HC Deb 10 April 1843 vol 68 cc744-7
Lord J. Russell

begged to lay on the Table of the House, the resolutions which it was his intention to propose after Easter, on the subject of education. The noble Lord then read the resolutions, as follow: —

  1. "1. That in any bill for the promotion of education in Great Britain, by which a board shall be authorised to levy, or cause to be levied, parochial rates, for the erection and maintenance of schools, provision ought to be made for an adequate representation of the rate-payers of the parish in such board.
  2. 2.That the chairman of such board ought to be elected by the board itself.
  3. 3.That the Holy Scriptures, in the authorized version, should be taught in all schools established by any such board.
  4. 4.That special provision should be made for cases in which Roman Catholic parents may object to the instruction of their children in the Holy Scriptures in such schools.
  5. 5.That no other books of religious instruction should be used in such schools unless with the sanction of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the concurrence of the Committee of Privy Council for Education.
  6. 6.That, in order to prevent the disqualification of competent schoolmasters on religious grounds, the books of religious instruction, other than the Holy Bible, introduced into the schools, should be taught apart, by the clergyman of the parish, or some person appointed by him, to the children of parents who belong to the Established Church, or who may be desirous that their children should be so instructed.
  7. 7. That all children taught in such schools should have free liberty to resort to any Sunday school, or any place of religious worship which their parents may approve.
  8. 8. That any school connected with the National School Society, or the British and Foreign School Society, or any Protestant Dissenters' School, or any Roman Catholic School, which shall be found upon inspection to be efficiently conducted, should be entitled, by license from the Privy Council, to grant certificates of school attendance, for the purpose of employment in factories of children and young persons,
  9. 9. That, in the opinion of this House, the Committee of Privy Council for Education ought to be furnished with means to enable them to establish and maintain a sufficient 746 number of training and model schools in Great Britain.
  10. " 10. That the said committee ought likewise to be enabled to grant gratuities to deserving schoolmasters, and to afford such aid to schools established by voluntary contributions as may tend to the more complete instruction of the people in religious and secular knowledge, while at the same time the rights of conscience may be respected."

Sir J. Graham

had not, of course, had as yet any opportunity of considering these resolutions, for he was not at all cognizant of them until that they bad been read by the noble Lord; but he would give them his best attention. He had every reason to hope and believe that this question would be most dispassionately considered. On the former occasion he had received the greatest assistance from the noble Lord and other hon. Members in promoting a calm and dispassionate discussion; and he trusted, that the House would act up to this principle throughout. Since the second reading of the measure he had received many deputations on the subject, and had heard objections to various parts of the bill. It had been the duty of himself and of his colleagues, a duty which they most readily fulfilled, to give their most calm and dispassionate consideration to the objections suggested. He was not prepared now to state exactly what modifications of the original proposal the Government was disposed to make; but thus far he was at liberty to mention to the House, that several points touched upon in the noble Lord's resolutions had formed the subject of deliberation by the Government; and he confidently hoped, that consistently with the principles announced by him on the second reading, it would be in his power to propose several modifications upon those points.

Lord J. Russell

was sorry that the right hon. Gentleman should have misunderstood the notice which he gave. The resolutions of which he had given notice stood for to-morrow, and if he had brought them on it would have been necessary, according to the forms of the House, to state what his resolutions were. He bad stated that he did not intend to bring them on till after Easter, but that he would this day lay them on the Table. He had framed them in such a manner, and had deferred the consideration of them, to preserve that moderate and temperate tone in which this great subject had been begun, and in which, like the right hon. Baronet, he hoped, it would be continued. Considering the jealousy existing on this subject, he thought it better not to communicate his intentions to the Government or any of the Protestant dissenters.

Back to