THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1879.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1683, 12 July 1879, Page 2

THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1879.

On Thursday last, on tho occasion of the nomination of candidates for the City of Dunedin, Mr Reeves is reported as having propounded a novel educational scheme. What he would wish to see adopted, he said, was a national secular system, and he gave his ideas as to the course to be preferred as follows;—“ (1.) That a commission shall be appointed by Government, representing as far as possible all denominations; who shall draw up a series of secular school books, which shall be called tho New Zealand National School Books, and those only shall bo used in tho National schools from the hours of 10 a.m. till 12 a.m., and from 1 till 3 p.m., allowing ono hour’s interval. (2.) That Bible classes may bo held, or other religious instruction may be given from tho hours of 9 till 9.45 a.m., or from 3.15 till 4 p.m., allowing fifteen minutes of clear interval between tho religious and secular classes. (3.) That it shall be no part of a secular teacher’s duty to road the Bible at such morning or afternoon classes, or give any religious instruction whatever. (4.) That all schools other than State schools which shall be open to Government inspection, and teachers of which hold Government certificates, and which shall use tho National school books and those only for tho specified hours, and thus become for tho time being purely secular schools, shall receive a fair proportion of State aid.” Although reported as novel, this scheme in its essence is much tho same as was proposed during last session by Mr. Curtis, that essence being that any school under tho management of, what wo may fairly call, a private proprietary, may enjoy the benefit of State aid provided it be under Government inspection and conform in all respects to the requirements laid down as necessary for State schools. No doubt wo have not hoard the last, by a long way. of Mr. Curtis’s bill, but wo cannot think that tho Legislature will over allow the principle it seeks to develop to be adoptedjby the nation. For tho principle seems to us to bo entirely vicious. We do not wish to suggest that the temptation to introduce tho thin edge of tho denominational wedge would bo too strong for committees, formed as suggested by the Bill, when they found themselves possessed of the power of appointing masters, and undertaking the general control of their school —though it might be fair to infer that all committees representing, say, twenty-five householders of ono denomination would not bo immaculate. Nor do wo wish to say that denominational committees might without any deliberate intention, but only by reason of their natural bias, strain tho law in their own direction — although this might well be used as a fair argument. But what wo do say is this. Mr Curtis’ scheme would, if brought into practice, ruin tho National form of our education. It is a scheme which might apply to an earlier state of development than that to which wo have attained, but it would not work satisfactorily in tho present day. In the earlier days of the Canterbury Province State aid was given to denominational schools even when the teaching was sectarian. Such an arragement was found necessary at a time when tho facilities for procuring education wore potver—-vti’S T" rally round itself all tho aids that existed in the direction of giving elementary education to the children of the settlors But matters are far different now. A groat educating machine is needed, which, to work smoothly and efficiently, cannot be hampered by smaller machines obstructing its path. Education to be cheap and effective must be wholesale; it is absolutely indispensable that no waste of power should be incurred. Quite apart from the religious question, it would be perfectly impossible that if any body of men whose chose to build a school, and to see that their establishment]was conducted according to Government rules and under Government inspection, were to bo aided in their endeavours by State aid—it would be quite Impossible, wo say, that under such circumstances anything but a frightful loss by departmental and other friction would occur, We heartily sympathise with those who wish to see their children brought up in tho fear of God, and who do not look upon any odu-

calion as complete that does not see well to the moral welfare of tho young. The donomiuatioualists and those who advocate Mr. Curtis’ Bill are not tho only people by any moans who recognise this fact. That is not tho real root of the question. We feel confident that tho supporters of tho present system of education, would not object, if tho funds at thoir disposal allowed it, to subsidise tho ministers of the various denominations with tho view of getting thorn to give religious instruction to the children out of school hours. But tho secular education must ho given en masse, and tho only way of doing sd is by a truly National system built on extensive linos. Union is strength and economy in educacatioual as well as in military matters, and if every twenty-five householders are to have a school of their own, tho sooner tho country makes up it mind to increase

its taxation for educational purposes and to expect a lower standard of efficiency from the children, tho hotter. With regard to tho minor details of Mr. Reeves’ plan, tho idea of appointing a commission, representing all denominations, to draw up a series of secular school hooks to bo used in the National schools, would bo a good ono if the denominations would only agree to it. On the possibility of such agreement many of our readers will probably hold their own private views. Mr. Reeves’ ideas also with regard to tho times to bo given to religious instruction are somewhat raw. Wo fancy ho can never have played tho part of a pedagogue himself, or he would not have made tho suggestions ho has. However, no doubt ho means well, and good intentions are as much as tho most sanguine can expect from an amateur actor.