5 FEBRUARY 1910, Page 18

THE POOR AND EDUCATION.

[To THE EDITOR 07 THE " SPECTATOR...1 SIE,—The writers of the letter in last week's Spectator signed E. C. Childs and J. S. Omond do not appear to have read my original article in the Quarterly, in which I was very far indeed from advocating the subjection of the working classes. Your editorial comment hits off the point at issue exactly. All my working friends I have spoken to on the subject agree that the primary thing for a workman, to give him indepen- dence and to avoid his being made a beast of burden, is for him to be good at his job and keen on doing it well. They are far from thinking that the scatter-brained discontent this modern education gives is in any way divine. Is not the time rather opportune for the formation of that third party, of which you have often written in the Spectator, of Liberalism without cant plus Toryism without grab P The recent Election has been an educational gain of the best sort to working people in making them aware of political economy, and the like. I have been more than astonished at the way they have been arguing things out round about here. The ordinary party cries and catchwords were comparatively muffled almost till

election day, though then, in the excitement of polling, it must be confessed that party feeling and scares became

predominant.—I am, Sir, &c., STEPHEN REYNOLDS.