THE ENGLISH EDUCATION BILL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 26, 28 June 1906, Page 15

THE ENGLISH EDUCATION BILL

GREAT CATHOLIC DEMONSTRATION

Hie meeting of protest against, the Education Bill Iby ♦ +v ath(>lics of London on Saturday evening, May 5~ at the Albert Hall, was one of the most .remarkable demonstrations seen in the English metropolis for many years. It. was an enormous gathering. Eleven thousa u-. P e x °F le fouml their way inio the enormous hall, while thirty thousand more patiently took up positions outside and were addressed in the form of numerous overflow meetings by several speakers. The doors of the hall were thrown open at seven o'clock, and in less than halt an hour ©very availatte inch of space was occupied. Close upon one hundred and lifty districts were represented, and the aoplications for tickets to the hall aJone were very many times greater its accommodative capacity. The character and 'dimensions of the demonstration showed clearly and emphatically that the hearts of the Catholic people of London are deeply stirred by the proposals in the new Education mil. Nothing but a moti.e of supreme moment could have Tnought together such a wonderful gathering of people, many of whom could but ill afford the trouble and expense— always a matter of very considerable importance to the poorer classes in a city Hie London— of journeying from remote and distant parts to the place of meeting. The whole proceedings, organised as it had >been on a gigantic scale, was a grand success. When the hall was lit up shortly before the proceedings began, the spectacle of the immense auditori'dm , the tiers of balconies and boxes and galleries crowded with many thousands of people was- truly wonderful, but it was not until that vast gathering Broke Forth in Swelling Chorus iii the hymn to the Holy Ghost, ' Holy Spirit of Light, and again in ' Hai 1 , Queen of Heaven ' and '*aith of Our Fathers,' that the real mightiness and grandeur of the occasic n became truly manifest. Emialiy impressive, if indovd not more so, was the spectacle outside the hall as continent after contingent arrived to swell the number of those gathered there. The entrance into the hall cf the Archbishoo of Westminster was lf-rclded .by a burst of enthusiastic cheering. After him came the English Bishops in their purple robes, amongst them the venerable Archbishop Bagshawe, and the Bishop of Aberdeen, who had travelled all the night iefore from the Nqrth of Scotland to act as the representative of the Scottish hierarchy men came the Catholic peers, headed by the Duke of Norfolk, and next the ropresentati\es of the other House, the Catholic Members of Parliament. They were headwl by Mr. John Redmond, the Irish leader. With him were some forty -of his party, Mr. John Dillon and Mr. T. M. Healy among the foremost Amongst those present in addition to the prelates clergy and the Catholic Members of Parliament, were the Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Denbigh, Earl of Abinedon Earl of Kenmare, Lord Dormer, Lord ArundellLord Braye, Lord Clifford, Lord Lovat, Lord KEHani^ Lord Petre, Lord Walter Kerr, Viscount Campden Sir (ueorgo Errungjttfn, Sir John Knill, Sir Humphrey de Irafford, Sir George Lambert, Sir Philip Rose Sir J : raneis Fleming Sir Thomas Burke, Sii Westby Perce£h p R ?F n , a r ld Barnewall, Sir Charles Cuffe, Sir John Purcell, Hon. Frank Russell, Hon. Charles Russell, the Duchess of Norfolk, the Dowager Duchess of Newcastle, Lady Arundell, Lady Petre, Lady Dormer Lady Russell, of Killowen, Lady Mary Howard, Lady, 51"\ l |! l<1 T ? aIlx) i; Lad 7 Most y". L^Y Knill, Lady Euart Smith, IJon Mrs. Codnngton, Hon. Mrs. Petre Mrs Craigie Lady Fleming, Lady Primrose, .Lord, Norreys,' Lady Turner, Hon. Mrs. Beresf o rd, Lady Alice Fitzwilliam. fniin^°' SieS n^ Or n( > n -a tl . endance wer^ received from the V n l;\ J he T Archbishop of St. Andrews and i « 3Jk- 6 V hl «- T ? rdship Ihe B^ hon of Galloway, .his «« TL P r. c , B i sh °P of Arindela, 'the Marquis of Ripon, the Earl of Granard, the Earl of Gain^orough \ iscount Gormanston, Viscount Llafidaß, Lord ford n? 1^ 0 "' L °T rd Y aU ,? Of Harr °wden, Lord North* Lord De Freyne, Lord Gerard, Lord Bfampton Sir Pa?k n in g °ton Da7> ** FranCiS C " Burnand ' Roper erA^^fM'ffi. S^Cha^s *$& sell fson ofEthe late Lord .Russell. Tkulo^S "Lord Chief Justice of England) then moved the follow n« reurn as fundamentally umust, (1) because it places the religious education of children attending the public ehJ

mentary schools under - the control of secular- local authorities ; (2) because it docs not take adequate accouiLt of the conscientious religious convictions of par- - ents ; and (3) because it imperils the. rights of prorerty.' The speaker supported the -motion in- a- speech which was admitted by all to be a~ triumph- of oratorical power. . This , was the opinion ;of : experienced pressmen. Mr. -Russell (said cne of these). has" the per- - fectly musical voice that gave such charm to his famous father's eloquence. One 3cbail(f ' have almost imagined it was the great lawyer and judge who was speaking. The test and truest praise of Mr. Russell's" speech is. to say that he worthily played* the -part Lord Russell, of Ki^lowen, would have taken if he were still amongst us. He was followed by Mr. She© K.C., Monsignor Brown, Mr.. Charles Santley, K.C.S.g'. (the famous singer), and others".-' - Tbe overflow meetings outside., the hall were addressed by Mr. Lister ' Drummond, Father Bernard Vaughan, S. J., Hon. C. Russell, 'etc. All the .papers have had descriptions and articles of the meeting. The "Daily Telegraph ' and other morning journals recognised enthusiastically the greatt significance of the- protest, but perhaps the most notableackuowlodgment was the following from the ' Daily News' : l lt- was a tamarkable triumph of organisation that) was witnessed at the Albert Hall en Saturday. Whereever one passed in London there seemed to be covered braJc loads journeying to the great hall.'eachnurhbered and each crowded to discomfort. It is said that'there were 25,000 reople outside the hall in addition toi those within, ihe Roman Catho'ic Church has nothing to learn when it is a matter of organisation ; and I do not remember any demonstrates' to compare with this in impressi veness.' ~