Page:The Conscience Clause (Oakley, 1866).djvu/41

29 to give. The reading of the Bible is provided for, as the basis of the religious instruction to be given, in the trust deeds of every Church of England school in union with the National Society. (Supra, p. 5.) And in the case of Church of England schools not so in union, that rule is established by the provision that the instruction be under the clergyman's control. Of this Mr. Lingen's interrogator must have been perfectly well aware. So he frames his question thus:—"Does the clause allow the promoters of the school to make the daily reading of the Bible by every child that can read an absolute rule of the school?" Allow them! Why, it supports and strengthens a clause which binds them to do so. The reading of the Bible is otherwise provided for, and this clause does not touch that provision. It can and does only effect one thing—the withdrawal of a child from religious instruction of a special kind at the parent's option. It does not allow the parent to withdraw his child from the reading of the Bible simpliciter, but only, as Mr. Lingen says, from the inferential teaching from it of "doctrine which, ex hypothesi, is that of the Church of England, but is not also that of the parent." Here, too, the answer is a' matter of course, and did not need to be given to any one who can read and understand the clause without desiring to find fault with it. The practical effect of this provision I will discuss and illustrate hereafter.

I have not, however, stated the whole of the case as between Mr. Lingen and Mr. Caparn; for it was (as reported in the papers) made to appear at Norwich that Mr. Lingen had answered both questions in the negative, that he had declared the clause inconsistent with the teaching of the Apostles' Creed in general, and the reading of the Bible in Church of England schools at all. And so Archdeacon Allen understood it, and acted upon that understanding. Whereas I think I have made it clear that the letter of the Secretary to the Committee of Council did