Page:The conscience clause (Bickersteth, 1867).djvu/17

 them have their grant. It will, perhaps, be the only School in the parish. Be it so. But if it is the only School, they have a right, at least, to their share of the Education Grant, according to the system, deliberately adopted by Parliament, of supporting a denominational education. But with regard to the annual grants in such cases, there is a concession which the Church might make, as it seems to me, without any surrender of principle. I venture to think that in parishes, such as I have described, the principle of the "Conscience Clause" might be applied, so far at least as this, that it should be made a condition of receiving these Grants from year to year, that the Managers should make a statement, that no child had, in the course of the last year, received any portion of the distinctive teaching of the Church to which the parent had formally, and in writing, objected. In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the Clergy would thus simply record their usual practice,—the ground of the grievance would be cut away,—and the action of the Clergy would be left perfectly free; because, in any instance, they could at once release themselves, if they thought fit, by declining to accept the Annual Grant at all.

But, that I may make my view as clear as possible, I will, before concluding, point out what seem to me to be the special advantages of this mode of meeting the difficulty.