WELLINGTON TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5147, 21 September 1877, Page 7

WELLINGTON TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION.

The monthly meeting. of .the Wellington Teachers’Association was held on Sept. Bth;in the Sydney-street School, according to 'announcement. For various reasons, but owing principally to the inclemency, of the weather, the usual meetings of . the association have not beenheld for some time past. ..The, bpsipess transacted.,was of .an ,important character. Letters were read ; from ; kindred . associations .at Blenheim, Invercargill,, &c. ; A letter from the Secretary of, the Education Board, Wellington, enclosing a copy_ of a ■ letter/ from, Mr, Machlin,, of Blenheim, and also one from the Secretary of 'the Teachers’ Institute, Victoria, drawing attention to the, publication of the Teacher, a journal devoted to the interests of education in Australasia, and offering liberal terms to t the New Zealand teachers conditionally upon their adopting it as their organ. The proposal was favorably entertained by the meeting, and the following resolution passed “That this association does hereby adopt the 'l'cachcv as

the orgau -of the: association■'updn'thb terms 1 containeddnithedetter of’the;Melbourne secre-.* tary of the IDth-ult,". . . ! iLmcraherof,the.association was appointed, cprresponding.seorqtary. . . r : Some discussion took place relative,to pupil teachers, and a deputation i was appointed! to; wait upon the Board at its next meeting in re-. fefehee’tfieretoV... V ~ ‘ , , . j : A lengthy .conversation then took place upon, the,new Education Bill. The teachers expressed, themselves very favorable to it as a whole. ‘ Some doubts were entertained as to, whether, the .profession will not sustain a; ;loss vpf, income under, the ■ new.; order j of; things, but a disposition was manifested | to; rely, upon the - good sense of Parliament toido teachers .throughout the colony-substantial justice. The. only objection taken to any part of .the Bill was to the clauses; enjoining religious' instruction, and the following- resolution was passed unanimously;—-‘(That in the opinion of this meeting the religious clauses introduced into the new Education Bill’are objectionable,, for whilst the mere reading of a few verses out ofthe Bible without comment can do no good, the experience of teachers is. that the distinction necessarily made between children of different denominations ,is productive, of positive harm, teficlmg as it does to gehefate'dissensions, and even scepticism in; tile minds of the pupils.” ■’ ,; The members generally expressed themselves favorable to religious instruction’ if the various denominations could agree upon a! common platform whereon such instruction’ could, be imparted without invading.the conscientious scruples of any. ’■