THE EDUTCATION QUESTION.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 54, 25 April 1877, Page 2

THE EDUTCATION QUESTION.

', "TO THE EDITOB. Sir, — As the "Education Question " is now engaging the attention p£ the public press of the Colony and as you also taire expressed an opinion on it, I presume -that your columns are open to those who . have stti&e'thing .to suggest with p view of smootMng down existing difficulties. After caref ully reading your' article; I cannot help thinking that you have placed 5 the persistent/o pposition manifested- by denominationali.sts to secular education m too 'favorable a light. I believe that the leaders of thedenominational party will fiot be satis--fied so easily as you seem to think m this matter. I do not think that any one ever yet became religious by, his school training. Ajad what is more I believe that giving religibus subjects as exercises to children at school creates an impression m the minds of children that proves unfavorable to it with them m their mature age. In short I believe it to be injurious to religious" feeltng' to have it drilled and'caried into children at school. The matter should be left m the hands of the parents entirely^ and the clergy's duty should be confined to directing-the parents if necessary m the ' way to train their: children m religious feeling— a feeling, the impresssiori of which* would remain with them during their lifetime. But as the clergy want the use of the school -house for catching the children m the net of denominationalism, I would allow them to have it by . all means, either before \ or, after the regular school hours, 1 on condition that neither the teacher of thepublic school, nor any of his assistants were present, and that there ■ would ' also be some interval between the seculaj^and .denominational teaching suffici^Ji to alkyyv the children time to escape^irpm. the net, where, if caught, they were to be taught to hate instead of love all •" those whose parents differed from theirs m some slight shade "of religious formality. How much evil has been done m the name of religion, "let history testify. For the sake of securing 'education to every one, I think it would be just as well to do as you suggest, that is to throw the entire responsibility of settling all arrangements abojit'reiigious instructions on the clergy and parents, and then as yoii say, "We shall see what we shall see." This will be satisfactory ' enough, presuming that the clergy and parents- will have td arrange the matter by settling their differences among themselves first, instead; of taking them to be ventilated m the school with the ; effect of making religious partizans of the children. . As the least of two evils, I would choose to exclude this sort of thing from schools altogether, leaving religion, to be taughtand fixed m the feelings at home by the father's care and the mother's tenderness. The school and / its playground •to be prevented from interfering m any way with the influence of the home religion. I feel strongly on this subject as I no^ find late m life that the religious teaching of a mother m my own infant days has been more lasting on the feelings than all the sermons I have heard preached for half a century, and I also found that the effect of the school tasks I got as exercises on religious subjects had made the Church catechism distasteful to me ever .since my school boy days, so that, iii; the interest of religious teaching, I am m favor of excluding from public schools all denominational teaching.— lam, &c., . ; EbligioUs Vbnbbxtion.