The Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1869.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 498, 25 March 1869, Page 2

The Grey River Argus. THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 1869.

After remaining in abeyance fqr some time, it \& satisfactory to find that the movement for the establishment of a National School in Greymputh has beeu taken up by his Worship the Mayor, and, is likely to be carried put with vigor. Much, however, wilj depend upon the spirit in which the question is lopked at by the members of the various religious denominations, at the meeting which is called to consider it to-morrow evening No question is open tq more diversity of opinion, or capable of being treated either in a liberal or narrow spirit; we theiefore counsel moderation on all aides, and hope that by a general blending of private opinions, a good work may be carried on, which will be a great public benefit. With us, th.c action 'taken by the late session of the County Council and the Education Board has reduced the question to the smallest dimensions, and in order to remove a misunderstanding which exists, its present aspect may be briefly stated:-— A sum of £2000 was voted by the Council to be spent by the Education Board during the next six months, and the Board resolved that this money should only be spent in fostering a national system of education and building national schools. For the futui'e, no subsidies are to be given to private or denominational schools, and if Greymouth is to have any participation in the expenditure of the vote, immediate action is necessary to secure it. Meantime the Catholic and Church of England bodies have resolved to establish schools iv connection with their churches, of a serai -sectarian nature, have appointed committees and collected subscriptions to secure the services of competent teachers. Now, the question is simply this : Is there any possibility of the town being able to maintain three schools, with able men as teachers, who will require to be paid good salaries ? We think not. Besides, let it be remembered that on no condition can a subsidy be obtained for the Denominational Schools* and if an expression of public opinion should be given at the meeting against the establishment of the National School, the money cannot bo diverted to the others, but will simply be spent in other parts of the County, and will be so much lost to the cause of education here. It will be seen that this position only admits of one solution, and that is, the adoption of the National School system as offered by the -Education Board. In oi-der to secure one thoroughly good school, where a sound secular education can be obtained by the rising generation, the members of all denominations ought to combine. Their individual efforts, so far as religious teaching is concerned, should he directed to the Sunday Schools in connection with their respective churches, and the whole force of a combined community, as far as secular education is concerned, should be centred iv the National School. This" is the position which we hope to see taken up by the public at the meeting to-morrow night. The first step in this direction has been already taken by the Mayor, in the nomination of the Committee of Management for the school. He was requested to send iv a list of names for approval by the Education Board, aud he wisely selected gentlemen representing every shade of religious belief in the place. There is not the slightest doubt that the names submitted will be approved of. In the hands of such a nicely balanced Committee, we would be quite content to leave the management of our National School, and we hope their hands will be materially strengthened by the action taken by the public to-morrow night.