In Tuesday's debate the same point was taken up. In
the course of the debate Mr. Balfour admitted that the fact of a denominational school being the only one within the reach of children in a considerable area was a hardship, and one that the Government Bill could only minimise. It was one of the unfortunate results of our national religious divisions. The Government Bill, however, partially met the grievance by the power granted to the local authority to provide other denominational schools. Lord Hugh Cecil and Mr. Lloyd- George found common ground in this grievance, and Lord Hugh's promised amendment to the effect that different religious teachers should be allowed to enter the schools and teach their different beliefs—the New South Wales system—secured Mr. Lloyd-George's appro- bation, provided that it was applied all round. The Prime Minister, seizing the opportunity thus given him, declared that "he was one of those who thought that this difficulty might be met by permitting outside denominational teaching of all kinds in the school if a sufficient number of parents desired it." He was prepared to offer that the children of Nonconformist parents should have teaching in accordance with the religious opinions of those parents. This offer is certainly not a vague one, despite the opinion of Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, and, as we have said elsewhere, we would most strongly appeal to the Nonconformists to accept Mr. Balfour's proffered ;com- promise, and so end the scandal of the perpetual squabble over the problem of religious education.
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