DENOMINATIONALISM

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1048, 10 February 1911, Page 4

DENOMINATIONALISM

"ITS DANGEROUS BYPATHS." ! SPEECH BY THE HON. G. FOWLDS. (By Telegraph-Press Association.! -i" ' Auckland, February 9. - ; An important speech was delivered thia ■ afternoon by the Hon. Geo. ' Fowlds, '-.'■ Minister for Education, which took the ■'"' form of :a reply to recent public criticisms. The ■ occasion.for t'no Minister's remarks was the opening of a new school at Grey/Lynn- Mr. i'owlds, after, complimenting the district' on the ' acquiation of such a fino school, went .on to say that it was. now nearly five'years / sinco he accepted the position of Minister for Education. At •"■ that time ' the ■■■'■■ whole education system was up for critic-: ism. and ho quite recognised that the'-: . holding of the office was attended with' considerable risk. In the' intervening ' years considerable improvements had' been effected in the system, : tho status' and salaiies,of the teachers had been much improved, and this had resulted. in a more contented, and enthusiastic \ spirit permeating tho whole' profession.: Tho four training, colleges had got into full swing, and were annually turning out a larger number of more efficiently/, trained teachers than had ever been dona ■.;■'••.■ before in the history of the Dominion.'-•..-:.' Great progress had also been made inK the organisation of technical - education, - - inclnding agricultural education, during* .- those years,- while tho free'.'placer.sxs-";.';. tem had brought the benefits'of second- - ary education within the reach of., many-.'.-..'•', children who would otherwise have: been'--excluded. The Minister then wentronv to say that ho had always' avoided any-; thing in the nature of • political - parti-•'. canship in the administration of the.De-'' partment. Many-of his political oppon-'.-'.' ents had publicly testified to, ihis .f act.'; He was equally glad to acknowledge'that.. . ; in passing legislation for the' imf cove- : .'' ment of_.tSe system ;he had received generous; assistance from members of the Opposition, in fact, he could say "that ever since the passing of the Education Act in-: 1877 all. parties in Parliament, and the great bulk of the people of this coun- '~ try had been united in support of cut,', national system of free, secular,'and com-: , ; pulsory. education. It; was true that-' there had been■ agitations in:favour of a;-J-"-change in the direction of introducing;-; , Bible lessons, but when the great masa-;' of the people had the: opportunity',of.-;; speaking at election-time, the ;-. verdict ?*•?■: had been unmistakably in favour Of! i ; maintaining the existing system, which' rj; had served the country so well.- -. . "The;present Governmeht, like all Go-V.\: vernments that have gone before it since ''a.* 1877. -stands'- by-^the.present system;"i'i:; continued the Ministeiv'.'and so .far:as.* I am personally concerned,; : l;have-on';' every occasion, when Offering: my services for Parliament,: declared; unequivocally-? ifdr- the maintenance . : of _ thc,exU'Khg;svs-A;: tem. and.rather than bo a party, to any fundamental change. I should prefer - to' be excluded altogether from the:publio; .Hfo of the Dominion.-; The will of the, . people must prevail in Education, as-in,; •'.'- everything else, In a democratic country,, but! airi certain the democracy of.this .- country will"look critically at: any:nrc- :.' ,'• nosarwhich would tend'to lead.'us back'.,... into ';. the " dangerous and unsatisfactory ■ : .' by-paths ' J cl denominationalism.: from '.'■ '.'_•' which" we escaped after much trihulatioD. > in'■ IS""." : (Applause.) .. ~\ i l;~?". l :r) ■'.-.'-•■ V.:' .-