The Duke of Devonshire made a little speech at Brighton
on Wednesday at the ninety-eighth annual festival of the Masonic Institution for Boys, which appeared to indicate that he did not greatly regret the loss of the Education Bill, but rather enjoyed it. At least his tone was certainly that of the conventional and unregretful mourner. "The Govern. ment," he said, "of which he bad the honour to be a member, and especially the Department of which he was the head, had recently made an attempt to reform and reorganise the system of both elementary and secondary education, which attempt had not met with unqualified success." That is a satirical tone, and suggests what the autumn speeches of the Dnke of Devonshire also suggested, that his sympathies go rather with the Opposition in this matter than with the Govern. inent. The Duke's reception of the first deputation from the Church schools, more than half a year ago, made the same impression on those who studied it carefully. He is not a sincere believer in dogmatic teaching.
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