566 



NA TURE 



[April 17, 1902 



it is felt to be fair that if a religious denomination 

 provide and keep a school in effective order, it should 

 have the power of giving its specific instruction during 

 certain limited hours, arranged so that scholars not 

 belonging to that denomination may be withdrawn at 

 the wish of their parents ; and it is felt to be unfair that 

 the secular instruction of the children in the district 

 which such a school serves should suffer l)y reason of 

 deficient funds owing to sectarian jealousies ; it is felt, 

 in fact, that the district can be properly called upon to 

 support such a school in as thorough a manner as any 

 other, provided always that the ratepayers' authority be 

 extended («) to a voice on the managing board in 

 accordance with the above resolution No. 15, and (/') so 

 that it shall have an effective voice in the appointment 

 and dismissal of teachers. Accordingly the following 

 resolution, together with the " powers and functions " 

 numbered 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, below, was adopted, and practi- 

 cally represents what is, or may be under a " scheme," 

 provided by the Bill ; except that very unfortunately the 

 word "dismissal" has escaped explicit mention. It may 

 be held to be legally included in the word "appoint- 

 ment," but it is a vital matter to get security of tenure 

 for all teachers, and not leave any of them at the 

 mercy of individual action unchecked by the Education 

 Authority. 



(17) That a school whose builcUngs are the property of a 

 religious organisation, by whom they are maintained to the 

 .satisfaction of the local IMucation Authority, shall be regarded 

 as a privileged school in which special religious instruction is 

 permitted at certain hours, in accordance with a time-table to 

 be submitted by the managers to the Education Authority for 

 its approval, and subject to the conscience clause of the Act 

 of 1870. 



Note. — A small minority considered that the upholders of 

 these privileged schools, managed by non-elected bodies, though 

 under the control of an elected educational authority, should be 

 called upon to provide one-sixth of the income in addition. 



It is desirable, however, and it may be feasible, to 

 introduce a clause giving to other denominations, which 

 are not providing a school, if they are in sufficient 

 numbers and if there is no other school in the neigh- 

 bourhood, to make application, not only for mere 

 withdrawal of their children from the specifically 

 denominational religious instruction provided, but, in 

 addition, for the supply of general liiblical teaching for 

 those children to attend in the same school at some other 

 hour. 



This question of the so-called voluntary schools— which 

 is a misnomer, the proper title being denominational 

 schools or privileged schools — is by no means an in- 

 significant one, since more than two-thirds of the schools 

 in the country are of this kind ; and if they were not taken 

 advantage of, it would not only be a blow to educational 

 and humanitarian enthusiasm, but it would involve the 

 ratepayers in enormous additional expense. At present 

 these schools are suffering from extreme poverty, the 

 voluntary contributions and the Imperial grant together 

 being c|uite inadequate for their proper maintenance ; 

 and the buildings themselves are often inadequate, 

 antiquated and unwholesome. With rate aid and proper 

 control of teaching appointments, no longer leaving 

 teachers subject to the caprice of an accidentally in- 

 judicious local clergyman, educational efficiency can be 

 secured ; and the denominational subscriptions will still 

 be required, in some places even more than hitherto, in 

 order to put the fabric into a satisfactory condition and 

 to maintain it in substantial repair, as required by the 

 Education Authority. If they do this, the denominations 

 cannot be expected to do more, and they are entitled 

 to give specific religious Instruction at certain hours on 

 the strength of this. Hut if they go further than this in 

 their demands for rate aid, if they resent any element of 

 popular control — resent, for instance, any interference 



NO. 1694, VOL. 65] 



with their appointment and dismissal of teachers, or any 

 influx of nominated members on to their managing 

 board, that is to say, if they resent effective control of 

 their rate-aided secular instruction — they will be taking 

 an unwise course, and must not be surprised if the 

 clauses in the Hill, which already give them everything 

 to which they are reasonably entitled, are opposed so 

 strongly as to be modified in a direction opposite to that 

 which they desire. It is undoubtedly the interest of 

 Churchmen, meaning by interest, not selfish interest, but 

 public and denominational interest, to support the Bill ; 

 but the unwisdom of some few of the letters which have 

 appeared in its support is extreme. 



The last resolution adopted by the conference, having 

 reference to the training of teachers, unfortun.ately 

 has no corresponding clause in the Bill. It ran as 

 follows : — 



(18) That Education Authorities shall he empowered to 

 enter into relations with L'niversities and University colleges 

 and other institutions for higher education, in order to make 

 provision for the proper training of teachers : and that after a 

 certain date special sanction should have to be obtained for 

 the employment of unregistered teachers. 



I'ut it is to be hoped that the omission has no real 

 significance, that operations for the training of teachers 

 will be in every way encouraged, and that it was only 

 omitted because of the inadvisability of loading the Bill, 

 or the duties of the new Education Authorities, with 

 more than was absolutely necessary. 



This represents all that 1 need now say on the general 

 subject. The remainder of what the conference did was 

 to draw up a specification of the "powers and functions" 

 of the committee, stating in what way it should 

 exercise control over the schools in its area, and what 

 was meant by " control." It may possibly be useful to 

 County Councils and other bodies engaged in formu- 

 lating a scheme if these be here quoted : but it may be 

 remarked that the first two are perhaps somewhat 

 doubtfully wise in their present too unrestricted form. 

 Spedfiialioii of powers and fiinclions. 



The functions and powers of the local authority shall be : — 



(1) To keep a register of the efticient schools in the area, and 

 to transfer schools and endowments from places where they are 

 not wanted to places where they are. 



(2) To make orders fur the use of endowments or other 

 grants, for establishing scholarships from schools to other 

 schools or to colleges and Universities. 



(3) To inspect all schools in its area as to buildings and 

 sanitation, and publicly aided .schools as to educational effi- 

 ciency, and to make regulations in accordance with the reports 

 of its inspectors. 



(4) To withhold financial aid from any school and to close 

 any publicly aided school which fails to comply with its 

 regulations or which is educationally inefficient. 



(5) To frame a scheme to be sulimitted for approval to the 

 Board of Education for the remodelling, when necessary, of the 

 constitutions of existing publicly aided schools, and for providing 

 new schools. 



(6) To receive and consider the curriculum ol each publicly 

 aided school, as submitted by the board of managers ; to amend 

 .and refer back any part of .such scheme ; and ultimately to 

 ajiprove the curriculum adopted, h.aving regard to the educa- 

 tional needs of the district. 



(7) To receive and consider recommendations of the managing 

 board concerning the appointment and dismissal of teachers in 

 the schools under its management, and to be the final court of 

 a])peal in such matters. 



(8) " Control " shall mean the exercise of any of these 

 powers. 



Oliver Lodok. 

 II. 



The Bill recently introduced by -Mr. Balfour is a 

 complex measure, carrying with it some consequences 

 which are not apparent at first sight. Many of 

 its clauses — notably that which makes the adoption of 



