Page:The Conscience Clause in 1866.djvu/18

14 in their hands?—I think so. I mean that they should not be compelled even to give the slender certificate which is required now; not that they would prefer a secular education, for they would not prefer it.

5942. Appealing to your great fairness (for I consider that the way in which you have expressed your views is thoroughly fair), do you think that that is a system to which any conscientious clergyman could agree?—Many clergymen would, but I have no doubt that a sound Churchman, or a High Churchman, would object to it, and that appears to me to be the reason why co-operation is hopeless."

The Rev. Dr., Baptist minister in Glamorganshire, well acquainted with the educational condition of both North and South Wales, considers, (3336,) "That a Church school with a Conscience Clause is not adapted to Wales. A large number of the Welsh people would not send their children to such a school, they would rather not send them to school at all." (3382, 3383.) "Of course the Nonconformists would prefer the British system pure and simple," but to meet the views of all parties he would recommend "one school with a Conscience Clause and one open committee entirely elected by the subscribers (of say 2s. 6d. upwards.)" (3387.) "The committee being elected would have a voice in the kind of religious teaching to be adopted in the school, and I think that would be so simplified that it would be confined to the reading of Scripture."

The ambiguous complexion of such a school as here suggested seems to have struck Mr. Bruce, who asks:

"8418. I did not clearly understand, when you spoke of a Church school with an open committee, in what respect the Church school bore a Church character?—I scarcely see that there is much of Church or Dissent about it, when the committee is open; that is supposing that the whole of the committee would be elected, chairman and all. The fact is, that in Wales we do not speak so much of a Church school or a Dissenting school. When we talk of a British school, we simply talk of a school, we have no religious element at all introduced, further than the reading of the Scriptures, we make no religious matter of it."