Mr. Mundella spoke for the amendment. He said that the
Opposition had not the least wish to attack really Voluntary schools, but he maintained that something like 12 per cent. of the Voluntary schools do not now receive a single farthing of annual subscription from the pockets of those who repre- sent the founders. And he asked how these schools could be properly denominated Voluntary schools. Well, if they live on the parents' fees and the State grant, they are, of course, not living on volunteered resources ; but none the less they are living in buildings and using plant secured them by the past generosity of volunteers. Besides, the 12 per cent. of Voluntary schools which have no annual subscriptions, leave 88 per cent. of Voluntary schools which have voluntary sub- scriptions; and that is a good large per-centage. At the end of his speech, Mr. Mundella threw out the very unmanageable suggestion, afterwards reiterated by Mr. John Morley,—and known as the conc,ordatbetween the Gladstonians and the Irish Catholics,—which we have discussed elsewhere, that "when the school was intended for all, it should be managed by the representatives of the whole community ; at the same time, the schools of any section of the community, such as the Catholics or the Jews, might continue to secure support under the management of that section, as in Scotland." Very well; then we shall have all the Church and Dissenting schools claiming to be schools of "sections of the community." And it will be impossible to deny the claim.
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