Punch (77.1879)

52

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

[August 9, 1879.

"LINGUA EAST-ANGLICA."

Sympathising Friend. "Taer'ble Weather, Mr. "VVutts ! 'No killin'
these Weeds down ! "

Suffolk Farmer. " Kill 'em ! Blarm 'em ! Yeow can't even Dawzle 'em ! "

steps to amend the Convention, and get rid of the annual tribute to the
Porte.

Mr. Bourse mounted the High (Policy) Horse behind Mr. Balfour, and rode
it gallantly, under a heavy fire of chaff from Sir W. Y. Harcourt. This island,
in the language of Beaconsfield bunkum, " was to be no burden to this country."
Yet here was a vote for £29,000, as an item of " Civil Estimates." This was a
Military vote—" quasi-military," said Mr. Balfour—Yes, it had been a " quasi-
military" business from the beginning. It never had any reality or substance
about it. It was meant to throw dust in the eyes of the country, and came
to grief, like the Turkish Convention it was tacked to.

Poor Sir Staeeord made a sad bungle in the attempt to explain. " Whether
they called this Civil or Military expenditure, it was rendered necessary by
the withdrawal of the military forces from the island."

Mr. Childers put the matter into a nutshell. This was si?npliciter a military
vote, and had constitutionally no right to figure in the Civil Estimates.

Of course the Government got the money by 99 to 72. But a lamer attempt to
make good an untenable position has seldom been witnessed.

Wednesday.—Mr. Newdegate gave notice of a Resolution aimed at putting
a stop to Obstruction by summary process, but provided with too many safe-
guards to be calculated to answer that desirable purpose.

_ The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved that Mr. Ward having submitted
himself to the House, and expressed his regret for having fallen under its dis-
pleasure, and being medically certified to be very ill, he, Mr. Ward, be now
discharged out of his warder's keeping. Several Members pointed out that
Mr. Ward had only said he was sorry he had offended the House, as well he
might be, having been shut up and fined, in fees, £14, but that he had by no
means confessed that he had acted improperly at all. Nevertheless the House
agreed that Mr. Ward should be set free, notwithstanding that he had not in
the least cried peccavi. So much, or so little, for "breach of privilege."

. On the motion for going into supply on the Education Estimates, a Resolu-
tion was moved by Sir John Lubbock for introducing elementary science to the
extent of explaining to children " the phenomena with which they were sur-
rounded in everyday life"—into School Board instruction; teaching on those
subjects to be optional with school-managers, not compulsory. Resolution
opposed by Lord E. Eitzmaurice and Mr. Bereseord Hope, on the ground

that an excess of mathematical training was already
exacted from pupil-teachers.

Dr. Lyon Playfair endeavoured to explain that the
natural phenomena which Sir John Lubbock wished
children to be taught did not mean mathematics, but
only such matters as " the nature of the air they
breathed, the water they drank, and the food they ate."
However, Sir John's motion was negatived by the Col-
lective Wisdom.

Then followed conversation of small consequence on a
complaint, made by Mr. W. E. Jenkins, that the cost of
the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, con-
siderably exceeded the original estimate. When were
originally estimated expenses ever not exceeded by those
incurred ?

More conversation, equally momentous, on the re-
trenchment recently practised by the Society of Scotland
for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, in cut-
ting down its Schools. Then at last the House got
into Committee of Supply, and heard Lord George
Hamilton's annual statement on the Education Yote.
He took credit 1' for the gratifying and continuous pro-
gress in the education given in the Elementary Schools
of England and Wales," as indicated in the Depart-
ment's report for the past year. The School accommo-
dation now provided was nearly up to 4,000,000 places ;
the children on the books were 3,500,000; those in
average attendance 2,400,000. The per-eentage of passes
in all subjects, and the number of pupils examined was
" considerable and gratifying."

Unfortunately, the cost of the schooling whose progress
is so gratifying is also considerable, and continuously
increasing.

These unqualifying facts were too apparent from the
financial details given by the Noble Lord. The estimate
of the coming year, framed in expectation of a further
increase of attendances, amounted in all to £2,481,168,
being £334,804 more than the grant of the previous
year. As it is, the excess of accommodation over at-
tendances leaves 1,300,000 vacant places. Certainly,
we have "ample accommodation for the present;"—
accommodation somewhat more than commodious for
those who pay for it. If the money went more of it
in schooling, and less in schools, would there not be some-
thing to show for it more purely gratifying than the
results so termed by Lord George Hamilton ?

His Lordship, by the way, mentioned that the De-
partment had not seen their way to introduce a practical
course of Cookery into Education. But they had omitted
from their Code a requirement of the recitation of long
pieces of poetry, " as not being very useful to be re-
tained." The Noble Lord concluded with an elaborate
lecture on the comparative cost of Board and Voluntary
Schools. After some further chat, one minor Bill was
forwarded, another read a first time ; and the House
adjourned at six o'clock, in decent time for dinner.

Thursday {Lords) .—-Nothing to speak of, and nothing
done, except by Lord De da Warr, Lord Fortescue,
and Lord Aberdare, the first of whom withdrew his
Workmen's Compensation Bill, the second the Com-
panies' Acts Amendment Bill, sent up from the Com-
mons, under his wing, and the third succeeded in
getting an Amendment passed in Committee on the In-
dustrial Schools Bill, to prevent untMnking School
Boards from borrowing money on bad security.

{Co7nmons.) — The Chancellor of the Exchequer
gave, as he promised, an approximate estimate of the
(pecuniary) damage of the South-African War. It will
amount altogether to " something like £4,500,000,"—not
more; for expenditure, at the rate of half a million a
month, ought now to diminish [rapidly, and the cost of
thrashing Cetewayo, in a Colonists' quarrel, ought not
to fall on the Imperial Government alone. To meet a
deficit of £1,163,000, created since the Budget, by the
Zulu King, and the South-African Government between
them, he proposed to do no more at present than take
power to issue £1,200,000 Exchequer Bonds, "as it was
hoped and expected that the deficiency would be re-
covered from the South-African Colonies." Sir Stafford,
you are hopeful. Let us, too, hope that, in this matter of
South-African Colonial reimbursement, Hope (no offence
to Beresford) will not prove to have told a flattering
tale. The Right Honourable Chancellor made an end
by saying he would propose the Yote (of those same
£1,200,000 Exchequer Bonds) in Supply on Monday.