On Tuesday Mr. Lewis invited the House of Commons to
declare that the Bishops should no longer sit in the House of Lords. Lord Hugh Cecil, who replied, while he displayed real width of view as well as power, not only argued that the Bishops should not be turned out of the House of Lords, but moved as an amendment that the heads of the chief Nonconformist bodies should be called to the House of Lords as life Peers. This wise and liberal suggestion threw the official Radicals into a state of nervous irritability—though afraid to abolish the Lords altogether, they are still more afraid of strengthen. ing them—and Sir Robert Reid expressed the dread lest the House of Lords should secularise the great Nonconformists instead of their spiritualising the Peers. We have dealt with the subject at length elsewhere, but are glad to note that Mr. Balfour, in the few words in which he closed the debate, supported the proposal for nonconforming spiritual Peers. When the division was taken on the main issue it was nega- tived by 71 (200 to 129).
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