Ignorance Muddling With Education.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 43, 5 January 1912, Page 15

Ignorance Muddling With Education.

Sir, —Soiu-e asonvrcous writer, or rather compiler, in voui issue of *'th Dec. volunteers soiuo iiifonhaikii on the school systems <-f AnH.rica, Australia and tlsrwhc.'j-i', avpnvcutly with a view of introducing ioiiic sort of theological teaching mto the Stat-o schools of this Dominion. A man who venture a to advise the public on educational matters should sui-dv hiirsclf possess some litilo tdu-aiio;:, but t-Jjo compiler in qu'stio-i shows r.o suc-.ii qualification. On the c-<>ntrary. judged by his perfoniijuipp ; n wir ':o\v.mi\s, he enn surely hardly h?.\ <- pasff-d even tlio third standard of cur primary schools. Jt is in Mn: r<-.il:r: r>f £'■<■.-'" , v Iv )'<^'f , his ignoranro is nj■ j~:ii-»-I.t. and hs blundors most c,;s. Ktre_ arc a few of them, first, he is unable so much as to distinj:;n-ii Ut\vc<:n a country and a tew.!:, tut under the hoadinj,' of ■ C'-i>i:i:t:iff? wh< re the BiMo is reiul in school , -" actunlly •uintr.crat<js amongst t!u-m M.o oil i< i? ot Glasgow, Edinburgh. 13c:!in and Han burg! And, further, was it igi>or;>h<'e or something worse that led this j«r:oii.i lor-ViS compiler to onurnorat-o ■Franc amongst tho countries in cr-us-ionr Why, ih" merest tyro in educational rr.autrr? knows that iS'.aie tdu<?ation in Fiam.t is so absolute! , , e<<u!nr that not only is tho Bible e?:'-hsdw3 iron, its primary schools, but even the- w< rd "Gcd'"_i> not suffered to appior in ar.y oi ih< text books in use. Hut perhaps it is lv-un'Mi !:o-ad< ■<!;>!•< rather t!ia:i iiri.t ratyo or imvihinij worso thu.t fhniai-tTiscf: t>>• s H'll'-ap-|join!«-d fdii<■<"■;! '.'. i<;i J <>:|Mt sinr<j he actually iih'ludes "Kuypt ' Mnonpst i.i><-;--nunirir's iti quo linn, whilst wknio.vIcdfiin!: at the s-anio time that the volume here v.sni ih not the I'ililc, Imt the Koran! Pow< rs .•■love! inwant to introdixe this sort <>t Bil>l< in ho XX Stnto M-hmol? and make fufiiro L'<-neratioi;s of New Znalnmh-r* ).:.. ':V.'t.V^-i-C_i-SiUl !i \ 1 "tii s? jnaiiV ir-nral: o>i;.cht t-o be ii!f|Uirea"TTr!.v^.-'r;>- 4-r^---;-— These are <>iiiy Feme of the h.ihstutoments. to "all ;l',<m by no harshn imiive. rontaiiiM.l in this list, but )n l history is jn-t as b;:.d as his <>;00fn..----phv. Tlii= is ]>l:un irorn the tact tlia: hr'fiuotrs. and iri.-uuiV.sriy «ith ni'l'i;;viil Ihe nlisunl wniark <►! one G ; W. C Vaedoi'.ald. of Diiiiedin, to tho eil>Mi tliut "The fair> if -Fmnec nltr-r tin- ; Tievohiticn r.rovul that nothing bul disaster await- d a nation withoiit hclicfs " This reminds one of tho liiiuiiiimus' tli-fiiiili.nl of a crab as a ml iish that walked backwards, and on whn-h (he naturalist coi-imcnted thus: "Vvith tlireo corrcetions ihis would mnko a very L'ood <lelinit ion : the. crnb is not a fish', is not red, and docs not walk bnokwnrds.- -, Aiiii so hero wo may correct thus: "A twtiof) without belief in error find sui)i rst ilion is arn;cd against all disnster, as is fc-cii in tiic fact that after tho Evolution Fr,M r rof;o to Ik> tl'.e greatest nntion on ti:<> Continent of Europe/ I should like t-o add one n%-.rc w>. yd for tho information of those who .ttc seeking to iniroiiacc the Bible info our State s'-hooK as I don't think they quite know wlmt th« v are doing. ff the Bible is to Ko tan;:!it by State-pai'! toacliers in this comUrv, it will not Ik on the lines of fho Irish K'-riptiM'" text book used in New Slouth W'nU's. a most ignonint and vulgai , prodiu-tio;. of the last century, but under tho iV>spiratien of iivo-V; v, scholarshin and . ritieism. The 8i1.!<.. if taught, lKit I) , "Little BftlKlite';,' , Imt by edue:U"d and cultured men. will be treated scientifically, as tliry tench everything else. The stores of New T.earniivg will ho utilised and modern ideas of the literature c-ommuni''ated to the ehndr<m. Thus they will be taught thnt the Pentateuch was not written by Moses, nor the Psalms by Kmg David, but thnt, the Pentateuch is ihe woi'k -if sovenil anonymous writers, the enrliest of whom lived soire reuhirics aft"" the time of Tsfoses. wh.ilst tho Tsnlnuwere not written till af'.er liie retrnof the Jews from Bnbvlon. Or, agnin. they will learn that the so-cnllcd Book of tho Prophet Dnniel is • ot a jirophcey nt all. and wns not written by nny Dnniel of the Captivity ii; UnbyUm. bn 1 by some anonymous writer four hiindreii years later. I refrnin from clnracterising the ehniu'rs Ikmv to be, made in tcichiiig ihe Mew Tesi;>ment as scholarshiii here is row sti! 1 more destructive and even veiihms to ask whether any Jesus Christ ever existed at all. What T have sr-id shonh. bo enough to show th.it Kimrnnr, pcor-lc will do well to pfinso before they nieddlo with our seeulnr svst-'c of education, b-st they sliould .Iw '>mi > nmviU-inplv pnllin- down their -hurch buildings about their own cars.—l am. JOHN OAMMELI, Scatoun H<!ights, Dec. 13, 1911. (The article to which our esteemed eorroßpond.ent r(.fors was an advcrtt.'vc-nient.--Ed.)

Lovo is .1 fj;rof,s c-x»!_'y,rration of tli' 1 difl'i !i.ii(/. l,(vwoo>n on*- |K'isou and al! t!if- ro>'.. 0. Bernard >liav.'. Ccnfroi-t "iii v,.!ir ii :-M)'-;.li:v :;','. Whitniaii. « • • Till nil rii, !>:< ru«i.< l;iiiv !■.<;< ' » haustrd I)V vvl::-;i i:aM;r<.- <::«:/ !■ brought ini.'t :!■<' " :' '■<■<> •■!' ■• :"''•■ J' l ' so«'ioty is >:i, (.:J.■;r•.i^'<: t!;:if ' i capacities \-.v,\< i-i; , -r-<-;n> {<•;• tl'in , idevtloi.Miiri.t, ?i:m .v i:<- i.<<a Un >■>:'. to »ar for a !,<•!<! '.:> -'l:sli |.:,t ii< 1 i>'ii: may (iit.ijlay ;;&()!■• 1 , , it. '.''tin.