THE REV. W. F. STENT ON CHURCH SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 29, 29 October 1918, Page 6

THE REV. W. F. STENT ON CHURCH SCHOOLS

Sir,-The Rsv. WV'F. Stent, of Taihapo, can scarcely be ignorant of the fact that-Germany has, all along, had precisely that form of religious instruction ib its national schools for which tlie New Zealand Bible in Schools party have been so persistently agitating! There can be' no disputing tho tact tlmt-Ger-many's religion has gone near to enslaving humanity. Christianity (in one or other of its forms) may be said to be the national and official religion "of the German Empire! History furnishes abundant testimony to the fact , that official national religions, whether • they find expression in ecclesiastical or in educational institutions, uniformly and invariably Yonduce to Erastianism, and to an absolutism of a world-bestriding order inmon-ai-ehic institutions. Germany and her religion, as it finds official expression l in her churches and her , schools, will remain for ever a'Varning , to humanity of the danger to religion itself, as well as to human liberty, from • absolutismhierarchic or monarchic. Where is the greatest moral influence in the world to be found in these eventful days of the year 1918? Can it be said to be in the. Christian Cnurch-or in any Church, Christian .'or .other? Where is the "infallible in questions of faith and. morals"? Hear Sir William Rol>ertson Nicoll: "Will any wrions man to-day argue that Woodrow Wilson does not govern by Divine right, because he i Ins never been crowned and anointed? j The moral leader of ■ the world stands aloof from any historic episcopate; he is not the Pope, but the President." . ■ , „ . l ' While not for a moment challenging tho. propriety .of imparting religious instruction to such children as attend our State schools, I emphatically protest against imposing this task on' Civil Servants or State officials. The Churches seem indisposed to make provision for supplementing our national secular system by accredited visiting representatives of the various Churched and so, in not a few instances, are establishing schools of their own. Now, as such Church , schools can achieve .any success only, in tho larger or city centres, is it not an ,ict of 'ingratitude on the part of ■ the Churches 'to 'attempt to injure and discredit the State school system in our cities and towns, while coolly relying on the State to do for them in the country districts what they cannot do for themselves ? While not disputing the right of the Churches to establish such , schools, if they can afford them (and if our Government sees to it that, they are eminently staffed and the secular instruction on a level with that of the State schools), and while not disputing! Hie Rev. Mr. Stents motives in. reference to the waiter of religious education,. 1 cannot help concluding that .a deliberate attempt is. being made in ccclesiastijal circles to discredit our State school system. There, is not a little. of the I-could-aiid-if-I-would sort of innuendo.in the air reTarding our State fchools in these days, ft is pretty generally bplievpd that there lriay be method and diplomacy in the Averillian indiscretions and vagaries in this connection. There is, no doubt, mnch need for educational relorm, but the very last kind of reform contemplated by serious and sober educationalists is oiie which would sectarianise onr State ivstpin of edwHon, o>- Erastinmse aiidofricia.ipou^ion.-T^etc., October 2G.