CHURCH OF ENGLAND SYNOD.

Evening Star, Issue 3341, 4 November 1873, Page 2

CHURCH OF ENGLAND SYNOD.

ESTABLISHMENT OE DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOLS. The Rev. R. L. Stanford moved—“ That it is desirable that every effort he marie hy the Church of England in Otago to promote the introduction of denominational schools everywhere throughout the diocese.” He hail been led to introduce this resolution, owing to the scries of circumstances with which they were all fa-miliar, and which had taken place during the last few days of the session. He was one of those clergymen who voted for the resolutions unfortunately thrown out upon Friday', which declared the advisability of giving religious instruction to the children of their own communion during one portion of the ordinary school day ; and when he proposed tin’s resolution, that denominational schools should he started everywhere, lie did so for reasons he would presently explain, but also because the resolutions he referred to were thrown out. Had they been carried, they would have satislicd him better than the resolution lie now proposed. His present resolution had two objects. The first was ti a', he was anxious to obtain from the laity a clear expression of their opinion on this momentous question. He believed the object with which ho had introduced this resolution would be carried out by a triumphant majority, but still it would be only partially carried out if he did not carry the lay members of the Church with him, and gain from them a clear expression of their minds. What he meant by denominational education was that education in which secular and religious instruction were given under one roof, in many instances by one people and under the direction of one clergyman. The first point that naturally suggested itself to him was : what is religious instruction - this religious instruction which he •meant to give as a clergyman in a denominational school '! What he meant by “ religious instruction” was the morality of the Gospel, with sufficient explanation to give it the substance—the bones —of a single dogma- He maintained that the morality vanished in a cloud unless it was clothed in simple statements, and each one of these statements must ever be a dogma. Rut he must not he misunderstood. To conceive that the clergy would teach children of six, or seven, or eight years old that creed about which so much controversy had lately arisen, was to imagine that clergymen Avcre devoid of all common sense. Passing from the definition of religious instruction, he would go on to sneak of the necessity for this religious instruction being given. First, he conceived that it was a necessity, because all true morality was absolutely dependent on the conception of religion, ilc would cite a passage from the work of Hr Fitzjamc.s Stephen, “ On Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity,” as an illustrious authority for the position lie maintained, that “ morality and religion must in the, future, as they always had in the past, stand or fall together.”—(Hear, hear.) Then, again, their laws as men in every commonwealth were founded upon the Word of Ood ; and lie would ask them as ('ulonists, and as subjects of the Cuccn, were they prepared to go to the rising generation and touch them not one word of that upon which the Church of England rests? The necessity for religious instruction -for he must still harp upon this theme- -might bo shown to those who were parents in this way: There was one dogma inculcated in the sth Commandment—a dogma taught to most of them many a year ago—which bade them honor their father and their mother. He maintained that the rising generation in Otago had already begun to show, by their actions, that they had never learned that lesson.- (Hear.) Parental authority is and must be founded upon that commandment, and where that commandment was not taught to a child —taught again and again, and impressed by precept and example -their family life would continually tend towards that miserable state -that wretched, lamentable state-—which it was now coming to in Otago, where parental authority had been swept out of sight, and a sort of voluntary compact —an arrangement of mutual interest—had taken its place, to the great and disastrous loss of both parents and children alike. The only argument he had heard which weighed one iota against the carrying out of the resolution he now put before them was this : men told him that they had seen the Roman Catholics make such a mess of denominational education that they hated and detested the very name of it. He saw many were convinced that denominational education meant servility to the priesthood, and that if the system were adopted, it would lead to such a state of things. Rut he would only ask them ; did they refuse to eat their dinners because some idiots would eat unwholesome food ?

Mr LI’HKCKI spoke apfainst the resolution. He agreed with a great deal that had keen stated by the mover of the resolution in reference to the necessity of imparting religious instruction, but he differed from him in regard to the method proposed for carrying it out. If the Synod passed the resolution, it would be a retrograde step. Denoiiiiiiatioualism all over the world had proved to be a miserable failure. Where a good sound religious education was to l)e had, the secular part of the child’s training generally failed. The reason was simply this : they very seldom found a person who could impart religious and secular instruction effectively. In most cases the children regarded their teacher as a hard taskmaster, and they did not give him that respect which was given to a clergyman or a parent, He maintained that it was the duty of parents to teach religion to their children, and in the second place it was the duty of clergymen to enforce that duty upon the attention of parents. The clergyman should not confine his attention to young children. Bible classes should be formed for teaching young men and young women, so that when they became parents their duty in this respect might be clearly enjoined upon them.

Mr Houghton said he had not been convinced by the arguments adduced in support of the motion. The question was not as between religion and non-religion. He did not believe the object aimed at could be achieved by denominational schools. He bad seen children go to school five days in the week, the sixth being set apart for religious instruction. That was the ease in Germany, and lie thought it might be imported into their own educational system. He also spoke in favor of the advantages to be derived from the formation of Bible classes, at Avhich the duty of parents to their children would be. taught and inculcated, Mr Hardy rose in compliance with a request that the lay members would express their opinions on the subject. He had no sympathy at all with the views expressed by the mover of the resolution, who appeared to go upon the assumption that there was no religious instruction taught in the public schools of this Province, lie totally disagreed with him in that respect. (Speaking from his own observations lie could say that the Bible Avas generally lead in these schools, and that, as a rule, the children ranging between the ages of ten and fourteen were very well road in both the Old and the Ncw Testaments. He. conceived that the children of this place were upon tile whole as AVell taught and as well behaved as children were in any other place. lie would not say that they were all that lie could Avish them to lie, hut he must protest against the Avholesale denunciation hurled at them by Mr Stanford in his address. However, he avouM vote for the resolution as put forward ; at the same time ho must express his dissent from the views put forward by the gentleman by Avhom the motion Avas introduced.

Mr Reid expressed dissent from the Avhole spirit of the motion. He did not believe in the establishment of Joiiominational schools, or in any proceeding calculated to disturb the present arrangement of our public schools. Within the last three days he bad travelled a good deal round these schools to make himself acquainted Avitli their Avorking, and as to the amount of religious instruction imparted in them. He found that they opened AvitJi prayer, and that the Bible or Testament Avas read without comment. They could not expect that the Government money, contributed by the whole body of the population, comprising all sects and denominations, would he devoted to the training of any one denomination. What, then, did they iind was proposed by the motion? 'That the clergyman Avas to be allowed the first half hour of every morning for religious instruction. Ho could not see how such a proposal could lie made to work. Supposing Hve clergymen belonging to different denominations Avcre to present themselves during the first half hour. The Lev. Mr < Viefkv : Oh !

Mr Reid : lAvantto reduce the proposition to practice,

The Rev. Mr Coffey : Then they would take day and day about. Mr Reid continued to say that he did not see any necessity for them to make any effort for the establishment of denominationalisin. He did not join in the fear that had been expressed of the danger of their children falling into atheism or heathenism. Some of the arguments put forward on behalf of the motion he admitted were correct. There were careless parents who were altogether indifferent as to the religious training of their children. That, however, was a difficulty they would have to legislate for in some other way. They could not attempt to interfere with the Government schools in that matter. The Government schools had done the work they were intended to do, and they were not able in this way to undertake the work. The Rev. Mr Coffey : How not?

Mr Rinn : In the first place, it might do for Dunedin, but how about the rest of the diocese. After some further interruption, the speaker proceeded to say that he had been trained in one of the parish schools in Scotland, in which there had been a mixture of all classes and creeds, and yet no trouble or difficulty had arisen. In Scotland, twenty-five years ago, there were no denominational schools, and none were wanted. Wherever they had been established they only produced heart burnings and trouble, and the less heard about them the better.

After various other member's bad spoken, the Bishop said he had one or two remarks to make upon the valuable observations made by the various speakers who had taken part in the debate. He specially wished to say that in voting upon this measure everything like a feeling of antagonism as between the clerical and lay members should be laid aside. At previous sittings of the Synod, resolutions were passed setting forth that they regarded the present state of religious education in this Province as unsatisfactory. The only thing thrown out on Friday was, that the resolutions, as carried, should be taken up by the Government. The plan proposed on Friday was evidently not satisfactory to some members, although, as he had already stated, lie thought it the only practicable plan. Taking the whole diocese into consideration, he knew that if the system proposed in the present resolution were adopted, it would he possible to set up schools in the centres of population, but not throughout the Province at large- at all events not in their time. The carrying out of the tlrst plan ha ving been rendered impossible, they now had to consider what other practicable scheme could lie devised which would afford a remedy for this acknowledged evil. A scheme which would afford a remedy for a. considerable part of the disease had been put before them that evening, and it would be for them to say whether it was or was not a practicable or desirable scheme. What they wanted was that some practicable plan should be devised, for ho was sure himself and a groat many others washed in sincerity merely to have a practicable system adopted by which this most important subject could be undertaken with the least possible delay. He was therefore sorry that the challenge thrown out by the Rev. Mr Stanford had not been taken up. It did not appear to him that the proposers of the present scheme intended that the Government money should be asked for teaching religion. The system proposed, and alluded to as “ payment by results,” was simply this : supposing the members of the Church of England had schools of their own throughout the Province, they would admit the inspector appointed by the Government, who would examine upon the subjects for which the Government was willing to make payment, these subjects being entirely secular. At Home they were confined to three subjects —reading, writing, and arithmetic. The inspector went into the Church of England schools, examined upon these subjects, and entered in his hook those who passed and those who failed to pass. A. sum of money fixed upon by the Government was then paid for those who passed in the prescribed subjects. The question of religion was never considered by those inspectors.

After the Rev. Mr Gifford had addressed the meeting in support of the motion, it was put to the meeting and carried, the following being the division list - (‘i,kkoy. —Ayes, 12: The Revs. R. L. .Stanford, J. Dewe, E. G. Edwards, E. G. Penny, R Colfey, W. M. Leeson, J. Jones, T. L. Stanley, A, Gifford, G. P. Beaumont, W. Oldham, Jackson Smith. La n’V. —Ayes, 11 —Messrs M. W. Hawkins, D’Arcy Haggitt, John Allan, S. Brent, H. E. Hardy, J. Mander, T. Mansford, N. L. Buchanan, T. B. Bellett, E. Herbert. Noes, 4—.Messrs G. F. Black, G. F. Reid, A. D. Lubecki, H. Houghton,