THE REV. FATHER GOLDEN AND THE EDUCATION QUESTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1049, 15 March 1879, Page 2

THE REV. FATHER GOLDEN AND THE EDUCATION QUESTION.

Sir,— l have been waiting for some one to reply to Father Golden's letters on the above question, but I find no one has entered the lists, with the exception of Mv O'Neill, who confines himself to disputing the value attached to the authorities quoted, without going into the merits of the question at issue. Th.c importance of the subject must be my p-ea for now asking space m youi* valuable papev. In all the letters I have seen published opposing secular education, I fail to note any facts oj* catch any argnments making out a case. Bishop Movan, m his "Pastpral,": speaks of " Godless schools," and generally. denoimces the "infidelsystem qf education. so fashionable m the colonies." Father Golden says, " Secularism creates a cruel divoroe, and never fails to produce the saddest effects, for it leaves society without a God, and relegates religion to the wall," and then goes on to make us believe that the late attempts ori the lives of the crown heads of Europe may be taken as consequences of that system. But these, as they stand, are merely unsupported assertions. It ■is, and the reason is it is, will not be taken as conclusive by men of oommon sense or matured experience. I would ask what is taught m our public schools leading up to infidelity, or what opposed to Christianity ? ' To put it m a very simple form— in teaching a boy to read, no condition is expressed or imposed that he is not to learn his catechism or read his Bible. In studying the heavenly bodies and all the beauties of astronomy, one is not led to ignore the Creator ov believe there is no Ruler of the Universe Let us suppose for an instant that the State passed a law insisting upon boys learning certain trades— -say mechanical engineering, for one— (and, by the way, an idea worth considering), no one, I believe, would be bold enough to assert that that would be productive pf infidelity. Yet, because we insist upon a system of instruction so efficient as to enable a boy of ordinary talent to earn his living m much higl *r spheres of life, we aro told, forsooth, that we are unhinging tho safeguards of society and paving the way to all kinds of wickedness, It is not long ago that the cry was against the Bible being taught or read m our public schools, and a very just cause of complaint our Catholic brethren put forward, but now that no such grievance exists, when every book that could possibly offend the most j susceptible or delicate conscience has been expunged from the list, a more bitter feeling of hotility, if anything, prevails. Surely, this is blowing hot and cold with a vengeance, Father Golden is unfortunate m attributing the late attempts at assassinatiqn m Europe to secularism, fov m the majority of capos thes« fell designs were hatched m countries where anything approaching to secularism could not gain a footing when the iron heel of the Church would stamp out t*he slightest attempt at innovation upon ifcd sacred laws. Everyone will agvee. with. Father Golden that « lavrikmism is a prelude to more wicked isms, but he is again unhappy m advancing this as one of the outcomes of the present system of education. It is notorious that m Mel-: bourne, and Sydney larrlkinism is rampant ; they are the hotbeds where larrikinism first developed. Yet, m those towns denomlnationalinm has always been and is still practically m existence. Every sect nearly has its own sohool aud its

own teachers. In these two cities, there is a great variety of teaching. You may havo anything, down to a Chinese JossJffouso, and let it be here noted m justice to the followers of Confucius that larrikinism has not yet taken root amongst them. But should Father Golden choose to analyse the evil on the more grave offences against sooiefcy, I fear a perusal of the criminal statistics will not prove a cheering or- solacing undertaking. In cancljsiori,;! mightput forward that a large section of; my own Church still cling to denominationalism, but Father Golden, I- hope, knows me too well to require any outside assurance that I am not actuated by any spirit of bigotry m writing this letter. I simply write against 'J. Golden" — the advocate of" denominationalism— as I would against any other upholder of a system which is inimical to the interests of this country.— l am, &c, R. W. Hammond.' Auckland, March 12, 1879.