During the week several very important concessions have been made
by the Government in the House of Commons in regard to -the Education Bill. On 'Tuesday Clause II. was passed, and on Wednesday while Clause III. was under dis- cussion Mr. Birrell made the very welcome announcement that religious education should, subject, of course, to the Conscience Clause, be compulsory, and not, as origin- ally proposed in the Bill, given out of compulsory school hours. The result of this will be that, though any parents may with perfect ease withdraw their children from a form of religious instruction which they dislike, the children of in. different parents will not be able to exempt themselves of their own free will. Nor, again, will the parents who wish to make use of their children's labour be encouraged to keep the children at work rather than send them to school during the time of religious instruction. We are sure that the Govern- ment have greatly improved their Bill by this timely concession,—one for which we and all other friends of religious education, both denominational and undenominational, feel deeply grateful.
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