CORRESPONDENCE.

A NEW EDUCATION BILL.

SOME ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF THE EDUCATIONAL SETTLEMENT COMMITTEE'S SCHEME. [To THE EDITOR Or THE "SPECTATOR."]

Stu,—There is a flippant tale told of a lunatic who was in the habit of catching imaginary flies. When asked to explain her strange aotion, she pointed under her cloak, and replied : " The flies are -to feed this mongoose."

" But there is no mongoose."

" Well, there are no flies."

In the same way it is often said by cynical observers of the religious education controversy that the grievances so per- sistently aired are imaginary, and that therefore solutions of the grievances must also be imaginary if they are to succeed.

Six years ago this might have been alleged without much contradiction, but now that the smoke of controversy has somewhat cleared away and the actual conditions in most of our rural schools have been observed, it has become increas- ingly clear that the problem is a real and living issue, and that the solution must equally be real, sincere, and practical if a permanent resettlement is to be achieved. There may, indeed, be some truth in the statement, frequently made, that the parents who send tneir children to our elementary schools are indifferent to the exact mode of imparting religions instruc- tion, and that the one place where the din of political controversy has never penetrated is the school itself. This indifference of parents, however, has little or no bearing on the matter in hand, because it is only another symptom of the dangerously wide chasm which has come between the home and all school matters during the last forty years. That parental demands or parental choice can lead to a settlement of our difficulties is not at present a permissible hope, but there is no reason why the interests of parents should not be consulted so far as practicable, and it is claimed that the scheme discussed below would give full consideration to their case. As distinguished, however, from the parents, the parties, both clerical and lay, that have loomed largest in the controversy are far from being inarticulate or indifferent as to their own interests, and their opposition has hitherto re- sisted successfully all suggested solutions, including the ill- fated attempts made by Mr. Birrell in 1906 and Mr. Runciman in 1908. During these years, however, there has been a steady growth of moderate opinion in the country which has been undoubtedly anxious for peace, and it was inevitable that eventually this body would enter the field on its own behalf. In 1908 the Educational Settlement Committee came into being to give voice to this large body of opinion, and the Non- Pasty Bill which has now been introduced in the House of Commons by Mr. Harvey, the Member for West Leeds, is one of the fruits of the Committee's labours. The main belief of those who framed the Bill was that it was possible to promote religious teaching as a vital part of our national system of education, and at the same time to achieve a settlement of the long-drawn-out con- troversy which would respect all varieties of religious convic- tion. It is thus the aim of the Bill to steer a course between the Scylla of secularism and the Charybdis of denominational monopoly.

Framed as it is by men who are thoroughly conve rsant with all aspects of the religious difficulty, the Bill yet lacks nothing on its technical side. It is thoroughly informed on all details of administration and of educational procedure, and that it interferes with existing rights only to the smallest degree it is the hope of this article to point out.

As stated in the Memorandum, the principal objects of the Bill are to make Council schools accessible to all children of school age both in rural and in urban areas ; to facilitate the transfer of voluntary schools, on terms agreed upon by the local education authority and the trustees, in districts where accommodation in a Council school is not already accessible ; to secure attention to the wishes of the parents as to the recognition of new voluntary schools and as to the main- tenance of existing voluntary schools where alternative to Council schools ; to provide for equality of treatment between Council and voluntary schools; to prohibit religious tests for teachers in all Council schools and transferred voluntary schools ; to provide that the salaries of teachers on the staff of any public elementary school shall neither be enhanced nor diminished on the ground that such teachers do or do not give religious instruction. As regards the Council schools religious teaching is safeguarded by the obligation imposed upon every local education authority, either itself to provide religions instruction in the Bible and in the principles of the Christian religion or to afford facilities for the giving in the schoolhouse of religious instruction, whether of a special character or not, to those children whose parents desire them to receive it. Finally, it should be mentioned that a Religious Instruction Committee would be set up in each district by the local education authority.

The Bill has this advantage over some other constructive schemes, that it rigorously observes the principle of con- tinuity both in theory and in administrative practice, and thus avoids errors which might inflict permanent damage on education in this country. As being the work of a composite body, comprising many shades of religions and educational thought, the scheme naturally steers a middle course, and yet in many respects it is not so much a compromise as a bold synthesis of opposing views. Notably is this the case in the different treatment meted out to the two distinct problems which arise in urban and in rural districts.

It is true that the Bill firmly establishes one underlying principle to which all districts, both urban and rural, would be compelled to conform in future, namely, that access to an elementary school under public management must be brought within the reach of every child ; but so far as is compatible with this golden rule, variety of school and of religious teach- ing would not only be permitted but actually encouraged throughout the country. In populous urban areas many existing denominational or alternative schools would be enabled to continue alongside the ordinary Council schools, and new alternative schools could still be created in future where a sufficient number of parents were found actively to desire such schools.

The total effect in urban areas will thus be slight, and this is as it should be in a wise settlement, since where free choice of schools already exists the religious difficulty does not arise in any acute form. In the country districts, on the other hand, where only one elementary school is available for those who profess a variety of religious convictions, the readjust- ment of the system and the modification of the sectarian character of the existing schools is only consistent with religious and civil equality now that compulsory schooling is firmly established by the law of the land.

In such areas it is inevitable that sooner or later denomi- national monopoly must cease; the real crux of the situation lies in devising a plan by which Church schools can be transferred to a local education authority with- out injury or injustice to either party. Many schemes involving compulsory transfer of schools with or without expropriation have been suggested during recent years, but the bitter opposition which they have not unnaturally excited has proved fatal to each in turn. Trustees of denomi- national property justly claim a freedom to discharge their responsibilities in their own way and they cannot fairly be compelled to violate the terms of their Trust.

The present Bill avoids all such arbitrary attempts, and would preserve religious and educational trusts so far as is compatible with the altered needs of our time.

The transfer of schools, where it is necessary, would there- fore be left to voluntary agreement between Trustees and local education authorities. If a transfer took place the Trust managers would receive the rent agreed upon, and opportunity would then be provided for Christian teaching on united lines for those children whose parents did not see eye to eye with the denominational teaching of the school. This can scarcely be condemned as robbery of Church property or as violation of religious Trusts. The original Trust Deed instruc- tion would still be given and would indeed be even more secure than before, since a rent would be available which could be used in the efficient upkeep of the school buildings. Thus, in many cases, there would be no question of subversive changes; the only visible effect would be that a choice of teaching would be available, a choice which has already been voluntarily provided by the managers in a number of rural Church schools, especially in the Western Counties. It would even be permissible for the existing head teacher in such trans- ferred schools to continue to give the denominational instruc- tion if he wished to do so, and only on the appointment of a new head teacher would this special teaching have to be handed over to an assistant or to some person coming from outside the schooL It may, however, be asked why the foundation managers should be expected to agree upon any terms of transfer offered by the local authority. The answer is that under this Bill there is no cause to assume friction as a common occurrence ; and even where difficulties are created they should melt away before the considerable inducements to agreement offered by the Bill. Where, however, negotiations failed, the local edu- cation authority would be bound to build a Council school involving an unpopular capital charge on the rates, and also an annual charge which would be greater than any rent -which the managers could reasonably ask. The managers, on their side, would know that the building of a Council school must termi• nate their claim to rate aid, since such a district would not be populous enough to require two schools. Moreover, a large proportion of the cost of the new Council school would be charged on the parish in which most of them would probably dwell.

In order, therefore, to preserve their school and to safeguard the continuance of their denominational instruction, the managers would, in the great majority of cases, agree with their adversaries, if not quickly, at least within the two years' time limit allowed by the Bill. Certain instances would perhaps occur where no transfer could be arranged, and here it would be open to the managers to carry on their school as a certified efficient school or to apply for a cy pies application of the endowment. An important question raised by the Bill is as to the number of denominational schools that would be affected, but unfortunately no reliable estimate of the number of possible transfers can be made at present, because a single school area is not necessarily an area in which only one school is accessible to all the children. By a judicious rearrangement of districts a large number of rural parishes might be found populous enough to support an alternative school in addition to the Council school rendered necessary by this Bill. Moreover, in many cases, parts of more than one parish might conveniently be served by a central school planned upon a larger scale and offering wider opportunity of graded and practical instruction than is possible in a small village school.

Nothing has been said here concerning the provisions of the Bill affecting teachers—a subject which, adequately treated, would demand an article in itself. It is sufficient to point out that the Bill safeguards the religious freedom of the teacher as being essential to any sincere religious instruction in the schools. To this end all religious tests would be abolished.

It is hoped that enough has been said to show that the promoters of this Bill have held fast to the spiritual elements in education, and that they have pointed a way out of our present difficulties which will enable us to reject the drab solution offered by secularism, though that has recently become the last despairing cry of a powerful section of the community.

That the Bill will be carried as it stands to the Statute Book is probably too sanguine a hope ; but when the constitu- tional storm has abated there is every prospect that the Education question will again become current politics, and it is then that this scheme will have to be taken into account. One thing seems certain. If these proposals are properly understood by politicians and their constituents the Educa- tion question can never again stand quite where it did before the Settlement Committee entered the field. A higher plane will have been reached, and a plane upon which a permanent resettlement of our elementary education may at last be happily achieved.—I am, Sir, &c., R. C. DAVISON.