HOW EDUCATION IS PROMOTED IN NEW ZEALAND.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 147, 19 June 1878, Page 2

HOW EDUCATION IS PROMOTED IN NEW ZEALAND.

To the Editor ob> the ' Evening Mail.' Sik-— "Protestant " in your issue of Mon- ; day eveuing expressing his pain and surprise at seeing my letter upon the subject of education, instead of going at once into his subject indulges in a most ungentlemanly manner in an obsolete preamble about " tender consciences nowadays, &c," which remarks being of an abusive character and coining from an opponent who prefers ; to insinuate falsehoods on my part and coyer

hi 3 name under the appellation of "Protes--tant," though not a true representative of his co-religionists, ought to be treated >with contempt and left unanswerered. Yet as there are one or two points in which his readers might be seriously misled, I will on their account correct the misrepresentation. "Protestant," without denying what I stated of books in which the Catholic religion is reviled, says that he "is quite certain that in none of the school books the Christian religion is reviled." Now if there be a Christian religion it is certainly the Catholic religion j this being the case I maintain that in the Sixth Grade Lesson Book there are passages reviling the Christian religion, so far that I found it necessary to purchase books for St. Mary's Schools at my own expense' in order to eliminate the objectionable portions, the writer further on says :— " As for the Godless education, did not the Soman Catholics kick up a great dust about the -religious clauses. in, the, J3ill when it was brought before 'the llofise,fan<l is it not through their interference 1 that'the Act is a Godless Act?" " Protestant.'.! lwell knows that if Catholics objected to the introduction of the Lord's Prayer, the Tea Commandments, and any portion of the Bible it was because these were of a Protestant character; but that the . Catholics always claimed for a system of; religious instruction and not a Godless system id evident by'-ihe ,fact that they said they would never be satisfied until they would receive from the Government a support for their schools; and this was denied them. If therefore Catholics refuse the grant is it not the Government who is to blame? ] lam glad to see that your contemporary, the Colonist, in his yesterday's issue, endorses my views and corroborates my statements. Now, the Colonist is an authority who prof asses to have studied the nature of the Education Act, and can be better relied upon than an anonymous ;i i' lam, &c, ! ' A. M. Garin, Catholic Priest. Nelson June 19, 1878. *» mm ji 1