§ MR. P. A. TAYLORsaid, he wished to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, Whether by the use of the words "he" and "his" in the Clauses of the Elementary Education Bill relating to Local Boards, he intends to exclude women from sitting on such Boards?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTER, in reply, said, he had to state that the words "he" and "his" were not used with the view of excluding women from the local Boards of Education, but because the use of those words was the best way to include them. ["Hear!" and a laugh.] He was not at all surprised at hon. Members laughing; but the reason why "he" meant "she" in this case was that Lord Brougham's Act, the 13 & 14 Vict. c. 21, enacted that in all Acts words importing the masculine gender should be taken to include and mean the feminine gender, unless the contrary was specifically declared. So far from being anxious to exclude women from these Boards, he looked forward to their assistance in some cases being most valuable.