170 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



devising a form of religious instruction acceptable to all, not even 

 if the Roman Catholic body had been separately dealt with. The 

 gloomy vaticinations of the opponents of the Act, who declared 

 that the logical outcome of an exclusively secular system of educa- 

 tion was infidelity and immorality, have not been realised. Mr. 

 Hayter, the Government Statist, in Crime in New South Wales 

 (Melbourne, 1884) proved that in the mother-colony, where Scripture 

 lessons by clergymen are encouraged in the schools, the amount of 

 criminality is much larger in proportion than in any other Australian 

 colony, and that for some specified offences the convictions are 

 twice as numerous as those in Victoria with its denounced godless 

 system. Later, Mr. Hayter's successor in office has shown by 

 valuable statistical tables that, dealing with the Victorian-born popu- 

 lation, there has been a reduction of crime in general in proportion 

 to population of nearly one-fourth since the adoption of the secular, 

 compulsory and free system of education now in force. These 

 results are not submitted as cause and effect, and perhaps do not 

 directly touch the main question ; but they show that at least one 

 of the most frequent arguments adduced by the " Bible in State 

 Schools League " and other clerical organisations is based on a 

 very weak foundation. 



After the great achievement of the Education Act the Ministry 

 rested on its laurels, and on the 25th of November, 1873, Parlia- 

 ment was prorogued with a view to a general election. This took 

 place in March and April, 1874, without arousing much excitement 

 or materially altering the personnel of the Assembly. Perhaps the 

 most notable feature of these elections was the return of Mr. James 

 Service to political life, after an absence of twelve years. He 

 had resigned his seat in 1862 to visit Europe, and though since 

 his return he had contested several elections, he had hitherto been 

 defeated. 



The qualities that marked him as specially fitted to take a 

 leading part in the counsels of a State militated against his success 

 at the hustings. He was a man of considerable force of character, 

 quick and logical in intellectual processes, vigorous and lucid in 

 the expression of his views, and conscientious to the last degree 

 in maintaining the principles he advocated, and in adhering to 



