Mr. Asquith spoke on Wednesday to a crowded meeting at
the Town Hall, Oswaldtwistle, near Accrington, in Lancashire. It was not an important speech except in one particular. Mr. Asquith apparently believes what every other sign of the times indicates, that the Opposition are about to concen- trate all their strength in resisting the Education measure of the Government, and are preparing themselves to attack any measure which the Government may bring forward for the assistance of the voluntary schools, on the ground that it will probably be of a kind "to subsidise denominational teaching by a protective tariff." As it is quite certain that the Government will never attempt anything that can be properly so described, and as it is almost equally certain that whatever the Govern- ment do propose will be improperly so described, we trust that the Government will take great care in the preparation of their measure, to secure that all the special help they grant to the voluntary schools shall be expended in im- proving the secular education, and that the changes adopted shall be independently inspected and endorsed by the experts of the Education Department.
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