Sir,

With regard to the articles often written and speeches made on the new Education Bill this thought never seems to enter the minds of the writers and speakers.

That in some Counties at least there are many excellent schools carrying on the work of Secondary Education not one of which schools has all its benches full.

The class of writers and speakers seem to imagine that the only schools in England which are to save the country from decay and death are the Higher Grade Schools.

Another class vainly imagines that if you only further endow the schools already heavily endowed the object England has in view will be attained, while yet another class seems to think the only Technical Education worth the name given in this country is reared upon the foundation created in the elementary schools.

In my opinion there is to-day room for thousands of top pupils in splendidly conducted schools, it is the duty of parents to take the trouble to find out these schools.

It is the duty of the fool to assist them, if the Duke of Devonshire and Sir John Gorst would only appoint completed Commissioners to go carefully through all the Counties to find out the efficient schools, a report would be made more appealable in its character than many people could be inclined to expect and the fool itself would soon be in a better position to understand what ought to be done as regards a great secondary education scheme.

At present we are wanting valuable time in playing with a subject of vital importance to the interests of the nation at large. The present Bill must be blotted out. It legislates for a certain class only. It endows sectarianism and further endows that which is already endowed. It calls upon the tax payer who himself receives no monetary assistance in the education of his own children to pay for those who are able to pay for themselves, the Bill seeks to blot out of existence a race of Teachers and Schools which have carried on the work while the governments of the country on the Education question at least have slept. (I do not hesitate to say that there are very few satisfactory clauses in the Bill and that personally I shall do all in my power to stifle a Bill which is not creditable either to its framers or the fool that introduces it.

I am Sir,

Yours faithfully
J. Bayley