The PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY AND THE EDUCATION QUESTION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1817, 28 February 1884, Page 3

The PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY AND THE E DU CATION QUESTION.

The following telegram, dated Wellington, Saturday, was unavoidably crowded out of our last issue : — At a meeting of the Assembly of the Piesbyterian Church this morning, considerable discussion took place on the Education Act. The Rev Mr Teadwell said be believed there weie several points in the Education Act which required ainendnipnt. He, however, especially dwelt upon its noureligious character. In America and Victoria they had similar Acts, and he was informed that there was a growing revulsion of feeling against such. The result of this system of education will be to increase Godlessness. The Church is doing what she can to instruct the young in religious ttuth, but the power of the Church is limited, and hence the neod for religious teaching in our day schools. He would, therefore, like the Abbcmbly to take into consideration such measures' as would bring about a change in our present purely secular Act of Education so that the young may be taught the simple truths of religion, He believed that the present Education Act had been adopted simply as a concession to a small paity of Freethinkers in the colony. The Rev. Mr. Calder expressed the opinion that it was unwoithy of this Church to remain in a negative position in regard to this impovatnt subject when all other denominations were active in considering the question. We ought to assert our strong convictions in having religious instruction given in some form or another. He .did not wish anything approaching denorajnatiouaUem intro-

duceed, but he could not sec why a Protestant country should shut God and all religious truth from its day schools. The present Act prevented committees introducing religion into the schools, but he would like to see local committees having the power to do so if they considered it wise. This would therefore imply a conscience clause, which would protect the children of parents who objected to religious instruction being given. It was his opinion that the Churches, owing to their numerous divisions, had moie to do with t he present secular Education Act than Freethinkers. The Rev. Mr Ogg objected to the present system of education because it was free. He did not see that the present system was leally secular, for instruction in leading writing and niithmetic could not be piopeily called such. He believed that few people m Scotland received good fiom Uible teaching in day schools. Possibly they might when they came to eais ot understanding There were many toachcis who professed infidelity, and would the assembly be prepaied to ask them to teach the Bible ? He therefore thought that the teaching of the Bible in our schools was impracticable. The Church of Rome would not agioo to any system of religious education which would please us. The Roman Catholics were determined to have denominationalism, and we should therefore be careful not to countenance anything that would alter the present system. He was also of the opinion that a charge ought to be made for the education of children, for it was only too common to ask the Government of the country to do everything. We should have secular education, but there ought to be a small charge made as all in the colonies aro able to pay such. After several members had spoken, the following resolution, proposed by Mr Gillies and seconded by Mr McKee, was carried : — "That in the opinion of this Assembly the reintroduction of a denominational system of education would be disastious to the interests of education in gencial, but that the piesent Education Act should be amended so that the clause relative to the piuely secular character of the education to be given be expunged, and provision insei ted so that the giving of Bible instruction be left to the decision of the several committees, under a conscience clause, and appont a committee to co-operate with other bodies to secure this amendment."