EDUCATION ISSUE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 162, 2 April 1908, Page 7

EDUCATION ISSUE.

A COMPROMISE BILL. ENCOURAGING'RECEPTION IN LORDS. ■" ATTITUDE OF CHURCH, tl TELEGIIAIMI —MESS■■ASSOIfIATIOK—COPYRIGHT. London, March-31. - Tho Right Rov. Dr. Edwards, . Bishop of ; ' St; ..Asaph,-, moved tho second; reading of his . Education .Bill. that it wascal- : culatod. to securo safety, peace, < uniformity, and efficiency. The Archbishop of Canterbury stated that tho Bill was not officially put forward by tho Church, though it went .a long way towards producing an agreement that would be fav- . oured, as would any settlement, not.; involving . ■'sacrificeVof ilie . Church's .fuk^ > • Tho Earl' of Crowo, Lord President of tho .Council, advised that tho'Bill, should bo read ■a second time. He believed it was an honest attempt at a' settlement,; though many, grave questions must be, met . before the requirements of tho country wero secured. The Government thought ■ their Bill ought to bo the basis for discussion. .Tho rMarqiiis of ■ Lansdowne said tho Bill stopped far short of a compromise which : . Not only did it contain ambiguities, but also serious omissions. . 'v... . .' Tho Earl of Rosebery considered the Bill was 1 an enormous step forward. The debate was adjourned. 'A MANCHESTER CONFERENCE. Under tho _ Bishop's • Bill, there would be jirnplo Christian teaching within school hours, at the cost of the local education authority; and there would be distinctive religious instruction, for children'u-hose parents desire-it, .three .times.eacli: week, notiat'the cost of the local education authority.' The Bill accepts 'the' principles'of public control'and abolition of tests. The Church of .England, under this Bill,:- would give un the appointment- of teacheife/and the right of contracting out, and' 'would-transfer its school'buildings'for secular .instruction to the local education authority. The attitude,or the Archbishop of .Canterbury would seem. to indicate that the Church is by no/means; to 'a'compromise' oil; the' lines proposed, or on.: similar lines)-;. 1 Aii interesting conference, representative'of-the Church of Eng- . land and! Nonconformists, took placo recently at Manchester; Lord. Ribblesdale presiding. The Dean of Manchester (Bishop \V r J. G. Wardle, M.P.; Principal; Adeuey, Dr. Goodrich,: Professor Findlajv Aliss May Dendy (Unitarian), and Rev. J. Hirst Hoilowell were among thos9 ! present. .' i The'i''Cliristiaii;.World" re-' . ''ports^.'-'v^Vy-'.'-T''' ■ - .;.: "A resolution in -favour of the limitation of .public'management'of schools to secular teach--Ing/with facilities for- religious teaching out'of. . school .hours, was proposed l as tho only solution of . the, .education question. ..Bishop Welldon, in 1 a .strong .'speech;, said , that 'as'.'a citizen and ■ patriot,-: it '.was. to'him,, a vital- matter., to make; this nation ■ a religious nation. In the circumstances of modern; life, .he believed t tlie , -. State must be the power to give a l, religious character - to*-the ' nation-.as-' a ~whole. The churches,-as;the atlendance:at worship showed, were not strong enough. >.There ought ; to, bo no difficulty in getting l a form of religious teach- !- ing acceptable to. the .great majority .of parents —at least ,tho reading of the Bible without note or comment, the saying'of the Lord's Prayer, and the singing of hvnms which were the "common property: of all Christian denominations. ■■' . :: ... ■■ - "In reply to a-question of Bishop Welldon's, : Lord -Eibblesdale/somewhat ■ incautiously ruled; that the resolution would, exclude .the use of the Lord's Prayer. Kev: ,f. Hirst Hoilowell explained ;that that was not' tho interpretation of seoular education, given by the Northern, Counties; Education -League. In '. America, whero 'secular' education.was.general, Bible.reading, a hymn, and- the. Lord's, Prayer,, were generally.usei- Beforo the resolution , was put, Loid suggested;-that the - point raised; -.should be considered ,'as left open.',- Bishop'.Well-, others' - refrained -from; , voting,' . . and'the resolution .was carried by a substain-' tial majority. v'-v:- -v;- '-■»•'' "Vt nhng" subsequently' to 'The Manchester - '' Guardian,';.;. Principal; Adeney says: that' 'al-' ■ most everybody . at, the Conference, including 1 . . \the '.Nonconformists; and tlie'Labour represen-; tatives, were'prepared ito . accept Bishop Well-, don's . minimum.!, proposal: s Dr. Adeney Mm-' ' self would diav'e . preferred the old Manchester concordat, but would agree' to the D?ah's'pro- . posals if - moderate ; denominationalists would. " also see their'reasonableness."