Mr. C. S. Read moved on Wednesday the second reading
of his Agricultural Children Bill, which is intended' to apply an indirect educational compulsion to agricultural labourers. It Proposes to render the employment of children penal, if when between the .ages of 8 and 10 they cannot produce a certificate of 250 attendances at school during the last year, or of 150 attendances when between the ages of 10 and 12. This is very mild, but it is good as far as it goes. There is no reason for supposing that direct compul- sion is to be given up because some indirect compulsion is applied, as Mr. Forster remarked when giving his assent to the second reading, and evidently desiring to have the advantage of both. For our own parts, we are inclined to believe that in the agricultural districts, where the prejudice against compulsory education is great, the indirect compulsion would be a most valuable auxiliary to the direct, and in the first instance probably even more efficient. But it should go a little further than worthy Mr. Read proposes.
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