The Education debate came to an end on Tuesday night,
after two more nights of rather languid debating. The asserted eagerness of private Members to speak did not show itself in ardent speeches, but for all that there were some excellent, though by no means very aggressive, ad- dresses. Sir Edward Clarke and Mr. Mundella both made able party speeches on Monday, but Mr. Jebb, the Member for Cambridge University, made one of the very strongest speeches in the debate, and though he spoke warmly for the Bill as a whole, he made several acute criticisms on it, and suggested that ultimately the voluntary schools would be obliged to come upon the rates, and that they might admit a local control over the secular teaching, though the religions teaching should remain in the hands of the denominational authorities,—" Give the local authority representation in the management of every school that receives State aid," but let such representatives not interfere in the religious manage-
ment. Mr. Haldane held that it was the object of the Bill to " de-Aclandise" the Education Department; but surely when Mr. Acland resigned office, it was " de-Aclandised."
Previous page
