THE EDUCATION QUESTION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1419, 17 November 1885, Page 2

THE EDUCATION QUESTION.

The Rev. T. A. Hamilton spoke as follows at the school concert at Winchester last Friday evening This country has a grand destiny before it, rictdy blessed as it is by nature, but if as a whole, we are to take our stand in the foremost ranks of civilisation, commerce literature, science, and wealth, it is evident that each unit of that whole must be educated to play an intelligent part in the vast machinery of the commonwealth of labor. But opinions differ as to what is meant by education* Does it commence with the alphabet and end with a knowledge of reading, writing, arithmetic and languages? Emphatically, No! The true meaning of education is something higher and nobler than this. It commences in infancy with the mother’s look, with the father’s nod of approbation or sign of reproof, with the sister’s gentle pressure of the Land, with pleasant walks and thoughts directed to nature, flowers, birds, beauty in all things, acts of benevolence, deeds of virtue, and goodness to God Himself. Habits formed of seeking knowledge—because it trains for immortality—moral training according to a Divine standard with a view of moulding the human being while yet young and tender into right principles and habits of action and using up in its processes all kinds of information within its reach, is the only education worthy of the name. Man is possessed of physical, social, secular, intellectual, moral and immortal capabilities, and each requires education to prepare him to move in his destiny according to the will of God. The education of all makes him complete : the ecucatlon of part only leaves him deficient. We forget that our children are immortal, and instead of arranging a system of education as though the child had to live upon earth only, let us educate for time by educating for eternity. For instance: When a child is first taught to read, why might not it be taught that the great worth of being able to read lies in having access to the Bible 1 This would give a sacredness to the very alphab et, each syllable that was mastered might be felt as a step towards acquaintance with God. When taught to write he might be informed that without the knowledge of this art the Divine truth could hardly have been transmitted from age to age ; of languages, that they admit us into the Bible ; of painting, that it is an imitation of God’s works; of music, that it is but the vehicle to sing God’s praises. Sunday school education is . not sufficient ; the interval between Sunday and Sunday is too great. We must have moral training for bur children. If they are to succeed in life they’ must be trained in truth and righteousness. What is truth? Christ is the Truth, and the Scriptures the standard by which the Truth maybe known. If we do riot adopt the Bible as our standard in-training the young, thsn we shall be without any standard a t all, without any rule to show the wa}, and without any authority to keep the wayward on it,. In the Scriptures, as the word of God for the whole duty of man, we have both a rule and a Supreme authority. To train a child without using the'rule arid authority of the Bible, you have decided your child against the Bible, and when grown to manhood you cannot soften him at will or correct the error. You may determine the direction of a river, a tree, a man, if you touch them near their sources, but none of the three when full-grown can bo bent. Sir Julius Vogel, on March 18th, 1885, said : “ It will be a serious question for the future whether it will be for the happiness of the country that the State should bring up men who have notlearned any religious duties, and who will grow up godless and without religion. If it is true that the population is growing up without religion, then I say that it will bo a very unhappy population in the future. There is a spirit of irreligion abroad which is appalling. Better for New Zealand to be returned to the Maories than to have a population which does not believe in God or religion. Those who have interests of religion at heart should not let differences between them so interfere with what they have at heart as to allow those who believe in nothing to creep in and create such a dreadful spirit, as I have described.” Bishop Moorhouse, of Melbourne, speaking in last September, said ; “ It can never be too frequently repeated that education without religion must fail to attain the highest aim of education. It

must fail to form any lofty type of character. It must send forth children into the world with some of their highest faculties atrophied for want of use: children with little reverence, with little feeling for the Eternal ; children who are already worldlings in the freshness of their life’s morning, who learn to calculate profit before they know the full use of wealth, and to hunker after pleasure before they have been brought under the wholesome restraints of duty.” Whatever others may think of a merely secular education, that is what a religious man must think of it, and therefore he must be always anxious (o supersede such an education where he can, and to supplement it where he cannot supersede it. Those are doing a good and Christian work who are now endeavoring to supplement the secular education of our primary schools with such short and imperfect religious instructions as can be given when the secular work is over ; but those will be doing far better who supply, where they are able, a religious education which can leiven the who'e daily teaching with Christian feelings and sanctions, and which can speak freely of the love of our Divine Master.