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

13 arise where a school in union with the National Society is the only school in a population of mixed Churchmen and Dissenters, and adds that nothing in the trust deed of schools in union with them at present exists to forbid regulations productive of this injustice, and that the Committee of Council, having no interest but that of the extension of education, must consider the risk of it.

He then adds the important fact, that a member of the deputation (Mr. Walpole) had made the "judicious suggestion that "some rule should be devised to prevent these cases of injustice." The admission of the injustice, and the prospect of a rule being devised to meet it, appears to have been the chief impressions left by the whole interview on the minds of the Council Office authorities.

This letter is written on April 16th, 1862; then dead silence for a year and a-half! I know nothing of the working of the National Society beyond what I see in print. I only call attention to the fact that after an apparent admission of injustice is made—after an authoritative suggestion of a» remedy is offered on its behalf—the opportunity for initiating and (as was done in the case of the Management Clauses controversy) assuming the direction of the coming modifications of their rules is thrown away.

On November 29th, 1863, more than eighteen months afterwards, Mr. Lingen writes in effect as follows:—'My lords have had repeated occasion to consider the subject of my letter to you of last year. My lords have been hoping to hear of Mr. Walpole's suggestion being acted on. My lords can stand the open sore between us no longer. The difficulties in question are of constant occurrence. My lords sincerely desire to co-operate with the National Society. Sir John Coleridge has officially pronounced that your terms of union preclude a clergyman from ever consenting to exempt any one child at all or at any time, from instruction in any one of the three subjects specified in your terms—Scripture, Liturgy, and