The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1871. THE NEW EDUCATION BILL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 210, 5 September 1871, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1871. THE NEW EDUCATION BILL.

We bave read the 96 clauses of this Bill more than once, and each time, we confess, with increasing dissatisfaction. It was pretty generally agreed throughout the colony that some provision ought to be made for the education of the children in such of the provinces as had hitherto failed to perform that duty, but public opinion was also tolerably unanimous .on another pomt — that the educational systems of (hose provinces that were successful, ought to be respected, and that in such cases. Government would be wise in letting well alone. But the framers of this Bill have followed an entirely different,' and quite unexpected course. Beginning their task by unceremoniously pulling to pieces all previous legislation on the subject, good, bad, or indifferent, they have attempted to put together out of the fragments what we can only characterise as a thing of shreds and patches. Much more skill than our Ministerial artificers can command, apparently, would be required to construct an harmonious whole out of the good things taken from the various Provincial systems, without much regard to their suitableness to each other. Frankenstein tried to build up a perfect man, on the eclectic principle,, by putting together the limbs of half-a-dozen handr Home enough fellows, but the result was — a monster. Our simplest course will be to point out in what respect the provisions of the proposed Bill deviate most widely from the Nelson Act, with the details of which most of our readers are tolerably familiar. One of the best features in our scheme ; is its absolute freedom from political and party influences. Beyond voting a yearly sum to enable the Central Board to carry on the work entrusted to it, neither the Executive nor the Provincial Council attempts either to assist or to control its action in any way. The Board .itself is constituted in such a manner as to secure to the several districts the fullest representation, the delegate chosen by each Committee having the amplest opportunity of stating his claims, and of obtaining fair play for his constituents. To this admirable provision the comparatively smooth working of the system .is in a great measure due, harmony being thus preaerved, in the main, between the local bodies and the central controlling power. But the new Bill commences with the appointment of a Minister of Education— a purely i political officer—thus at once bringing the question of Education within the range of the bitter party contests of the General Assembly, and proceeds to. vest the appointment of the members of the Centralßoards, at first in the Superintendents of Provinces, and afterwards in 3 the Provincial Councils. Apart from the,, political jobbery to which this plan would possibly lead, .there would remain still another objection,; namely, the absence of any means of bringing Local Committees into intimate com unication with. the Board, which would stand 'apart from them, an ' isolated,, if not jap antagonistic body. It has hitherto been our boaßt that in. Nelson an education; is offered to all absolutely free of the broad and enlightene^iVfe^ith^t is for tb'e' jnterest of, all jthat .a community like ours, , in^Whichdvery* citizen has a voice in State

affairs, should be an educated community, our Provincial Government provides, more •cheaply and more effectively than private ".enterprise could possibly provide, the means'and the machinery for carrying out ; this object without restrictions of any kind. The result has been that the burden of taxation has been so equally distributed,over the whole population,, every individual of which must-receive some iudirecfc benefit, at least, in return,, that it has scarcely been felt, and, without the. slightest attempt at compulsion, an unusually large per-centage of the children of the province . has attended the public schools. But, in addition to Provincial-rates, and District-rates, we find iv the new Bill an elaborate provision made for collecting school fees, and for enforcing the attendance of children between the ages of 7 and 12 years by bringing parents who neglect either to send their children to school, or to pay their school fees, before two Justices of the Peace. There is, no doubt,, a . symmetry and a logical completeness about all this very taking with a certain class of minds, but we are not now dealing ' with stocks and stones, but with the habits and feelings, or, if the term be thought more appropriate, the prejudices, of a community singularly impatient of control, and which: occasionally rebels even against the comparatively light yoke imposed by the existing •■; system. We venture to predict that the compulsory clauses could not bo enforced without raising such a storm of opposition as would speedily bring the whole educational fabric about the ears of its founders. No approach to the symmetrical but uujielding Continental systems would be tolerated in (his colony, and the upshot would be, either that these obnoxious clauses would be withdrawn/ or -that they would be disregarded in practice, and become a mere dead letter. We foresee, also, that endless confusion and uncertainty will arise, from the diversity of the sources of income, which ought to be consolidated, as in NelsoD,and handed over to the Central Board in order that it might know with some degree of certainty what sums it would have at its disposal each year. That portion of the Bill referring to the religious question seems to have been conceived, in a fair and. liberal spirit, being founded on Mr. Forster's " conscience clause," while the provision for the daily reading of the: Bible will, probably, conciliate a numerous and influential section of the conaru unity that had hitherto- regarded our system with a certain degree of distrust. We- are by no means clear, however, that . it would not be the wiser plan to leave this matter to . the discretion of- the Local Committees as has been the practice in Nelson. The clauses referring to the "aided schools " are neither so precise nor so intelligible as those that have been lately added to our Act to effect the same object, and which, so far, have worked so .well. Want of space forbids " our touching upon several other clauses that appear to be quite unsuitable to our wants, but enough has been said, we think, to show that the measure that is sought to be imposed upon , us from without is by no means equal to that which'" has grown up among us from within, and that where the new bill differs from our ; Act it generally differs for the worse. Our own Act may be compared to a boot for which the wearer has been, carefully measured, and which can easily be altered until it fits him completely; we can only liken the proposed substitute to the soldier's ammunition boots which are always too large or too small. Nay, Mr. Fox's boot is both too large and too small, for while it is generally much too big, there is a good deal of local pinching. , We arc glad to find that our interests are to be protected bj'sp competent an advocate as pur Superintendent, who has already given notice: of several amendments bearing chiefly on the very points to which we have referred.