RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 12, 25 August 1883, Page 2

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.

Tine recent refusal, on the part of a majority of tho Te Aroha. School Committee, to allow tho Rev. G. T. Marshall to use tho school-bonne after school hours for ,m hour once in each week i!or religions teiK'hinu, his caused some little hubbub even in Auckland. Mr Mai shall very ualuriilv appc ded to the Boird of Eduction, but, that sapient body supported 'ho (Joininitloe, to the »roat amazement of ,i!l who wisli the existing scheme of secular (education well. The New Zealand flei.dd of .Monday last his a powerful and well wiilt-u ai tide on the subject, showing cK-arly that though the local Committee could leually ref us > the school-house for tiny puipose, yet that in noing so they viol.it 'd the spiiil if not the letter of the Act. We have not space at cnminmtl to quote the ai tide entire, but take the following (.'\ti acts trom.it. Our conterupor ny s,i\s :— " The system as by law e^tab- !] \ti\l h;is enemies without, against whose pti -isient d"tei min.itioii it has difficulties enough in smuggling, but the heiviest b'ous dealt against it aie mv ii'iably at the hands oL' those pronounced in their zeal l\>r preserving the secuhr sy.stem unimp.iiied. It is often charged against it tint it is ,i »,idless system, and cxpiessly ant igonistic to the teaching of religion If thK weie trie it would not exist for a \e.u, for colonists me not a godless people, and though there ate little knots of men to he found who are in heart oppo-'cd to loiigion ; ami are disposed to defend the secular system of State instruction, because it does not include religion in the .school t urriculum, nine-tenths of its supporters defend this feature mainly, if not solely, on the grounds of necessity, because tho imparting of religious instruction is incompatible with the mixed and conflicting 1 elisions views of a population repiespnti'lg every c hado of denominational difference." A o in he says :—": — " Though State teacher^ may not impart religious instruction a^ pait of their duties, every possible facility shi-uld be given to clcigymen and volnnt'-ei- assistance for ".upplenientinii the Mute instruction by imparting ivliuious knowledge. This ha.-j been the view hold by cvciy pohtici in who his identified ■hims'.f pi 'ininently with brinu:in; in. one 01 oilier of the several measures for estabbshi"; secular public instruction, whether hi the Provincial Council or the • Gen, a! Assembly." The Herald then proceeds to call special public attention \o the case in, (i-uesfcion, and says : "It is ;pi>sj')'r that there ma}' be circumstances ia relation to such refusal of which we jpo nit co.nisnnt. There may be soinr,thiiig in the demeanour of the clergyman, :or in bis relations with the committee,, or in personal objeotions which they may have to him -self, qualifying tho nature of ■ this refusal." There is no possible ground ior such a surmise, inasmuch as Mr Marshall is well known and most highly respected as an earnest, energetic, and able minister of his church \n this district. Th > Tlerald, speaking of the Board, says " under tho present reign of foolishness, and whimsicalities in the Hoard, we are not surprised at this or anything else." With reference, to tho local commUree\s action our contemporary says " their power to absolutely refuse fc expressly taken away by the distinct authorisation .of the Act.*' After saying that no doubt th<? Board's decision will be brought under lh" notice of the Assembly and the Minister of Education, is added : " It is not the first time this srssion that' the queer doings of the Board have been ur.d-M" f-view in Parliament, ami it seems a pity that we cannot keep them, to ourse'ves and be amused at them in private, without having serious blunders like this occurring, which compel th" Bo ml b -ing •i-n'id d before the General Assomblv as ho most foolish administration in the ooionv." Tho Heni'tl X c rt.u'nJy not complimentary to either the local committee or tho 80-ird in saying:— "Wo make little account of the isolated action of a school committee such as that at Te Aroha, in a ease of this kind. A school committee miy not comprehend, much less appreciate an educational principle. But, we might oxpeet a Board of Education to have sufficient average intelligence to apprehend the mind of the people, as shown in a simply intelligible Act of Parliament." « o o «» o * o o W« pro tout that, the sy^tcni at present.

-- - - - j_ ."'"'!l!ML'!l?**' existing not only permits but tl c tocher* 0/ region to supplement^*. Stnte ; s HeonJnr instruction, 'and that the. ■mm is not merely the entmv of religion, but the enemy of our education system.' who encourages the closing of the doors ot the btate schools against the teaching of religion at hours which the spirit and' letter oi the Act make available for the purpose." The article concludes as" loilowa :- A few more proceedings such, jis those which have characterised the local Board of Education during the past ,mx months will M ive a stimulus to the question whether tho system of Boards of ■kdtic.ilion hnsnot outlived its time, and whether the unifoim administration of the Act would not be more judiciously and sensibly carried out by the Department and Minister of Education " \ltopther the action of the local committee has imde them famous, and it is not often, that a small country body of the kind has become so widely known and so. celebrated.