[To TEE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR:]
SIR,—May I be allowed to modify in some slight details your abstract of the proposition contained in my letter of the 20th inst., as follows P- (1) What I suggested was that a religious service, consisting of well-selected portions of the Bible, with simple hymns and prayers, should be held daily in all State-aided schools.
(2) That the buildings of non-provided (Voluntary) schools should be rented by the Education Committees of County and Borough Councils, the trustees being allowed to reserve their use for, say, two evenings in the week and the whole of Sunday—this rent to be appropriated by the trustees for such objects as they deem to be best—and that religious instruction according to the views of the denomination by which the school was originally founded should be given (as proposed by 16.r. Birrell) on one or two days in the week, out of school hours.
(3) As you stated it,—i.e, "any school to be allowed to contract itself out of the Act, and be as it was before 1902."
May I be allowed to add the following alteration to the last clause of No. 2 P— As the objection has been raised that it would be practically impossible to give such doctrinal instruction out of the regular school hours, it might be possible to permit such instruction to be given on one appointed hour in the week, the time-table being arranged so that the ordinary secular lessons should begin at 9 a.m. and end at 11.30, at which hour the special denominational instruction, as above defined, should be given ; the Conscience Clause being used to exempt all children of other denominations from attendance. When this privilege is desiredby the trustees or managers, only a nominal instead of an estimated rent should be paid for the buildings. If such a concession could be granted, it might prove to be an eirenicon,—" a consummation devoutly to be wished."
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