THE BISHOP'S ADDRESS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 244, 3 July 1918, Page 4

THE BISHOP'S ADDRESS

The address delivered by the Anglican Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Scroti) at the opening of tho Diocesan Synod yesterday was mainly devoted to a discussion of the fundamental principles of moral and religious' education and an attempt to solve the very difficult problem created by the conscientious objector to military service. The information which the Bishop gives regarding the substantial progress made by the movement for the establishment of Church schools will certainly not he pleasant reading for those who hold that the State should have a monopoly in education. Some people even go as far as to contend that the Government should pass legislation enabling it to suppress all school systems but its own. But such a tyrannous abuse of power would be intolerable in a British community, and would probably have the effect of arresting the progress of education. At the present time education ■ methods, ideals, and schemes arc in the melting pot. Great difference of opinion exists as to the right way of training the child and as to the relative importance of the utilitarian, humanitarian, and spiritual aspects of education. In view of these fact;it is well that a 'wide liberty of choice and experiment should be permitted. Comnetition can do no harm provided that the secular instruction given in voluntary schools is as good as that given in the State schools. It is the duty of the Government to ensure this. The national education system should not fear any competition. It has the 'prestige of tho State behind it and

can draw upon the financial resources of tho country. It is to be hoped that competition will act as a spur on the Slate authorities and compel them to bestir themselves more than they have done in the past with the object of increasing the all-round efficiency of the national system. No one who believes in the survival of the fittest has any right to complain of a struggle for existence in the snhcre of education. The great majority of the supporters of the State system have no sympathy with the suggestion that,the State should crush voluntary effort by force. If, as tho Bishop says, such force is available to-day "to suppress voluntary schools in the interests' of secularism, to-morrow it might be used Lo silence—shall we say I—university professors or other public teachers in the interest of s'ome social or economic theory."

The Bishop's remarks regarding the attitude taken up by the conscientious objectors to military service merit lbs careful attention of those who desire to do justice both to the individual conscience and to the legitimate claims of the community upon its citizens in a great crisis like that through which wc are now passing. _ The conscicntious objectors and their friends seem to think that all the conscicncc is on their side, and that the conflict is one between the arbitrary power of the State and the conscicncc of certain individuals. They scorn to forget that other people have consciences. The conflict is really between the conscience of the objcctor and the conscience of the community. Tho majority of the people conscientiously object to some persons being > placed in a priyilegcd position in the matter of military service, especially at a timo when thei* country is fighting for very life. The problem is made still more complicated i by the difficulty of distinguishing between the genuine conscientious objector and the fradulent exploiter of conscience. The Bishop puts some extremely searching questions to those people who believe that their consciences will not allow them to shoulder a rifle, and lie tells them plainly that they must be prepared to suffer some inconvenience, some disability; but they "will not suffor more than those other servants of conscience who are in tho trcnchcs." What right have they to expect to suffer less'! The authorities must of course set their face against anything in the shape of persecution or brutal treatment of conscientious objectors, but they must take effective measures to prevent shirkers from evading their duty by false pretences. In giving objectors tho option of serving iii the ambulance corps,, Parliament has done all that can reasonably be expected to meet their ease. "The suggestion that they should be placcd under civil control and made to do useful work _foy the community under strict discipline is beset with many practical difficulties, and it is very doubtful whether such an arrangement would prove a solution of the problem.