The " guillotine" has been brought into operation in the House of Commons. and Jast night the final batch of clauses of the Education Bill were put to the vote without discussion and carried through Committee. The dates for the finishing of the ming stages of the measure are similarly fixed and there is now no question that the measure will become law.
Indeed the Liberal hope of defeating it was baseless from the first. The Roman Cathclies are in favour of the Bill and therefore the Irish Nationalists, though most of them have found an excuse for staying away from the House altogether, dared not vote against it. The High Church party are. very angry with Mr. Balfour for having made the concessions ho has, but they know perfectly well that the Church will never have another opportunity of making so good a bargain, and there was never the slightest chance of their joining with the Radicals to defeat the nieasure. It is a very complicated Bill, and he would be a rash man who would prophesy as to how it will work. Under its provisions the sectarian battle will no doubt rage for a time; but when ther it will die down or whether the Church will find cause to regret their bargain it is not easy to tell. It has to be remembered, however, that all this controversy rages round the provisions as to elementary schools. In regard to secondary- and technical education the measure can hardly fail to improve vastly our educational system.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.