§ THE EARL OF HARROWBYsaid, he desired to draw the attention of the noble Earl the Lord President to a recent Order of the Education Committee by which children under six years of age were required to attend their respective schools on the day of inspection in order to entitle themselves to claim a portion of the public grant. He had on a previous occasion deemed it to be his duty to state his opinion as to the impolicy and harshness of that Order, according as it was brought into operation in summer or in winter, and his noble Friend the President of the Council had informed him that instructions had been issued with the view of meeting certain cases. Now he thought it was extremely desirable that a public statement should be made by his noble Friend as to the precise course which the Government were about to pursue in the matter, in order that all persons might know how things really stood. This was retrospective action on the part of the Privy Council, and he hoped that his noble Friend's sense of justice would prevent his supporting such an act of injustice. No notice whatever was given to the schools that the Inspector would require the attendance of these young scholars; and therefore he should like to know what were the exact instructions under which the Inspectors were now acting.
§ EARL GRANVILLEwas understood to say that the rules now acted upon had substantially been in force ever since the Revised Code came into operation. It was necessary that these children should be present in order that the Inspector might ascertain what was the general system of the school.
§ THE EARL OF HARROWBYobserved, that for that purpose it was not necessary that all the children should be present.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, that if the presence of all the children was not required, picked examples might be presented to the Inspector, so as to deceive him as to the real condition of the school.
§ LORD REDESDALEthought that to require "extraordinary circumstances" to be given for the absence of such young children was a little too stringent. He would suggest that the report of the Inspector should be of "the circumstances" instead of "the extraordinary circumstances" which might have prevented the attendance of the children. Snow upon the ground might be a good reason why these young children should not go to school but in winter time that could hardly be considered an "extraordinary" circumstance.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, that if a wet day was to be a sufficient excuse for the non-attendance of children they would hardly ever go to school.
§ THE EARL OF HARROWBYsaid, that at all events the allowance to the schools for last year ought not without notice to have been made to depend upon the attendance of these young children.
§ LORD REDESDALEthought it was unreasonable to require children of a tender age to attend school in case of bad weather, and thus to compel them to sit all day in wet clothes. He approved on the whole what the Government had done up to the present time with regard to the educational question; but he trusted they would in future exercise generosity towards these little children.