The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1886. JUVENILE CRIME AND STATE EDUCATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1439, 23 December 1886, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1886. JUVENILE CRIME AND STATE EDUCATION.

The unusual frequency of late of charges against juvenile offenders had led to a very general belief that New Zealand must compare unfavorably with other coumiies in this respect, and not a few letters and articles have recently appeared in the public press which have been evidently based upon that assumption. Many of the writers, assuming the fact as proven, have busied themselves in endeavouring to trace out its cause, and some of them have directly attributed it to our system of State Education—not that it is held that what is taught in our schools conduces to crime, but that it is contended that the system fails to teach those principles which can alone prevent it. Whatever may have been thought of the conclusions of the writers had their premises been correct, it now appears from statistics recently given by Sir Robert

Stout as Minister of Education that the premises themselves are absolutely false.—Speaking at the breaking up for the holidays of the Dunedin State Schools, the Premier said : —“ He had with him a few statistics, which would show that since this system of State education had been inaugurated there had been a decrease instead of increase of criminals in New Zealand. This coh.ny stood at the head of the world in regard to the paucity of juvenile crime. In 1877 the number of prisoners in the colony was 11 ’a 1 per 1000 of the population. The 1886 statistics were not to hand, but in 1885 this average had been reduced to 8 48. Since 1877, and up to the present time, there had been a steady decrease in the ratio of criminals to the population. In 1877 the ratio of juvenile criminals was 72 per 1000 ; in 1885, it was 59.” He quoted figures relating to criminals under twenty-five years of age, and said “ further examination of these statistics went to show that the proportion of Colonial-born criminals to the rest of the population

was decreasing inbieau ui iucic<t:>uig« In 1885 there were 332 persons under 20 years of age convicted of crime, and out of these Ix 4 were born in the colony. Hie majority (218) came to New Zealand from elsewhere. New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and the British Isles were far above this

colony wun regard to juvenue crimm ality. In 1885 New Zealand had 0.59 per 1000 of criminals under 20 years of age; New South Wales had x'6 ; Queensland, x’s4; England, x‘iß; whilst Scotland rose as high as 3'20. They must also bear in mind that in dealing with the latter countries he had only taken the figures for the principal gaols, whereas New Zealand returns in-

cluded all the gaols.” The comparison thus made results, it will be seen, wholly satisfactorily so far as New Zealand is concerned, and it is proved to demonstration that we a favorable record as compared with other colonies and countries. This, ■ however, by no means demonstrates that those who are irf favor of religious instruction in schools are in the wrong

in favoring that instruction as, notwithstand ng our good record under the pre .e t purely secular system, it is quite possible, nay probable, that we might attain a still better one if attention were given more directly to moral culture. But religious instruction for no religious instruction, there is, we feel sure, one point on which both religionists and anti-religionists can agree, and that is the desirableness of a little more attention being paid to the teaching of manners as, speaking generally, the rising generation certainly promises a want of culture in this direction which is very sincerely to be regretted. The more than brusquerie which distinguishes the average colonial youngster may be, to some extent, the product of the freedom of colonial life, but unless it be checked it will develop exceedingly ungraceful traits in the manners and bearing of the New Zealanders of the future. It is not enough that our people should be innocent of crime or have fairly educated minds, let us strive to make them also gentle of speech and courteous in manners. There is, we are persuaded, in these respects ample room for improvement.