Page:The Conscience Clause (Oakley, 1866).djvu/28

16 society?" He repeats the clause, and again mentions the Act of Parliament on which it is based.

Mr. Lonsdale repeats that the clause is held to be inconsistent with the charter and the terms of union, and adds that the National Society was expressly exempted from the operations of the Act which Mr. Lingen has quoted.

"Of course it was," Mr. Lingen retorts; "if it were otherwise this correspondence would be unnecessary."

His reply amounts to this:—We are endeavouring to induce you, in the face of facts and a changed set of circumstances, and a strong drift of public opinion, to accept voluntarily a principle which has been admitted to be just in all other cases, and to some extent in your own and by yourselves. If we could make you adopt it, by force of Act 23 Vic, cap. II, or otherwise, be assured we should. "We are quite aware of your exemption from the operation of that Act, as well as of our own long forbearance to press you on the point, but we are convinced that that forbearance can no longer justly be continued.