Page:The "Conscience Clause" (Denison, 1866).djvu/25

21 the principles of the Church, as the Committee of Council did once—at least they respected them once. But the Committee of Council have changed their course, and all this is at an end. For myself, I never doubted that it would come to this. Eighteen years ago, when I was fighting the Committee of Council about the Management Clauses, when the Committee of the National Society was all against me and with them, I knew that the day would come before long when all this would be reversed. And it has come. Principles cannot be strained beyond a certain point: they won't stand it. For my part, I think it is best never to strain them at all. It is all very well then for the Lord President to talk of his desire to agree with the Committee of the National Society and to act in co-operation with the Church; but what is the use of talking about such things, when, as he knows very well, there can be no agreement and no co-operation unless one of two things happen: the first of which is, I am afraid, too good to expect; the second of which is impossible—unless, that is, either the Committee of Council eat up the "Conscience Clause," body and bones, and return»to the principles of sound and equitable administration laid down in vol. i. of Minutes, 1839-40, which is, I am afraid, too good to expect; or, the Committee of the National Society cat up the Charter and terms of union, and, what is more, the principles of the Church, upon which the Charter and terms of union are based, and of which they are the expressions in the matter of school teaching—which is impossible. See Annual Reports of the National Society, 1864-5.

First then I have to show that to impose a "Concience [sic] Clause" upon Parish Schools of the Church of England as a condition of a money grant is "not just" on the part of the Civil Power.

Now, it will clear the way to see what is just to impose. Three things are just. 1. The legal title of site. 2. The admission of Government inspection. 3. The acceptance of a Management Clause. The two first date from 1839-40; the third from 1847-52.