THE EDUCATION QUESTION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 197, 9 November 1871, Page 6

THE EDUCATION QUESTION.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, — It is not my purpose to refer to the letter in your last week's issue on the Education Question, as it does not touch the chief arguments of the let ter to which it professed to reply. My object is rather to point out some of the results in the English measure, in those features of it which resemble the Aided Schools Clauses in the New Zealand Bill, which Mr. Fox promises to serve up to us again next year. It has been said by some that the recent legislation in England, which includes denominational teaching, works •harmoniously. So far from that being the case, recent information shows that these provisions of the measure are a bone of strife and contention, Unfortnnately, the English Bill not only sanctions denominational teaching, but permits rating, and the payment of denominational teaching out of the rates. And what has been the result ? Those who had strenuously resisted church rates, and had rejoiced in the

- removal of that impost, find^ themselves —^saniclleir within race even more offensive, las it resembles the custom of Pagan Borne, which, in a very accommodating manner, adopted all the deities of its subjects. There is consistency with our ideal' of truth in endowing one creed put forth as the true one, though we hold the State utterly incompetent to judge what is the true. But this . mixing up of all the creeds — and pai*ii.es, for hhe sake of pecuniary benefits, giving their sanction to it — seems to us nothing short of debauching the conscience. Who could believe us sincere in doing this, supposing, oh the one band,> a -party claims to be the infallible exponent of the truth, and the other party protests against such a claim 1 The infallibility, in such a case, is a pretence, and the protest a sham. At all events public money can bridge the great gulph between the parties, • Here (as_ well ag at home) r it is strongly urged by Mr, Stafford and Bishop Moran that* it. is tyranny to enforce education and not give the choice of the school. But these gentlemen are both silent on the tyranny that coerces the ratepayer to support creeds he does not believe or approve, It is true said ratepayer may be a hardworking, honourable, and exemplary citizen ; but what is the right of such a man against another whp has got it into his head that the State is bound to provide religious training for those very children he ought himself religiously to train, or, failing him, his church ought ? For this department of education the State is held to be incompetent. Trying to ignore the men who hold these „viewg, A there have been scenes enacted at School Boards, and newspaper controversies have arisen which it wonld have been well had not happened. Hence it will 1 be well for us to eoniider these things beforehand,- and avert them. If they have Jed to such issues where denominational 'teaching had a footing before the measure was passed, it will be better for us not to involve ourselves in them at all • , The parties who mainly get the advantage of these permissive clauses are the Church of England, the Roman Catholics, and Wesleyans. The information I have furnishes one Churchman, the Rey; W, R, Cosens, Vicar of Dudley, who nobly refuses to arail himself of these permissive clauses. When the subject was under discussion, Mr, Cosena, as> cjhairraau of the Dudley Board,, is" sported to have .said; "It would be au iuiu'stiee to the ratepayers of the borough to appropriate the rates for the support- of denoimaationaT For a long, time he had held ihe opinion that the rates ought not to be used in such a manner but that the managers of denominational schools w#r« the proper parties to pay the fees . tot ihe r children of the poor of t-lteir

own denomination. .... If fjees were paid, it would cause an amount, of rancour and ill-feeling amongst all sections of ratepayers which no concessions in the future -would overcome."

But thei'e is another feature of the Bill which I have not seen prominentlynoticed in the Press, which we would do well to note and understand in the light of passing events in England. In the Bill which is promised to us next session, the provincial schools are open to any ratepayer or visitor. He may enter and ascertain what value the commonwealth is obtaining for the money he is paying in the form of rates. In the aided schools no such, provision ia mentioned ; and a circumstance .recently occurred — I believe in Nottingham, though I have not been able to lay my hands on the paper containing the statement — showing the import of this silence. The School Board resolved td visit all the schools in the town. In course of doing so they visited certain Church of England schools. The clergyman, becoming aware of the visit, sent to know by what authority they had visited his schools ; and on referring to the Home Office, the Board was informed that they had no authorityi In a similar way could any ratepayer be served who dai'ed to visit a denominational school, as defined in the Bill, to see if the conscience clause Was observed, or ascertain what value the country was obtaining for the money he paid. For aught the ratepayer may know, the conscience clause might be ignored in those schools, and he is not entitled to receive the information if he should make enquiry into the matter. Apologising for trespassing thus upon your space, — I am, &c., J. Menzies.