New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4959, 13 February 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1877.

In a spirit of fairness, which gives to all parties the right to put their views and grievances before the tribunal of public opinion, we published the letter of our correspondent “ Observer ” yesterday. The'letter in question is intended to be a reply to our leader of the 10th inst. on the subject of religious instruction in public schools ; but whatever the writer may have intended, it is no answer to our leader. “Observer” opens his remarks by saying “ that we have gone out of our way to censure two resolutions passed by the Church of England Synod at Nelson, on the matter of religious education in State schools.” That a public journal should , be considered as “ going out of its way” in criticising the action of a public body on a matter which intimately concerns the public welfare, seems to us a strange and arrogant assertion. : So far are we from endorsing the views of “Observer” on this point that we look upon the right to do so as being at once the great principle involved in the boasted liberty of the Press and the greatest bulwark of British liberty. Not only do we claim the right to censure the acts of misguided assemblies, but it is a duty from which we dare not shrink if we were so minded. Let us analyse “ Observer’s” letter, and we are led to ask ourselves ‘ 1 What is there in it 1 Absolutely nothing but what has been written a thousand times over, and a thousand times refuted. Argument there is none. Its distinguishing characteristics are flat contradiction; bold assertions, unsupported by facts and experience; and while it professes to be an appeal on behalf of religious tolerance and equality, it is written in a most intolerant and overbearing spirit. Such writers invariably do the cause they advocate infinitely more harm than good.' We deny the assertion that a purely secular system of instruction is necessarily “Godless.” This is a mere bandying of words. . We are not among those who think that “Ignorance is the mother of devotion.” Wo believe the more highly educated the people become, the more moral they will be. Crime and its attendant disgrace must ever be repugnant to the educated mind. Such men fall like meteors (occasionally), but they form but an insignificant part of the

mighty mass of degraded humanity tha. lies seething in the great centies of population, or that form the populations of our gaols and houses of correction. We ad : mit there can be no true national greatness without a due regard to the requirements of religion ; hut experience In s shown that where .the people have been most highly .educated there religion has flourished most. In a word, a pure and enlightened religion has nothing to tear, but everything to expect, an intellectual and educated people. Observer” says we attempt to beg, the-ques-lion; but we should like to know whether to quote either from Lord Derby, or from Guizot is not absolutely begging the question. The one is the leader of the Conservative party, and as firmly believes “ whatever is is best” as he believes m the rotation of the earth. Lord Derby denounced the Irish Church Bill m unmeasured terms, and predicted rum and desolation. Have his prognostications of the political or social effects of that measure been realised ? The current of. thought is to be better detected in the change of popular opinion than in the utterances of Lord Derby. Guizot, again, brought up in the heart of the Romish Church, is scarcely to be regarded as an impartial thinker on the subject of education. We prefer toaccept the verdict of the commonwealth in the United Kingdom, in America,, and in the Australian colonies, to. dicta either of a Derby or a Guizot. We are not disposed to enter into a controversy with £ 1 Observer ” as to whether religion and science are at variance. : We believe they are not; we are of opinion that the “growing empire of the-mind .is-the stronghold, of piety. To charge science Vvith engendering infidelity and irreligion is pure nonsense. We believe there _is more religion iii ; the - world at the present time than ever there. was 'before, although it may not-take the form of, blind adherence to any particular dogmas. Our correspondent, iri speaking of ‘seenlar education,” indulges in such remarks as “violated religious liberty,” “State despotism,” “ odious tyranny,”- and “ rank sectarianism.” ’ Will.he please'inform us wherein lies' the .“tyranny r and “ despotism” of a system which interferes with no religious: creed, but respects all alike, and places , all on one common level? Where is the ‘'violated ■religious liberty” liere, ; if .the. State recognises no religious belief in ite dealings with its subjects? Perhaps “ Observer will tell us what ho means by these terms. They certainly appear to us to •be out of place and misapplied. - The State, by a, secular system of instruction, Says in effect to the Jew, “You,may enjoy your own opinions;” to the Churchman, We will not assail your creed;” to the Catholic, “We will,do nothing that will violate your conscientious .scruples;”' and .to the Nonconformist, “ Wewill give you no cause of offence. ” ; And to one and all, “You may send.your children to our schools without .fear of your religious principles being interfered: with.” If this be “Sectarianism,” we freely Admit we have miaunderstoo’d the of the word. In doing: this* we maintain that the State, by excluding religious instruction from the schoolroom, is doing no injustice to the rising generation, and perr petuating no crime against society. We now come to the question of “ Denoini; national Schools.” It is one thing to use language that would lead us’to suppose that denominational education has been a great success, but altogether another thing to prove it. It may suit very well to lay. all the crimes committed in America to their secular system of education', especially where there may be no one so well acquainted with that county as to be able to contradict it. This is a very Harmless mode of denunciation; frequently had. recourse to by those who are anxious to. make something out of nothing;’ ~We • repeat the assertion that .. denominational as a whole',- has , been a failure. - This is evidenced by the fact that it is being rapidly superseded by the purely secular. In Victoria the battle has been fought and won; and a secular system of education obtains there at once comprehensive and complete, and of which its friends , may well be proud. In .New South Wales denominqtionalism has been tried : by the , side of secularism, and the superiority of the latter over th'e formbi is so obvious ■ that' even its . warmest friends do not expect that it will long stand the shock of adverse public opinion. In England, where the system has been guarded by peculiar privileges, and surrounded with all the sanctity of old associations, the struggle has been fierce and prolonged., But the secularists are now fairly in the van. In conclusion we would say it will be necessary, for “Observer” to define what he means by “religious, instruction.”. In the general community there are men of various creeds and religious opinions. Is it expected that the State will frame such a system of religious instruction as will be agreeable to all ? This is simply a hopeless task. A system of instruction that will suit the Jew will not suit the! Churchman, and a scheme that will meet the views of the Churchman will be antagonistic to the religious sentiments of the Catholic. The Nonconformist, on the’ other hand,’ is not likely to be satisfied with either. This to us appears to be the true position of the case. Therefore we say, in all respect to the opinions of those who differ from us, far better leave the subject alone. . Our correspondent concludes by a reference to the cheapness of the old system over the new. We would simply remark that for anything to be really “cheap” it must be good. An inferior article purchased at a low price is generally dear in the end. The public are not likely to be taken in this net. The public interests require a liberal scheme of national education, by which their children "may be educated inexpensively, and where, the teacher will be left to fulfil the high duties of his profession untrammelled by outside influence.