The first day's meeting was temperate. On it not only
did Mr. Richard advocate giving Mr. Forster another chance, but Dr. Landells expressed his strong wish not to quarrel with the Government, saying it was probably the very best Govern- ment England had ever had ; and Mr. Jacob Bright insisted,— with a candour unique in this Conference, as far as our observation goes,—on the great virtues of the Education Act, as well as on its vices, referring to its frank recognition for the first time of purely secularechools, and its limitation of the duties of Government inspec- tors to purely secular subjects, and praising the application of the time-table Conscience Clause to denominational schools. Of course Mr. Jacob Bright went in heartily for the secular policy, but he at least did some justice to the Act.
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