EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 177, 21 April 1908, Page 7

EDUCATION.

COMPfIOMISE OR THE SECULAR SYSTEM. GOVERNMENT ATTITUDE. / - A SPEECH BY MR. CHURCHILL, t by iELEGtiArn--pnEsa association—copyniont. London, April 19. Mr. Winston Churchill, in the course of an address't\t Manchester, speaking on bc- • half of Mr. Asquith, declared that the odu- ' cation question must bo settlod by compro- ' miso, or by tho adoption of tho sc'cular system. ■ ■ I : ,7 THE EDUCATION ISSUE.. | The Education question-is. going to play : a ' big part in the North-West Manchester elec--1 tion. The Bishop of Manchester (Dr.' Knox) • is one of the most energetic,and outspoken of 1 tho opponents; of tho Government's education • policy, and the 'recently published statistics of public education explains! tlio special interest of. Lancashire churchmen in 'the result of-the election. The following are the total figures for the County of Lancashire:— . . ■ ' , . -. Average, . • - , Schools. 1 attendance. t Voluntary ...... 1915 461,073 ; ■: — : Council ' .410 230,827 . - 1505 ; 230,2-16 Thus the Voluntary' schools throughout Lancashireoutnumber the Council sohools: by nearly five, to one, aud even including the populous centres where large and, expensive Louncu schools have been erected, they still e i m i 6 .exactly double the number of ohildren educated, in, the Council schools. In the who|e count.? there, are only four educational areas in_ which-, tile Council schools outnumber the Voluntary. On the- other hand, ," ro ,, n ° fewer than eight' large boroughs ontirely dependent on Voluntary sohools for elomentary education. Thero are other large „,°™ u 5, s the, strength of Voluntary fnilnuS?" ' 6 ® , * oo ' s is overwhelming. Tho following are the figures for the three cities comprised in tho County:- ; . , Council Schools. VoL .Schools. Average Average l ■vjP' attend; No. . attend. Manchester ... 78 50,095 . ; 84'. 44 687 siTS 01 -i 0 ' «,122 ill "ew Sallord ... ... 1C , 14,561 .42. 21,200 145 11,1,978 237 132,494 , In a rcceht speech the' Bishop of Manchester furnished ;a pretty clear hint as to what ho. has in. view " The time will; very soon come, he said, when the Education Bill prepared by the -Government will have passed through the: Bouse of Commons,- and'it will P.® .9 r , tho.House of Lords to,consider Kvhothor theyesn accept or reject that Bill; : ; Now, when foe? up. for that purposo in London ' that, tlio, parents or the people are quite in-, ttijierent, and do, not care twopence about the religious education of their children, it is not reasonable to suppose that the House of Lords anything, but accept,,with some slight modification; such' a Bill as' tho Government may prepare.- If, on .the other hand,. ynu enable. me;,to. say : for .certain,, that there are.-in Lancashire, thousands of people who have signed these • ' membership' cards (ofthe Parents' League),/,that' these peoplo do care, and itliat ,they n will make their'feelings understood at the very .next election,that comes off, then I cannot promise yOu what the. actual result will be, but I -know that you will send me with ,a very i strong card indeed in my hand." "If this battle is lost," .the Bishop added, "l' bolievo ! that-tho'end witJiiri ten'years' time will lie a : ' secular: system. f<sr : tho ,whole of England." .