XIX 



HOME RULE BILL 217 



but, understanding that the Government opposed 

 arbitration, we decided to do nothing for the 

 moment." 



On May 2 Sir John was at the Royal Academy 

 dinner, returning thanks for Science. 



In the House of Commons he carried the 

 second reading of his Shop Hours Regulation Bill, 

 but was unable to get any day for the Committee 

 Stage. He carried resolutions for two Com- 

 mittees, one on Forestry and one on the system 

 of election of School Boards. The Committee 

 on Forestry elected him Chairman, and unanim- 

 ously recommended the establishment of one or 

 more Forest Schools, but nothing was done, and 

 for many years Great Britain remained the only 

 important country in Europe without any such 

 school. 



The evidence given before the Second Com- 

 mittee was strongly in favour of Proportional 

 Representation. 



He also spoke in the House on Egypt, on the 

 Soudan Expedition, on Proportional Representa- 

 tion, on the Education Vote, on Finance, etc. 



On May 16 he started with Lady Lubbock for 

 a little tour in the Dolomites, returning on June 8 

 to find that the Government had resigned. They 

 had a big family gathering, of no less than nine- 

 teen, at High Elms, on the occasion of his sister 

 Harriet's coming over to England from Canada. 



On July 18, he writes : " Went with an 

 excursion from the Working Men's College to 

 Cambridge. They showed us everything, as far 

 as possible in a day, and we, including Alice, 

 dined in Trinity Hall. During dinner a succession 



