enough of the rights of ratepayers and citizens and parents, but we have heard nothing hitherto in all this controversy of the rights of the children, who seem to me to be the class which ought to be primarily considered.

Now the settlement of our educational difficulties will come just in proportion as we set the children before ourselves as the class who are really concerned, and as we wave the other classes to one side. Surely, as we look at the children themselves, and as we consider the facts of a child's life and the laws which regulate a child's mind, we must feel, and everybody must feel, that many of our questions and discussions and many of our problems are really somewhat wide of the mark. For what is it that a child has a right to claim, and what is it that we all of us wish. to give him? The child has a right to claim of any generation, that he shall be supplied with the best knowledge that that generation possesses; and this surely is what we all of us want to give the child. Take a step farther, and let us ask ourselves what is therefore the first necessary thing with which the child should be supplied. That child has to live his own life. How is he to live it? What is the best and most absolutely necessary piece of information which ought to be given to him? Surely it is that there is such a thing as a noble life, and that there are means of making such a life his own. If you do not teach a child that, I do not see that you teach him anything; you have not begun at the right end; but if you have accepted that, you are led at once to the fact that religion must be the basis of education.

How are you

to teach a child what a noble life is, and how a noble life is to be led, without at once going not only into the outlines of religion, and not simply into certain aspects of it, but into religion as it is applied affirmatively to his own character-religion as it has to exercise its influence upon his own life? Therefore, I am of opinion that the way by which we shall get rid of many of our old controversies, and emerge into a larger and serener atmosphere is by having a more widely spread interest in education as such. It is untrue to represent the advocates of voluntary schools as being opposed to educational efficiency. It is for educational efficiency that they are fighting; and they maintain, and they are bound to maintain, that you cannot get that educational efficiency by waiving upon one side, and putting into a secondary place that which must, under any intelligent system of education whatever, be the primary and most important object to be pursued.

The advantages to be expected from the passing of this Act are, of course, first of all a certain amount of financial relief. That is not much in itself, save so far as it gives time for other considerations and removes the immediate pressure under which our schools are labouring, and therefore gives us the opportunity which I trust we shall use wisely, heartily and well for the promotion of educational efficiency in our schools in every way. But the important part in this Act is the establishment of associations. That brings before us a consideration which I think, now that we look at it, we must confess that we are culpable for having so long neglected. I cannot but think that

there is something to be said by those who have twitted us, as I have been twitted, when I have been advocating the claims of voluntary schools, and asked: "Why have you been so stupid as you have been? Why have you not federated yourselves? Why have you not followed the example of the School Board? Why have you not had a Church Board of your own over a large area, which could keep its schools in line, through having a policy of its own, and which could have shown the public that you were struggling for educational efficiency as such?" It is quite true that we ought to have done this voluntarily, we ought to have done it years ago of our own accord, and one of the obstacles which continually stands in the way of such action on our part, is, I regret to say, the intensity of the parochial spirit. It is a very good thing that "charity should begin at home," but it is a very bad thing that it should end there. And it is very good that our activity should begin in our parishes, but very bad that it should end there, and that we should have no view of a larger area, and should so inadequately feel the necessity of co-operating for the general purposes of the Church at large.

Now the associations primarily formed only in order to advise the Department about the means proposed to be adopted for the distribution of the financial help, will, I hope, be the beginning of a real federation of schools throughout the whole Diocese. I hope that our association will become a Church School Board, divided properly into areas for administrative purposes, with local committees, and I hope it will have the result of bringing the schools very much into line. I hope

also that the growth of this body will be upon large lines of representation, and that the result of its activity will be in all cases to eliminate eccentricities in management. I admit that the cases of eccentricity have been few, but unfortunately there have been some; and every case in which a well-meaning manager makes a mistake, or does anything that is capable of being misrepresented, is nowadays routed out with remorseless ingenuity and is perverted and made the most of in every possible way. Of course we ought only to rejoice that we live in an age of such complete criticism. I can assure you that nobody feels the advantage of this more than does the Bishop of London. The amount of good advice upon every possible subject which he receives every morning is something for which he cannot be too grateful, or too publicly express his gratitude.

The religious question, however, about our schools. is not yet settled. I look, as I have said, for the settlement of it to come from the prevalence of a larger view and a higher conception of education in itself, which I think we may hope will be raised afresh upon a new field.

We always talk about "questions," and a question of course supposes that it admits of an answer. But so far as I know about human affairs, very few questions, indeed, ever receive a definite answer. They are not answered at all, but they simply die out or are superseded by other questions, or they solve themselves by being raised to a higher point. As regards the religious difficulty, I sincerely hope that that question will solve itself by being raised to a higher

point. No progress is made upon the old lines, but it is possible to make progress when a new aspect of the question opens itself out. You must be aware that there is a new question about education now imminent—I mean the whole question of Secondary Education—and I can conceive that from the discussion of Secondary Education, some wiser administrative methods and some larger principles may emerge than have as yet displayed themselves about Elementary Education. It is, of course, always hazardous to attempt to forecast the future; but I certainly conceive that the question of Secondary Education should call into being a central educational authority on which there shall be a proper representation of educational experts. certainly think that our educational system needs such a council. Then I can imagine that under this central council there should be local authorities. I am certain that we shall make no progress in education unless we have local educational authorities. I do not mean an authority chosen to erect schools and deal with bricks and mortar, but an authority to deal with education as such, the members of which should be chosen largely on the ground of their educational interest and educational experience.

Then would come the matter of the delimitation of Primary and Secondary Education. Many have assured me in speaking on this subject that the matter is entirely uncontentious, and may be discussed and settled without any real difference of political opinion. I sincerely hope that it may be so, but I am bound to say that I think that the delimitation of Primary and Secondary Schools is likely to create as much difference