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Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2805, 9 February 1878, Page 2

The election of the Board of Education under the Act of last session is causing some excitement. No less than forty-six candidates hare been nominated, and as only nine can be elected it follows that a good number must be rejected. The old members of the Board-the former nominees of the GoVernment and others appointed to the Board under the Provincial Act—are in a favorable position. Some of them hare acquired the good-will of the country committees by their previous conduct at the old Board, and we hope to see some of them placed at the new Board by the wish of the people as expressed through the Committees. At the •sme time we may he permitted to say that we hope to see the suburban and country districts committees repreiented at the new Board by men who know more of the wants and requirements of those districts than dwellers in the city can know. The old Board—and we say it without any intention of accusing the members of partiality—did not always deal with country districts fairly. School committees were sometimes treated cavalierly, and their representations were ignored. If, therefore, ihe country districts can agree to return qualified gentlemen to represent them, the administration of affairs will probably be carried out with greater satisfaction than formerly. One feature in the proceedings we hare noticed which' it is difficult to account for. That is the " set" which has been made in the columns of ah Auckland contemporary against the •• parson" element of aspirants for seats at the Board, Of the forty-six persons nominated nine are clerics, and it has been insinuated that if these gentlemen should be elected, •r any number of them, there will be discord at the Board. We cannot see it in this light. Ministers of religion are supposed to be educated gentlemen, and as such should bring to bear in the administration of the Education Act an unusual amount of intelligence and knowledge of educational matters. They cannot override the Act, but must accept it as it stands; and we do not see any danger in the parson element at the. Board, especially as it is not likely to be predominant. There is not, at any rate, any likelihood of the "ministers" being present at the Board in such numbers as to be able to interfere with the secular character of the education to be giren in the common schools, even if they desired, and the Act is sufficiently explicit to render it impossible for the Board to be anything but an administrative body. A judicious admixture of town and country representatives, we trust, will be elected. Should such be the case, no danger need be apprehended from the presence at the Board of a " clerical " element.