Correspondence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 475, 23 May 1857, Page 7

Correspondence.

' To the Editor of tW Lj/ttelton Times, ;• Sib;—A fundamental ; fallacy appears at the root of the arguments'"of his Honor the Superintent at the Lyttelton meeting in favour of the'seciilar system pf State education, arid those on the same subject of his alter ego,, the writer in your columns who styles hiniself" Cpnnell Councillor."' They err altogether, if I mistake not, in their view of tjie duties of the S£a.fce, arid in endeavouring to draw t6o sharp a line of separation between1 the duties'of the State and those of the Church. '-'■ The Stated I. take it, is a divinely appointed^ institution for promoting "the highest welfare of man as a member of an earthly and temporal community.' The. Church is a,society in this world, but not' of this world, appointed to fit men for immortality. But can the promotion of the highest temporal welfare of man "be'dis- | sociated from his preparation for immortality ? ! You may minister to his convenience by providing him with roads and bridges, but you do net; except in a very indirect and. incidental manner, promote thereby his moral and social well-being^ in other words his temporal happiness;- Again, you cannot hope to• secure these objeots by coercion;.you will not make men good citizens arid happy members of society by the terrors of the law; the gallows,,and the jail. As Christians; nay even as sensible men, do we not see that, though we may set forward these objects in various subordinate ways, we can directly secure em only by training the conscience, by timely educating the people to fear God, to honour all men, to respect themselves, to reverence human Government as the ordinance of God, and in all their dealings to do as they would be done by, and to remember the final' end. In short, the State cannot perform its duty, cannot, even pay a due regard to its own self-preservation and self interest, unless.it -provides for the moral and religious education of - the people as its chief object. And this duty is inalienable by the very nature of human society; the State cannot divest itself of it, . because it may be the duty of any other society besides itself; neither can it rightly shinnk from the performance of it, because circumstances, religious differences for, example, may have surrounded its performance with difficulties. A duty does riot cease to oe. a- duty when it becomes difficult to perform. The perfection of human society would be attained were the--Church one arid identical -with the State, or at leasts as closely connected as the soul and body, of a man • but because we cannot attain to that perfection, must we give up the attempt to approximate to it ? Shall we seek a remedy for an imperfect union in a complete divorce ? It should be borne in mind too that the State alone possesses -adequate means for the perforlriarice of this joint duty, in its pov/er of levying tribute, its stewardship of the public purse. I cannot for my own part understand by what moral right the State deprives men of their liberty.nay even of their life, unless it has first tried every means of prevention, reform a- ' tion, arid cure; the jail and the gallows are both | tyrannical and clumsy methods of durging society, if they are the only means adopted for the purpose, or, if, as "Connell Councillor" thinks, the State has done all its premonitory work when it has taught its sons to "read and understand the1 laws they are called ]ou to obey," having taken no pains to instil into them right principles of obedience. Suppose the prisoner or the condemned criminal, having some dim notions of the paternal nature of government, to ask why he is punished so severely -when he has never been taught the duty .of obedience and self-control, the majesty" of the State, as represented by the hangman or the turnkey, must be supposed to reply that, as for teaching princij^les of obedience, educating the conscience in the knowledge of right and wrong, that is the parent's and the Church's .work. The whole extent of the State's duty 'is to teach people to read and understand the laws they are called on to obey, and if these are not obeyed to fetter or to hang. But observe further another understatement in this passage of the Councillor's .letter ; i'or those whom the State has to (educate in this colony will he'called upon not only to obey laws but to make them. The State has to er\: ■.'(< its future -legislators, and we must entertain poor views pi' the work of legislators if we

think that " intellectual cultivation " alone is sufficient to qualify them for it; neither can it safely or rightly leave to the chance exertuniLS of individuals or of any other body a responsibility which so vitally concerns its own welfare and very existence. ■,:.,■ Of course I. do not mean to say that it is necessary or possible for the State directly to convey religious instruction, but only that it is bound to provide and. put ,in action -therbesj; means for ensuring its conveyance. • The application of the, principles above enunciated to the various schemes of State educacation which have been recently' proposed among us would lead, me too far on the present occasion. There are several .other'points also in the letter of " Connell Councillor," and that of Mr. Rae which call for remark; but mindful of; your suggestion respecting brevity', J prefer to postpone my further observations to another; opportunity,*with j rour permission, than, to encumber your columns too much at present. I am sir, , j Your obedient servant, .--. ; HENRY JACOBS. To the-Editor of the Lytteltoti Times. , Sik—-Having heard that it was publicly: stated in Court : on Tuesday last " That I sold' grog, not having a license to do do.so;" as, in, -consequence of a sore foot, I was not able to. at-' .tend, and therefore had not the opportunity of i \ denying the charge, will you'jallow me through your paper to say that there is not the shadow of truth in the assertion. . ■'■: . : ■In the month-of May last; year G. Hv Moore, \ -Esq., held an-auction sale.rat my house; on! that occasion there was refreshment provided; for the company; some of: Francis Fuller's ser-! vants were among1 the buyers, and, t have no doubt^ partook of the spirits provided by< Mr. j Moore, and sent from .Christchurch by Mr.' Thomson. As that was the only time on which I recollect any of Fuller's servants getting' spirits in my. house, I call upon Messrs.. Bu-j clianan and Hessell to say, or any other man tol prove, that I ever sold: malt or spirituous liquors,; and I call upon the man who made the assertion to substantiate the same or to acknowledge that he stated what he.well knew to be false, and' that for the malicious purpose of doing fine an injury.- ' . . : • Hoping your sense of justice twill lead you'to* I excuse my asking you to insertthis in your next number, I have the honour to be, sir, : Your obedient- aerv ant,v.- :■■•■..-.! ' A. St JOHN WHITE.: Kaiapoi, May 14, 1857. ' i ■ .-.';