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New Zealand Tablet Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 1877. A SOLEMN FARCE.

Our heading is, we admit, a strange one ; but we faucy we shall be able to show before the end of this article that, though strange, it is, in reference to Education, unfortunately only too appropriate. On the last day of the last month the Wellington Board of Education held its ordinary monthly meeting. One part of the -business transacted was the consideration of Mr. Inspector Lee's report. The ninth section of this report recommends the giving of prizes for Scripture History in the Government schools of the Province. This recommendation gave rise to a discussion which is very instruc tive. In answer to an objection, the Inspector read from the regulations as follows :—": — " Religious instruction not of a controversial character may be given at any school, provided it be given at certain fixed times, so arranged that parents objecting thereto may conveniently withdraw their children from the school daring such times." Mr. GisBORNi said there could be no objection to a clergyman giving religious instruction to children of his own i congregation in these schools, but he thought the case of a I teacher was different ; and to say that it could be done with out partaking of a controversial character was absurd. — Mr. Bunny : Necessarily each teacher would give his own views of the subject, and that would open the door to all sorts of opinions. — The Secretary said : You can give religious instruction, so long as you do not introduce anything denominational. | It would be interesting and curious to see a trial j made to act on the Secretary's opinion. We wonder what ! that very distinguished Christian could teach on religious subjects without introducing anything denominational. We i know of nothing in Christianity common to all religious ! sects. Why they are not agreed as to the primary truth — the existence of a personal God. The Wellington School Board did not accept the opinion of its Secretary, and rejected the ninth section of its Inspector's Report — consequently the Board has affirmed the principle of purely secular education. Even the history of the Bible has no place in its programme. Is not this, we ask, a solemn farce ? Here is a Board, supposed to be composed of Christian gentlemen and Scholars, sitting in solemn meeting and gravely and deliberately making provision for the educa* tion of the people, and at the same time excluding Bible History from the list of subjects taught in its Schools. Only fancy an education in a Christian country without the least reference to either Bible or Church History' This is, indeed, the most solemn of solemn farces j — a system of Education uuder which neither the name of God, nor of Christ, nor of the Church, is to be even mentioned. What sort of scholars, we should like to know, will result from such a system? This much is quite certain, they cannot be educated, though " they may have some instruction in some few things. But to join the word education to such a system is an absurdity so wild and extravagant, that it could be entertained • only by blind philosophers, in this conceited and illogical nineteenth century. A system of purely secular education, if honestly carried out, can only lead to the most profound and deplorable ignorance, and must inevitably end in flinging mankind back into the abominations of paganism. A system of really secular education blots out the past of all Christian nations, makes the history of mankind a blank for the rising generation, for if education must not speak of God, the Bible, the Church, or any of the facts inseparably bound up with these, it must altogether ignore history, secular and religious ; the past must be absolutely thrust oat of sight, and all its truly important lessons utterly disregarded.

This is what comes of endeavouring to do without God and his Church. Secularists prefer the absurd and ridiculous, to justice to Catholics : lest we should have our own money to help us really to educate our children, these gentlemen are willing to take the soul out of education, and to give in its stead an inanimate carcase, mere instruction within out God, without religion, without Christ, without the Church, and without history. It is marvellous ; verily it is a solemn farce. Secularists propose to enlighten and beatify mankind by withdrawing from the rising generation all knowledge of the past and of the future. Man is to be made supremely happy merely by the cultivation of physical science, and attention to the wauts of this life. Secularism makes provision for nothing more, and throws every obstacle in the way of anything more. It squanders all the available esou-ces of a nation in pursuit of its Utopia, and effectually renders genuine education penal.

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Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZT18770309.2.18

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 205, 9 March 1877, Page 10

Word count
Tapeke kupu
803

New Zealand Tablet Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 1877. A SOLEMN FARCE. New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 205, 9 March 1877, Page 10

New Zealand Tablet Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 1877. A SOLEMN FARCE. New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 205, 9 March 1877, Page 10

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