Mr. Balfour said that he failed to detect in Mr.
McKenna's speech or his Bill any signs of the approach of peace. It was an excellent thing to relieve the consciences of a certain number Of our fellow-citizens, but was the President of the Board of Education quite sure that he would relieve the consciences of the Nonconformists in whose behalf the Bill was introduced, and would not the measure bring into existence another class of "passive resisters," people who also bad consciences, but who did not take the same view of Cowper-Temple teaching that he did ? Mr. Balfour advised his followers not to divide the House at this stage ; but the Irish Nationalists insisting on a division, leave to bring in the Bill Was given by 264 votes to 109. We cannot profess any great admiration of the Measure, though we suppose the failure of the Education Bill made its introduction inevitable. Would it not be possible to add a clause assimilating the system of collecting the Education-rate with that pursued in the case of those rates--such as the rates under the Public Health Act—which cannot be enforced by imprisonment ? That is the best "short way" with the "passive resister."
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