SECULAR EDUCATION.—A deputation from the National Public School Association waited
on Lord John Russell on Thursday, to lay before him their objections to the Government Bill. Lord John in some mea- sure replied to their objections. He said that all the measures yet proposed had been defective as regards providing for the education of pauper children and the children of those just above pauperism. Fifty years ago the American system might have been introduced, but it is now too lute ; and all we can do is to make progress from time to time, retracing our stops if we are wrong. With regard to secular as contradistinguished from religious education, he called on them to bear in mind the progress that had been made during the last half-century upon this subject. Because it was one thing to say, "Here is a country without education, and we can establish a natio* system for that country"; and it was quite another thing to say, "Here is a country with a large number of schools, some thousands of schools, and we will overturn all that and adopt another system in its place." Lord John requested that the observations which had been made should be laid before him in writing.
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