"SOCRATES" AND EDUCATION IN NEW SOUTH WALES. .

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 676, 29 November 1909, Page 8

"SOCRATES" AND EDUCATION IN NEW SOUTH WALES. .

Sir,—The more "Socrat&'' writes' of : education'in'New South Wales the, more evident it is tlint' he lias no practical knowledge of the subject. In Ms:reply in today's Dominion, he says "that there i 6 an undertaking by the State thati its system shalhbg absolutely secuI lar." The Government, of Sir Henry Parker [!who passed tlis ; Education' Act in 1880,.were the Hvrong stamp of men to £ive;any. .such undertaking, and -who, 6Kpnld 'the j "give the under.' taking to, an'd'in should it be! given? The 1 fact' is, that ever eince thq Bill became law religious instruction has been regularly given in these State schools during school hours, liot by teachers 'only, But also/by Protestant clergymen-'of." various' denominations,and without any friction or . inconvenience whatever. I wonder on what authority "Socrates" lays down; the law "that' ho reference to matters of religious dogma is permissible in a system , of: secular .-education administered by' the, State. If' in a democratic State like New South Wales. the great' majority 1 of. tho people emphatically say that a certain amount [of.v religious instruction, shall- be- given," who ' shall say them nayP". "SooattE" denies mj statement that there are • none: of Archbishop Kelly's,people connected with .the Siate schools, ,but,-tlie facts 'in that statement' were strongly .pointed out and confirmed in my hearing, recently by the headmaster (who has .^since'.resigned) of one; of the largest schools. in New. South Wales, and ari active..member,of the' Archbishop's . Church. When tho Education Act; came into-force, the old Act giving State aid. to denominational. schools. * was repealed, and many, closed, in consequence. To prevent' hardship., the teachers in these schools wero taken over, and'.in course of time some have nsen to good-positions. This took place about ,thirty ;; years ago, and now there are very few, if any, loft in fhe . service. '' When the Act come inra force the Church in question brought all lfe strength, to bear on the Government to get State aid continued in.their schools; but thoy ~failed. 1 Even now.. if .the . State - would give a substantial'yearly grant-from the.consolidated funds to the church schools, all opposition would -be withdrawn. The only. legi- ; timatte objection • tho Church, can . have to S.tate education either secular ' or"; religious ; (and J thing. lam putting this fairly), is a question of e.,-d. They, strongly object to bomg forced to pay by taxation or otherwise for the education of children ,\yho do not belong to them, and wjio : have no connection with them whatever.—l am, etc, . xt : L . HODGE. ■ November 20, ,1909. ; '• •