Mr. Miall was, as the champion of Disestablishment, feted on
Thursday week at Newcastle-on-Tyne, where he made two. speeches, one on Disestablishment and one on Secular Education. Ile took the same view as the Rev. It. W. Dale, of Birmingham,. that the Dissenters ought to make a party of their own to act quite independently of the general party of Liberals, declaring that his friends would not be trampled upon by the Administration, and intimating that they would dictate their policy on these questions. orelse throw the Liberals out. Mr. Mall, as usual, insisted on the "refining" iufluence of disestablishineut, and the immense religioue value, in education, of Christian conscientiousness and character that are not allowed to express themselves in direct Christian teaching. Mr. Miall is a thoroughly high-minded and honest man, and really, believes all he says ; but it does sound to us a little grotesque to hear these warm friends of religion speaking of it not only as if, like latent heat, it were there all the same, even when it is not. measurable by any outward sign,—which is no doubt true,—but as if it were powerful in positively inverse proportion to the public ac- knowledgment it receives from the teacher. Mr. Miall says it is most dangerous to teach children religion in any mechanical school fashiou, and quite unnecessary. We suppose this extends to Sunday- schools, and as the children who need it most have no religion at home at all, their chance of hearing any good man's real heart. about God seems on this principle infinitesimal. We suppose, in, this case, Mr. Miall would think it the most " refining " course to leave the matter wholly to Providence, rather than do so vulgar a thing as pay a master to make mention of God. That smile to us not so much to "refine" religion, as to refine it away.
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