The Maikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of UNKNOWN state or persuasion, religious or political. SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1888.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2492, 30 June 1888, Page 2

The Maikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. Equal and exact justice to all men, Of UNKNOWN state or persuasion, religious or political. SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1888.

Whilst the public mind is keenly agitated with the pressing need for economy in all branches of administrative expenditure, general attention is at the same time directed towards the system of nat'onal education as at present in force in New Zealand. Up to a very recent period it would have been ihe political death-knell of any public man who may have had the temerity to find fault with the scheme of State Education in this colony, so utterly and blindly enamoured of it were the majority of the people. Its admirers extolled it to the pinnacle of perfection, and claimed that for the broad liberality of her educational system and its pure seeularity, New Zealand occupied a proud preeminence amongst civilised countries. Blind zealots and fanatics ! They failed to probe the intrinsic worth of the system by seeking for after-effects 011 the social state of the people; they were satisfied with the superficial glitter which it reflected with ephemeral brightness. The system was the fancy of a set of theorists, whose fads have exercised such evil influences on the affairs of this young country. Those who dreaded its demoralising tendencies 011 the classes, have witnessed their worst fears being rapidly realised. Seeking for its eil'ects by enquiry amongst the habits and haunts of the lower classes, and in the criminal records, they find that immorality is becoming widespread, and juvenile depravity growing to a shocking and alarming proportion. The absence of veneration for sacred things,or desire for the serious duties of society, is a painful characteristic purely colonial; and on a level with them is that want of respect for parental control and that love of iiome tics that are the safeguard of early youth and the mainspring of a law-abiding, orderly nation. Religion and moral teachings have been banished from tile popular ethics of the country by Act of Parliament, and that high estimation of morality which enables a nation, is not thought worthy of inculcation by the State. The

ivsult is as was foreseen, a degrada tion of the moral tone of the rising generation, even now betraying it self on every side ill sucli a conspicu ous manner.

However, our present purpose is to deal with the economic or financial side of the system more than with didactic reasonings as to its social results. The eyes of the people are being forced open to the disastrous effect it has on the national purse ; the lamentable straits into which their enormous debts and increasing load of taxation have driven thorn cause them to pause and question even the immaculate perfection of their boasted system of education, and men are now found bold enough to declare that beneath the gay garment will be discovered many defects. The system is far too costly ; no one can, with a clear conscience, deny that. The whole system of education costs the country upwards of half a million of money, primary and secondary education costing over three hundred and fifty thousand per annum. This is a heavy drain on the resources of a young country with only a population of six hundred thousand souls, who have to find two millions every year in taxes with which to satisfy the interest due to foreign creditors on the millions we have foolishly borrowed, and as foolishly squandered. No small part of the thoughtless expenditure has been devoted on our

luxurious scheme of education, many largo sums being spent out of the loans for the erection of wooden school buildings of elaborate designs. The outlay and improper use of borrowed money would have been greater had not the Roman Catholic section of tli'j people fortunately relieved the State toa very large extent by establishing their own schools and undertaking the education of several thousand of the young of the colony at their own cost.

The method of reducing the present heavy cost of the system that seems to be most favoured, is the raising of the school age from five years to six or seven years. By fixing the age at the latter period, a saving of about £50,000 per anuum will be made. With the oxception of a class of schools in the country, this reduction would be a wise step to take, for it is in the large centres of population that the increasing demand for more school accommodation and teaching power arise, necessitating serious increase in the expenditure if complied with. The exigencies of the colony require that retrenchment and economy shall be exercised in every department of its public service, and if so large a saving in our extravagant system of education could bo made without impairing its efficiency, there should be, setting aside all other considerations, 110 hesitation in accomplishing it. The system is cumbersome and cannot sustain its own weight much longer without a collapse. Dr. Laishley, who has devoted so much of his time and energy to the subject, when speaking at the late public meeting in Auckland, said : —-It was only by modification in the expenditure tluit the life of the present system could be prolonged ; therefore it was quite clear that all who were admirers of the system —he was not —should vote for the reduction. He held that it was primarily the duty of parents and guardians to educate their children, and not the duty of the State. The State should onlv provide free tuition for those unable to pay, and the only further gratuitous instruction for scholarships for brilliant pupds who were too poor to otherwise acquire higher education. The State had 110 right to spend public money for any education which is not required for State purposes, save in the case of the scholarships already referred

The State should not make nurseries of the. public schools, by the wholesale admittance of little children of tender years, whose characters are in most cases injured by the disciplinary treatment to which they are too early subjected. These infants are more properly fitted for private establishments, but the competition of the State has entirely destroyed all the chances such schools would have, .and which in the Old Country afford the sole means of livelihood for widows or educated women in struggling eircumstances. It is not the duty of the State to bestow complete education on children any more than to provide midwives to assist them into the world. The Stato should, however, see that education is given by the parents, and bestow grants in aid out of the public revenue, or endownments, to encourage the creation of educational establishments of a high standard, and also, as Dr. Laishley says, assist the poor up to a certain point. Neither private enterprise nor religious denominations should be debarred by the excltisiveuess of State education from entering the Held on a fair footing, thereby allowing any section of the pommon-weulth to give its children educational training suitable to their tastes and conscience. So far as the present system is concerned, it should not go beyond the fourth standard at the public expense. Experience proves that the middle and working classes, as a whole, cannot afford to deny themselves the aid of their children aftert.heir attain the age of fourteen or fifteen ; tluiy find the necessities of the family circle oblige them to be put at useful occupations. The amount of tuition imparted by the time they reach that age, or have passed the fourth standand is ample to fit the young for entering the practical sphere of colonial life. All that they require beyond that are industry and self-improvement. Some of the noblest men the world has seen were self-taught. The cramming system at the public schools, and the hot haste exhibited to reach the higher standards are deatructivs

to those qualities that are essential for the work of creating a nation of sturdy, self-reliant, practical people. Our youth are taught to under-value honest manual labour in any shape or form, but seek admittance into what they consider a better sphere of genteel occupation. It would bo of greater worth to the best and vital interests of the colony to change all this, and as early as possible.