closed so long as: the, parents, of thirty.children: desired its continuance., i 7. No parent to be placed ill the/position of being compelled to send .his,child,to a .denominational school unless he desired: to do so. On such principles .-.as these,-, the' Bishop said, : pcace, : and end of strife. l were -possible, but on thb basis of unequal treatment no settlement, was possible., : :. \ demands" oi im ao\conf6rmists. ' . At a specially . convened meeting ' of the General Committee of. the National . Council of the: Evangelical'-'. Free' Churches, it was unanimously decided,' on the motion of Dr. Clifford, .seconded .by. Miv Silas K. 1 Hocking,, to reaffirm the resolutions on education passed at the' Annual Council at. Newcastle.- and also the National Council held afterwards at Manchester, and Leeds. In addition tho following resolution. i*as,mbved. by Mr.' K. AY. Perks, M.],\-, ; and . seconded .by Mr. A. E. :Ilutton,.< M.P, : "Tliat no settlement of tho Education question will, be deemed by this Committee to-be satisfactory -..which provides- -for the . preferen- ■ tial. treatment of • or".Creed...' The-' Committee is of opinion .that', the. plan' l , known as: 'contracting out-would inotonly be a. .violation of this principle, but. would . bo ' directly .adverse to' the object of the Council— viz., the establishment' of one-typo of .elementary school under', public,','control'- throughout the country. The' Committee, therfore, urgently request: His -Majesty's Government, not, to .-sanction, in any s forni," whatever, '"any such proposals." . The; following resolution was moved by Dr. Hodgson, - seconded by r Rev.. A. 1 T. Guttery," and passed,- with, four dissentients':—" : ..." That, in our judgment, to grant the right of denominational entry and. teaching into' provided schools, would be to introduce an innovation that is inconsistent with the prinV ciples of national' education as declared in , resolutions of the National -Free Church Counare of opinion tliat 'the entrance of the .denomination, as 1 such; .into rthe-- Couueil schools would introduce confusion and strife, and' urge .His Majesty's, Government , not, (o include such a principle iu their forthcoming Education Bill. . "THE SECULAR SOLUTION." , Speaking at the annual meeting' of tho. Northern Counties' Education League, in Bradford, in December, Lo'i/'d Ribblesdale said that lie began to recognise no party in' this question of education'. Tho line of action taken, in , reducing the "grant to 'Manchester •Victoria- University seemed more surprising in view of.'the academic-distinction of members of the Government like Mr: Morley, Mr. Asquith, Mr. llaldaiic," . Mr. Birrell, and others. If ever there was a time when wo wero being left behind, and a time not to (take money from educational bodies, it would appear,to bo tho. present.: There was a desire' between the two great parties in ,framing an Education 'Bill to keep, in with-, tho Church without' outraging Nonconformity, and there was danger of education: disappearing in a farrago of compromises, concessions,' qontract-ings-out, rights of entry, interpretations, and ordinances enough to f tax' eveh • tlio administrative resources and ingenuity of AVest Riding county councillors, (laughter .and . applause.) He was an out and out believer in the secular' solution. Tho secular." solution would come, ho felt certain, and that, too, in the timo of most of thoso present; .