"we honour Mr.
Gladstone, but we are determined that England shall not again be cursed
with the bitterness and strife from which we had hoped that we had for
ever escaped, by the abolition of the church rate."(192) Writing to a
brother nonconformist, he expresses his almost unbounded admiration for
Mr. Gladstone, "but it is a bitter disappointment that his government
should be erecting new difficulties in the way of religious equality."
Under the flashing eye of the prime minister himself the nonconformist
revolt reared its crest. Miall, the veteran bearer of the flag of
disestablishment, told Mr. Gladstone (July 22) that he was leading one
section of the liberal party through the valley of humiliation. "Once bit,
twice shy. We can't stand this sort of thing much longer," he said. In a
flame of natural wrath Mr. Gladstone replied that he had laboured not to
gain Mr. Miall's support, but to promote the welfare of the country. "I
hope my hon. friend will not continue his support to the government one
moment longer than he deems it consistent with his sense of right and
duty. For God's sake, sir, let him withdraw it the moment he thinks it
better for the cause he has at heart that he should do so." The
government, he said, had striven to smooth difficulties, to allay
passions, to avoid everything that would excite or stimulate, to endeavour
to bring men to work together, to rise above mere sectional views, to
eschew all extremes, and not to make their own narrow choice the model of
the measure they were presenting to parliament, but to admit freely and
liberally into its composition those great influences which were found
swaying the community. Forster wrote to a friend, "it does not rest with
me now whether or no the state should decree against religion--decree that
it is a thing of no account. Well, with my assent the state shall not do
this, and I believe I can prevent it."(193) Insist, forsooth, that
religion was not a thing of no account against men like Dale, one of the
most ardent and instructed believers that ever fought the fight and kept
the faith; against Bright, than whom no devouter spirit breathed, and who
thought the Education Act "the worst Act passed by any liberal parliament
since 1832."

The opposition did not show deep gratitude, having secured as many favours
as they could hope, and more than they had anticipated. A proposal from
the government (July 14) to introduce secret voting in the election of
l