BOHEMIA.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2394, 12 November 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

BOHEMIA.

Dnkc : 1 hi-' the P’Opie, lint do not / il:r to 'tor,, an- to t!,, ;V e,\r ; ; 'Tin,n't hit do tail, Ido not Irtish welt Their loud nppinnsr and nine vrhrm'ot .- Aor do I think thr men of safe discretion , That doe* njlirt it. Mkasi kk FOR Mk.wre.

In a previous paper I tuck up lire snlijecl j nf State Education in its relation anil nhli- j Rations to demmiinationali.Mii, anil in com- j petition with private enterprise in the ; scholastic profession. The question, I j admit, is one that, since the introduction ; of the Education Act, lias become fenced I around by great difficulties which must he 1 approached with considerable delicacy, I owin'; to the inlhience the national system i has exerted on the minds of secularists, j and the many differences of opinion it has | eiven birth to amongst certain sections in the colony. But, notwithstanding these serious dilficnllies, I feel constrained to utilise my pen, with such small abilities as I possess, in placing before the public the conclusions I have drawn from information gained liy careful niupiiry and search. It is obviously the doty of everyone who has given the subject any attention to use his energies, however small they may be, in order to inlhience public opinion in the direction of relieving the cahmy from the unbearable load of debts and extravagance under which it has been labouring, and of which terrible burden the public system of Education forms a very large proportion. Until very recently it was counted bigb treason to say ought in condemnation of nnr boasted Education Act, and few writers felt any readiness to face the torrents of abuse that would, at one time, he showered upon them if they had the temerity to find fault with that darling legislative master-piece. Now, however, the culmination of evils and troubles under which the country is staggering has brought about a change in public opinion and in the tone of the press towards the Act, so that its sterling merits are questioned on all sides. The New Zealand Herald does not hesitate to say that the colony has been mad over this national system of free education, and ascribes the real cause of nnr present embarrassments to the insane expenditure of over half-a-millioii per annum for the gratification of tins doubtful luxury. The House of Representatives, now in Parliament assembled, have the question under serious consideration, and although the Government propose to effect a saving in the education votes of about £IIO,OOO, yet, judging by the disposition already shown by' many members, I am inclined to think the proposed reductions will not satisfy the Assembly. Mr Sednon, Air Pyke, and others have taken action with a view to assisting denominational .schools, and allowing grants in aid to Roman Catholics. In adopting that line of conduct they arc influenced, not only by the conditions of the colony, but also by a common sense view of the whole question itself in its broad application as a principle of state polity. Ah I said on a former occasion, denominational schools in Great Britain receive state aid under Government inspection, and that no friction exists either in the old country or in the United States between religious bodies and the Government over such blemishes as are complained of in Mew Zealand. 1 will, at a future time, quote from statistical tables the items of expenditure on education in Great Britian, and also what the Church of England has done, and the immense sums of money she has spent in the cause of education, besides other independent efforts of a similar character. On the present occasion I wish to follow up the arguments I offered before in support i f the claims of the Roman Catholics of this colony, which I give precedence to in recognition of the greater distinction they have gained for themselves by their long and determined resistance for conscience sake to the national system.

When nno dimes to ascertain the extent of the educational .vork iicrfonned l>y tiie Catholics, the conviction comes uppermost in one’s mind that were the cost of their establHiments added to the expenditure already incurred by tiie State, the outlay for free education would be so materially augmented, that we would be simply amazed at t. To give an idea what the Unman Catholics of Xew Zealand have saved the public exchecpier in actual cash out of pocket, and by what amount they annually relieve the taxpayers, I will submit a few data, fn the report submitted to the House by tbe Joint Education Petitions Committee in 1883, I gather from the evidence given by three Catholic bishops, Drs Redwood, Moran, and Luck, that up to that dale there weie about 8,0,10 children being educated in Catholic schools; the number of school buildings w;is ,ss ; the sum of £133,33'.) had been expen led tor sites erection nf schools furniture., e.lc., etc. ; and the animal cost of maintenance, charges, etc., was £33,1133. Thus in five years they had expended no less than £3113,313, on behalf of functions of which a paternal State claimed the Sole monopoly. From aiiothurautliority I learn that the Catholic schools, which have of course increased to a large extentsince 1883, are at the present moment saving the colony as much as £IO,OOI perammm.

With such facts before us, and with all the evidences brought almost daily under our eyes of the evils that are advancing and heating against the foundations of ;mr social fabric like breakers on the ocean strand, no one possessing a just feeling of equity can deny that the prayers of the Catholic portion of the colony for redress ate entitled to unfavourable car; the finances of the colony, as they assert, would He greatly relieved by grants in aid to denominational schools for secular knowledge up to a given standard subject to (lovernment inspection. Far more sensible anil more practicable are their petitions than those which aim merely at procuring a perfunctory performance in the shape of Bible-reading in public schools without comment or elucidation to the youthful intellects that are supposed would give serious attention to the selected passages. The latter proposals would he perfectly haireu of results; it would he a laissez-faire sort of recognition of the Book ; a feli.-h-w rship, and nothing more.

I alluded previously to the text honks used in the Catholic schools, and also to the antipathy entertained by opponents of their system on the score of it being of an anti-national character in its teachings B ith these phases of the question I hope to de d with it in another paper; space compels me to close here fur the present. The Presbytery, November 7th. TO THE EDITOR.

SlU,—I asked you to publish my letter complaining of your wantonly insulting your Catholic subscribers in your Bohemia, and in common fairplay between man ami man you ought to have done so, and then the public would be able to judge between you and me. Religious controversy', as I told you, was not my object, nor do the public care for it in newspapers. They know very well that Cardinals Manning and Newman have read both the Scriptures, and the Lathers better than editors, and they' will not take your word that such learned men arc pantomime actors in their worship of God, nor that Catholics are such fools or pantomimists as yon say they are. I omit all rebutting your arguments, a.s controversy was not my object, and 1 leave the public to judge, when they have seen my letter in its entirety, whether yon are more logical than I am, and whether you deserve blame or praise for your insults. And this closes my correspondence on this subject, and if you only deal fairly with my letters, yon may abuse ns as much as you like, or as it may suit yon.—l am, yours truly, A. J. Fox, 0.5.8.

I have just had placed in my hands the above letter from Father Fox, in which he states that I did not publish the full text of his letter on which I commented in my last paper. I am most desirous to give the reverend gentleman every latitude, and as hs imagines lie has not been treated well, I insert, with your permission, his first letter without any disconnection, and in doing so ask my readers to compare it with my last Saturday’s paper iu order to discover if any difference exists, or whether Father Fox has any just cause for complaint. TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln your Saturday’s Supplement, Oct. :12nd, “ Bohemia” lias thought he was acting quite right and gentlemanly to the feelings ef the Catholics of this district by calling our divine worship, “The pantomimic ceremonial of the Romish Church.’’ Xmv these expressions are most reprehensible

Ist. Many of your subscribers are respectable Catholics, whi* would no sooner worship with pantomimic ceremonies than vou would yourself, and they are quite as capable as you are to judge where the pantomimic eutevs, aul wh'cts it is out of (dace.

Ikul. The "f the C.tUi-'lic Church in h*.‘r liturgy *1 luck *iv*-r lu*/> \v.irs previ*.:*.-: t.. tl..' Reh*rmriti -n, ;.n 1 h.tf \v**u the u.imuuti *u «.f many ieinu'i Protestant*.

3. A cultivated mini! .-yiub -Is an*i "•-••‘k-; th-ir signification, ml kn«w* that public W'-rdiip ah -un T with them. \. N«* irly 3b D n' .*u r • tii- ro was a pj!*» of huiMing*, standing in it- newly• enroll! grandeur, which h.i- never l»-**n *nr-p.tssr-d, IV.-m all juris of tin- vvorl-i treasuu-s had ><*uirht b* :i'i<*rn it. The cedars of h-hnimi hj -ivu! their ii'Mtls t'i raise it. < h*hir and Tir-u----yicM-1'! up th-ur g<*M and poms to add t* its n. The m-*st -kill"! aitifi-C-.-is w.-iv, y.ithered L--g--th:*t f*r the w.-ik and the wisest mm ever known in lie* world, the wisdom of S l-upon dnected their lab mrs. On the day of its de dicili-.n wh it c-T-mioni--! what incou-*!!

what >acritice-: !! All tors ri t the >p-ci..l order i)l (h.d. ** hnv I w. 11 dwell, for I in'** a delight therein. If U:**vs “ v. ere puut *- tnimh; ceremonif s." s-» ar»* ours.

.*». Tnc respect wo owe each other will make ns pans**, and reflect .-ieri-»u>ly whether it is ndinem-mt l» throw such an odious epithet at a denominational difference of worship. r». I d«» n >l think that the most puli-hert of the s.ge regard us as inferior to other denominations, wither in intellect or morals, teaching or example, and yet y**nr sweeping condemnation puts ns am--ngst tlie idols and charlatans. 7. I trust that in y<mr future efforts to promote the common good yon will seiionsly consider whether it Miit« any good purpose or your interest to wantonly insult the* Catholic community, and regard them or their ceremonies as worthy of any sarcastic contempt. S. The word “ Komish T ’ is bitter and insulting, ns you ought to know. l>y inserting this in your pajter you will oblige..—Yours truly, A. .T. Ton, 0.5.8. I do not think it necessary to pursue t..e subject any further. Fiianv- •Tikf.uk.