[TO THE EDITOR OP THY " SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—It is urgently necessary in the interests of Free-trade that a compromise on the education question be speedily arrived at. The Norwich election is showing clearly that unless this is done we shall have appeals to Churchmen to vote for the Protectionist in order to secure the maintenance of the present arrangement. It is not that some Churchmen are Protectionists—that, if the Church is a national Church, is most desirable—but that appeals are made to Churchmen qua Churchmen to subordinate everything to the education question. It may be said that the present system is reason- able, and, that being so, pressure must be brought to bear on the Liberal party to acquiesce in it, under the penalty of losing the next Election. But three years' experience of a Liberal Association has convinced me that such a course is hopeless. Reasonable or not, there is not the slightest chance of any Liberal Association supporting a candidate who is not in favour of some alteration. That being so, the choice lies between an alliance between Churchmen and Protectionists, and the discovery of an acceptable compromise. I can imagine few greater evils than that the Church of England should officially support one party, and, above all, a party -which is aiming at making food dear. A system far less favourable to the Church schools than the present would be better for the Church than such an_alliance. It therefore behoves Churchmen who are Free-traders, and who see the dangers to the morality of our public life that are involved in the success of Mr. Chamberlain, to take vigorous steps to set us frees from the entanelement into which we have got. My
recent experience of lecturing in one or two villages has con- vinced me that the danger is greater than I fancied. I have been continually surprised to find people who I thought must be safe ready to believe in the arguments (?) of the tariff re- formers. How people who know that the object of all the classes that are supporting the movement is to raise prices, and who know that the only way prices can be raised is by making articles scarcer, can believe that scarcity is better than plenty, I am unable to imagine.—I am, Sir, &c., ARTHUR E. T. NEWMAN
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