1S71-72 ULTRAMONTANES AND EDUCATION 375 



which " aggravated the difficulties his opponents might have 

 in giving way to him." Was this, it was asked, the way to 

 get Roman CathoHc children to the Board schools? Was 

 it not an abandonment of the ideal of compulsory edu- 

 cation ? 



It is hardly necessary to point out that the question was 

 not between the compulsory inclusion or exclusion of poor 

 children, but between their admission at the cost of the 

 Board to schools under the Board's own control or outside 

 it. In any case the children of Roman Catholics were not 

 likely to get their own doctrines taught in Board Schools, 

 and without this they declared they would rather go with- 

 out education at all. 



Early in 1872 Huxley retired. For a year he had con- 

 tinued at this task ; then his health broke down, and feeling 

 that he had done his part, from no personal motives of 

 ambition, but rather at some cost to himself, for what he 

 held to be national ends, he determined not to resume the 

 work after the rest which was to restore him to health, and 

 made his resignation definite. 



Dr. Gladstone writes : — 



On February 7 a letter of resignation was received from 

 him, stating that he was " reluctantly compelled, both on account 

 of his health and his private affairs, to insist on giving up his 

 seat at the Board." The Rev. Dr. Rigg, Canon Miller, Mr. 

 Charle'S^Read, and Lord Lawrence expressed their deep regret. 

 In the words of DV. Rigg, " they were losing one of the most 

 valuable members of the Board, not only because of his intellect 

 and trained acuteness, but because of his knowledge of every 

 subject connected with culture and education, and because of 

 his greit fairness and impartiality with regard to all subjects 

 that came under his observation." 



Though Hurley quitted the Board after only fourteen 

 months' service, me memory of his words and acts combined to 

 influence it long afterwards. In various ways he expressed 

 his opinion on educational matters, publicly and privately. He 

 frequently talked with me on the subject at the Athenaeum Club, 

 and shortly after my election to the Board in 1873, I find it 

 recorded in my diary that he insisted strongly on the necessity 

 of our building infants' schools, — " people may talk about intel- 

 25 



