THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 1872.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 241, 17 July 1872, Page 2

THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 1872.

“As few subjects are more interesting to society, so few have been more frequently I written upon than the education ofyouthyet it is not a little surprising that it should have been treated almost by all in a declamatory manner. They have insisted largely on the advantages that result from it, both to the individual and to society, and have expatiated in the praise of what none have ever been so hardy as to call in question.” Such is the language of Dr Oliver Goldsmith, written more than a hundred years ago in an introduction to an essay on Education, and the truth conveyed is as apparent in our time as it was then. Yet, notwithstanding the general unanimity of opinion as to the benefits derivable from a general system of public instruction calculated to benefit all alike, it is a surprising fact that even at the

| present period, with all our vaunted ; progress, no united effort has been made j ' in this direction, and until lately none I j of those countries assuming to be in the | ! van of civilisation have had any system ! ! deserving of the name of public schools. J | We are strongly inclined to be sceptical j i when we hear the warmest language used ! | regarding the benefits, &c., of education, | | and then learn that iu the country of j

which these theoretical enthusiasts are the leading men, that the persons whose business it is to confer practically the means by which all these good things are to be obtained, hold the position and earn the wages of an ordinary mechanic. We give large salaries to those who teach ourselves, and award them the position due to them, but we grudge the merest subsistence to those who teach our children. Every member of society should be paid in proportion as he is necessary, and schoolmasters in a slate are more necessary than clergymen, because children stand more in need of instruction than their parents. This is the opinion of a few, perhaps, but it cannot be that of the ' majority in the present age. I

The schoolmaster, in our opinion ought to he the highest aud, the best remunerated of all public; servants, and when (lie value and importance of education is fully believed in, this will be the ease, di e snciiif'posiMou o eupird by the sclmolmaster in any country may he tnk' U as a fair criterion of the general intelligence of its people. The principle of the necessity of a State school is g. nerally nowadays admitted to he satisfactorily settled. The great dillirudly in the way, however, of doing this so as to communicate its benefit,to all, rich and poor alike, is the want of unanimity, as to what branches of knowledge ought to he taught in such schools. Now, an easy division can be made as regards all human learning into two great classes. These are, first, wliat is termed profane or secular; and secondly, sacred or religious knowledge—the former relating, speaking generally, to all those devices, methods, etc., which affect outwelfare and condition as human beings on this earth, and the other generally considered are questions, all necessarily speculative, which refer to the future state, and as to which there can never be any means of convincing our reason. It will be found from investigation of the history of nations that as man progresses from barbarism to civilisation, the former or secular class of questions increase, and those relating to sacred subjects decrease in an inverse ratio. At the present time the people who think that the Slate school instruction should not include any of the questions connected with sacred subjects, and those that think differently are pretty equally divided throughout the English speaking communities. We confess ourselves amongst the former class, and believe that the elimination from ordinary instruction in a day-school of all questions touching on sacred or religious subjects is only a question of time at the most. Wo believe that the unsatisfactory results obtained from the partially established systems of public education in England and her colonies, and other parts, are almost wholly owing to the practice of making the school a sort of appanage to the Church, and the school-master a species of assistant to the clergyman. So long as religious subjects are taught in schools, so long will that school be in a similar position ; and that schoolmaster, more or less be in that stale of dependency. We have made these general remarks on this all important subject in order that wo might the more clearly show our reasons for objecting to certain clauses of the proposed new Education Bill, upon which there is to be a public meeting next Thursday evening, in this place. Avoiding at present making any remarks upon the general machinery of the Bill, we consider it would be a great mistake as an educational measure, were the clauses relating to “Aided Schools,” and the clauses compelling the reading of the Scriplmvs in Provincial schools to become law. The practical effect of these clauses coming into operation wili be the establishment of endowments for denominations, thus making the question of secular education subsidiary to that of religious instruction, a result which would cause the present intended measure to become nothing more than a temporary one, and involve further legislation at no distant date. We also think that this question should not be left by the government as an open one, but that as a government they should stand or fall by it, then the matter would be brought before the country in such a form as would cause the people to s.e its full importance. The New Zealand Government would do well to follow the example of the government or Victoria in this respect, otherwise let the opposition tallied a motion to compel them to do so, and thus elicit a decided expression of opinion on the question, from the Assembly in tlie first instance, and if need be from the Constituencies aftei wards.