And now to the disgust of the Tariff Reformers the main issue between the two great parties is being more an more diverted from the Fiscal to the Education question. Mr. McKenna has entered apon the threatened policy of fighting the Sectarians by means of the Administrative Department, since the House of Lords stands in the way of the legislative changes which he and his party desire. Under his presidency the Board of Education has just made regulations designed to compel the denomination al training colleges for teachers to discard theological tests and admit qualified candidates whatever their religions views. There is some dispute as to the extent to which the new regulations will have this effect; but that this is their tendency is not denied. Indeed it is openly proclaimed that since the training colleges are maintained almost entirely at the cost of the nation they should be conducted under public control and without religious tests. The Church and the Roman Catholics are up in arms, and the religious education war is waging wore bitterly than ever. Practically the answer given by the Prime Minister and Mr. McKenna to the deputations that wait upon them on the subject, though put in a more polite form is "we know that you won't like what we are going to do, and you must Jump it. You have induced the Lords to throw out our Bill. It is evidently impossible to reconcile our views of what the nation's education policy should be with yours, and we don't intend to make another attempt." And it is in this spirit that next year's Education Bill will be passed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.