LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE EDUCATION LEAGUE AND THE " TWENTY- FIFTH CLAUSE." (To THE EDITOR OF THB "SPECTATOR:] SIR,—To establish a charge of inconsistency against the chief
means of education then existing. Only when Mr. Chamberlain now tells us that he and his friends have all along considered the principle of Denison's Act unjust, and that they now think it intolerable, I maintain that this is manifestly inconsistent with the fact that they proposed to extend and enforce by law the principle of that Act, and left on record the downright assertion that " the rates could not be expended in a better manner than in educating pauper children." That is not the language of men who are submitting to a disagreeable necessity against their better conviction.
But as Mr. Chamberlain admits, the discovery of one incon- sistency more or less in the chiefs of the Education League is " not valuable," and I therefore pass on to my main point, which was this. When Mr. Chamberlain and his friends made up their minds to do some practical work in education, and when, as he neatly puts it, they showed themselves " Englishmen first and Nonconformists afterwards," they had no difficulty in settling the religious question according to the conscience of the parents. The retort is fair that their present action is that of men who are " Nonconformists first and after that Englishmen." If, Sir, these Nonconformist gentlemen were not blind to the fact that the majority of Englishmen are not Nonconformists, they would see that the necessity of acting first of all as Englishmen is imposed upon all those who legislate for the education of the country.
That system which the Birmingham Education Society adopted as the system best fitted to the state of things they found existing, is also the system adopted by Mr. Forster as the beat fitted to carry son the work of education which he found progressing—and which Ile was not interested in destroying—and it is one in which those who are Englishmen and not Nonconformists see no offence.
The third reason why I told you the story of the Birmingham Education Society was because it effectually disposes of the sup- position that the present action of the League is dictated by 41 conscience," and not by mere policy. I am sure that the mem- bers are too sincerely religious to tolerate any violation of con- -science on the ground that it is " such a little one," nor would they have proposed a compulsory extension of Denison's Act, if -denominational rates were really opposed to their most sacred .convictions, as "a new religioustax of the most obnoxious kind," levied "for the support of rival dogmas, with neither of which have many of the contributors any sympathy." When, there- fore, I find that they have not only tolerated, but have -even proposed to extend and make compulsory, the application -of the principle of Denison's Act, I at least know that however opposed to the wishes or prejudices of Nonconformists, it certainly does not touch their consciences. Their present opposition, there- fore, however earnest and sincere, is dictated by policy, and not by_conscientious scruples. And this is a distinction of consider- :able importance, for there are many thousands of Englishmen who would rather see national education injured than allow violence to be done to the Nonconformist conscience, but who would have Rio hesitation whatever in thwarting the Nonconformist policy, -especially when that policy is one of arrogant and uncompro- mising dictation.
Mr. Chamberlain repeats his threat to desert the Liberal party. lI take the appointment of Sir R. Palmer to the Lord Chancellor- ship to be Mr. Gladstone's answer in advance. Should any other be needed, it was given by the Premier to Mr. Miall some time .since in the passionate adjuration, " If the hon. gentleman is not -satisfied with the action of Her Majesty's Government, in Heaven's -name let him take his support elsewhere !"—or words to that
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