The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1879.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 25, 29 January 1879, Page 2

The Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1879.

It is with some degree of hesitancy that we enter upon a subject which we hold iis scarcely fitting m the columns of a secular paper ; still, w« feel we would be wanting m our duty were wo to pass by. the subject without placing our opinions on> record. It is well known the .present. Education- Act is felt to be an unjust tyrrany by a large number of o*ur fellow-colonists, for while they, m common with persons of other denominations, are taxed for the education of the youth of the Colony, the system of instruction imparted is 1 of such a nature as conscientiously they cannot endorse. Time to those principles. Catholics have >on'<^qnently refrained from making use of the schools toward -which they are ;!upbn .-. to contribute, so that a. double burden has been placed upon tlieiiv sliovi UcrsJ which' Mritlierto -they have borne 'under ■protest; So far a gross, injury and injustice had been done to them, but 'it remained for M>. R. B. CARGiLtand a quartette of rev. Dunedin doctors t«-put on the screw and add insult to injury. Not satisfied with injustice of a passive nature, those worthy doctors of a dominant Church, by their spokesman, the liev; Lindsay KikckiE, assert that inasmuch as any I system of education which doe* not provide for religious instruction m defective, it is, desirable that the daily reading of the Bible in.the public schools of the Colony should beepme law. Had -the. rev. been satisfied with tho'nrsfc portion of, the sentence, we would hare heartily, endorsed his seij.tivment-, holding as we' do that education without moral and religious trainingjs worse than ns>JeSs; but when -he seeks by a side-wind to setup a State Church toward which he ifould compel denomij nations' of all sorts to contribute, we must meet hinuVith strenuous opposition. The Education Act as it is now framed almost compels the v attcn4anee of Catholic, children at the State schools, 1 for it is only by complying with a number of harrassing Conditions that a pe-nalty-can be escaped ; and m the face of the.;fact that the schopis.arasupposed, to be for the benefit of the youth of. the Colony, be they^wh;atsoeyts religion; thejy may, a barefaced attemjjjis made* I ito introduce, a regulation winch would;* ! make it utterly., impossible .-tthatja.^.--; tholic child cbiild enter a State school. Were any such clause to be pjaeed iippn tli« Statute Book of theo Qplony, it would; be a more monstrous .piece of tyram'iyitnatwas the Established Church m Ireland. . By that the Clathplic was taxed to support the Protestant parson, but m the proposition of Miv.. Lindsay Mackit, the Catholic is not only taxed -to. support sr»l)ohls whore the iProtestantO Bibjc wpnld be taijght, but the law "jrouid go farther and' say Miafc : he' mnsti send his children to receive such Pro^ testantinstructioni Such a step woul^ not Only be setting "P a State ChurCj.* Hut" proselytising by Act of Parliamen * Some of tli«» speakers at tho gatherin" to which "w* ha'r« alluded event went so far h« to'Virsft that the reading of the Biblp sihpa.ld hf* supplemented by interpretatipn and okplanation by the teachers; m fact, fpr the time being turning the, class inton Sunday-scliooK No. d p<) Kf persons will bf found to say — r "Well', Riipposing all this, should come tn p'hsV, and Hint the Bible, were read to Catholic children, what then? Would" "**hey tfarn anything wrong either from the. book itself or the teacher ?" To ihoso we- would r,pplv' in a CeHic tnanler by/asking the qnpstibn : " Why not I [o .further njnd ask that their parents tlttend the English Church atonce?"j ttiß jnst possible that the hn)\ set roli ling by the Key. Mr. M"\cKrß will con- j "tjlnn<»' until a rharige is Hfrctpd m the education RVHtf nvand while n^ei liParHly ■ | : wish t.hat he arid his rnnfrfir&H wjll be i ■ iff- libprfv to impart reliinpniiif^trnction ! " f r> tV rhildrpn of his ~poncregj».tion hv theaid of Iheitchooi teacher, we think vit i«hnot unrcnsp'jnble toanjt tjiat thy Cnfho]»^ portion of -ih> '^ominuiiTfy- will ■he allowed to bring up thpirchiUiren to hpliero m the faith m which they wot- . i*hiPv .i.:..:-.«. ■- .... ' ■ : :

Thb mental obliquity of our Foxton rontemporary is certainly amusing, for knowing hovr convenient is its assumed blindness, we can readily account for its apparent obtuseness. At the outset the Herald sets down the population of Palmerston at 880, the number returned by the Goverment sub-enumerator at the last census, but perhaps the Herald is not aware that the correctness of the l'eturn was not only challenged by the Mayor, but that gentleman went to th« trouble of making a house to house canvass of the borough to prove its falsity, and so well was he satisfied that there were 1000 persons within the town boundary, that he was prepared to make an affidavit to that effect, a test which the Government official dared not submit to. Our contemporary next indulges m an appeal ad misericordiam, and charges, us with laying a claim to shut them out from communication by rail with Wellington. We have never doi.e anything of the sort, we are not doing so at present, nor do we mean to so m the future ; but strange to say, the very crime laid at our doors, is exactly ' the conduct of our accusers. They woull to have the line constructed right off ; they do not wish comparisons drawn between the two routes, but feel aggrieved and »pea,k with an air of injured innocence because Palmerston should interfere, and dare to ask for any consideration before the matter is finally settled. On the other hand, tKe upcountry residents do not ask that tlie line should go through Fitzherbert, unless it can be proved beyond doubt that it is the most desirable course, that if is the more easily constructed and less expensive route, and further that it will open up a far greater amount of new country than its rival. •We think we oclio they sentiments cf three- Fourths of the settlers m the Upper Manawatu when we say that if Foxton can make put a ease that the results would, war? rant the Government m selecting thatroute, by all means let the line go there and we speak m all sincerity when w» say it will have our heartiest wishes for its success. We have so repeatedly advanced snch incontrovertible arguments m favor of the Upper District that we feel further reference would be merely travelling over the same ground. We have the sign-mannal of the Minister of Public Works, that the capablities i of both lines" will be thpfoughlyiexamined, and whether the decision be" m our favour or not we will be satisfied, nevertheless we are prepared to await the issue with perfect confidence. Then again, an impression seems to have gone abroad, m which ive imagine our contemporary shares, that the people of Palmerston are inimical to the construction of the FoxtonSandon line. This we can assure it is a mistake, of which we wish to disabuse the minds of those who hold such an opinion. On the contrary, settlers both m Palmerston and Feilding wish the project every success. If the assertion is received with doubt, we might mention as proof the action of the up-country members at the County Council when considering the application or motion of Councillor Sansok with regard to the use of the County road as a road line for the proposed railway. It was supported by Councillor Ltnton— about whose general sympathies with Palmerston there can be little doubt — m the warmest mamer, endorsed byCouncillors individually and collectively, and earned without a dissentient. Nay more, although Councillor Sanson went beyond' the claims of the Sandon and Foxton railway, and, asked for the concession as far as the Rangitikei River, he met with no factious opposition and the motion was carried without a division. We know it is supposed m Sandon t hat because we claim the Wellington I? lie, we are opposed to the proposed district railway. This is a mistake, and the sooner such an absurd idea is abandoned, the better. We heartily and thoroughly honor the people of Sandon for their determined persistent energy m that, as m all things they undertake, and if there bo truth m the" maxim that " God helps those who help themselves," they are sure* as they are worthy, of success. As long as the people of Sandon hold to their original idea of joining a line on at Carnarvon, they can claim the sympathy and, support of all portions of the county ;! but when they , travel beyond that, and trench upon a matter which the people of the upper district — whether rightly or wronjjly-r-imagihe affects their interests, they must not grumble if they meet with legitimate opposition.