The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Ressurexi. TUESDAY, JULY 29, 1884.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4852, 29 July 1884, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Ressurexi. TUESDAY, JULY 29, 1884.

That bone of contention in mo3t of our colonies, the Education question, will? | more than probably, be altered in some shape or form during the coming session —if not in the direction of interfering with its chief prinoiples, in the matter of reducing the cost of its maintenance and administration. Many of those returned to the new Parliament have, although expressing themselves in favor of the Government and their measures —of which the Education Act may be, at least as far as their support goes, termed one — have stated that they are in favor of a modification of many of the clauses of the measure existing, and in some instances, a desire to partially acknowledge the claims of. various religious bodies has been shown by members, during their candidature. ,It is beyond- a doubt certain that, as wo have said, a reduction in expenditure will be made. In Victoria, the first colony where the State system, as at present existing here, was tried in the colonies, some strange inconsistencies'have transpired in matters educational. We 1 find that largely circulated but eccentric I journal, the Australasian, a thoroughly | thick and thin supporter of the " free, | secular, and compulsory system,"- in a paragraph referring to the report of an education commission, in unmistakeable language denouncing any recognition of religions by the State, and by very strong inference objecting to any denominational interference with education, In the following paragraph, however.it applauds tbe selection of the -Bishop of tho Church of England as Chancellor of the Melbourne University, an educational establish ment which should be more free from the very faintest religious tinge than any other. Happily few reflections can be cast on the selection of the Man, but in the selection of the Bishop. * O ! consistency, where art thou ? When we see there—theirs is *he same system as ours —the place entitled to be called the cradle of the method, a church dignitary placed in power over an important public educa* tional establishment, it would appear that some amendment is necessary. It is not that tbe newly.appointed Chancellor is or is not like Caasar's wife, beyond suspicion, but if the supposed set principles are not firm, some amendment is requisite for making them so, and there is no time to be lost in providing it, that is, unless the Act is to become an object of contempt and scorn, and be shorn of all show of fairness, provisions should be introduced into it as'strictly prohibiting the introduction of any religious element into its management as has been done in regard to its teaching. It is manifestly unfair that disabilities should exist in the one case if not in the other. This instance does not' appear at a first glance to be one of great magnitude, but it is an infringement of one of the fundamental principles of the system aa expounded upon its introduction. When we come to consider the wide spread discontent aroused by many of the provisions of the present Act; the cumbrous machinery re* quired to work it; tbe not altogether sat* isfactory results it has produced; the enormous cost it is to the colonial tax* payers ; and generally the many imperfections in it; it seems somewhat unreasonable for interested or uninformed people to try and urge that it should be left untouched, that matters should remain as they are. Therefore it seems more than probable that some amendment trill be made this session, and although it is certainly likely that tbe education provided by the state will remain free, secular, and compulsory, yet there is a possibility of certain disabilities being removed, the cost to the country being reduced and many corners of tbe Act rounded off so as to make its laws , work more smoothly. Considerable alteration will be made in tbe provisions relating to Education Boards .'and the inspection of schools, and doubtless secondary education will meet with some attention of an alterative character.