A SUGGESTED FORWARD MOVEMENT ON THE EDUCATION QUESTION

New Zealand Tablet, 6 December 1906, Page 12

A SUGGESTED FORWARD MOVEMENT ON THE EDUCATION QUESTION

To .the Editor

£.tr, —It must be gratifying -to Mr.',;Scoit to ; read the number> of letters : so ably written in .reply to his '■' ' Suggested Forward Movement on ; the Education Ques- ■ tion.' '■' '■■ '.' -'-'•'—■ '■ •'-''•■•■ The one thing that mosu interests Catholics is the proper education of their children, and in order .to. ac-;-conit)H;sh- this they ought to 'he prepared to put up all sorts of" hardships: We have had - striking;• examples of this ever-since: -the Christian erar commenced, and one has reason to fear ; that Catholics of to- r day are •:•' perhaps not as'earnest fpr : the education .iof their children how ; as in days gone by.' ■". Our .present system;of education aims, in effect, at the banishment from ; the. land of v eyerything pertainingjto God ; and, if allowed' to pursue l its :i course without any check, the Colony will soon become ..-a- country 'of" freethinkers and agnostics. ;V We have:a terrible- illustration of this deplorable-: state in* the present conditionof France, which ' no' doubt 'was brought on through want of proper organisation amongst We now see the sad conseauences. ; "; It Ought to be evident;; -to all that"the atmosphere 1 of agnosticism—or ignoring God—rthat- pervades our sys- . tern of education is more dangerous to Christianity and to the faith of our: children ; than any form ■ »fProtestantism. For' ; my part I would prefer the.big-., oted parson to the "smooth-tongued,' if not- sarcastic ,•■ agnostic. The want of.-'proper ■ facilities for - imparting religious instruction in' the'.■' schools throughout' New Zealand has been long felt, even' by- the other deriorrii- ; nations. We saw Bii>le r in-schoois advocates worked in order to gain their point, but without success, simply ( because they wished to-obtain their, own end, whilst they were determined to allow Catholics to labor under a grievous' injustiee. If you read the reports of the different synods you will see that they all deplore the want of religious) training. Theyventilate their views very strongly ; but, unfortunately, when thd ; doors 'are;,'.closed for; the season the matter is allowed, to sleep .for another year, .and 'then \^'< the : same stirring remarks., are made—without; > further, action. Will; it be so i with^us - .The latest suggestion made .7 by the other jSide ' on the matter was in the; shape.;:,of a -question asked .in the House by Mr. Elatman * (Member for Geraldine), which . ran as follows^:•-. ;Mr.-;: Flatman asked the :TPrermier whether- the Government will, take into .consideration, during; the recessvthee desirableness or giving , a small capitation .grant. to Sunday, schools, rrof all denominations without exception, the "grant-to ;be allotted • according to, attendance if ; ■■■ possible*? ',, Then-he; went on to, .explain : that: the object v oI asking, the question was not for the purpose of > suggesting .-. the. payment of Sunday-school teachers, but with a viewthat a small capitation grant would ■ in some degree settle the vexed question of imparting religious -in-

struction in our State,,schools, and lender assistance in -■ paying somcof 'the mecessaiy -.expeiibesiincuried in canying on Sunday-school work". *' 7 y % '"* Does it not seem, then, that this is a veiy oppoitune * moment to take -up Mi: ■Scott's suggestion ? Perhaps the time has gone,, when a Protestant eleigyman was "ready to-sink " Chiistianifcy" 1 rather ""■than see Catholics benefit by any State giants, -to which we are justly entitled. If -so, he might be prepared to discuss a'subject which is of such \ital impoitance to 'him as well as to ouiselves. Again, v look at the zeal and business methods displayed by piohibitionists concerning their theoiies. It seems to <me that Catholics might well take a leaf out of then book. Should we. spend the same amount of time, energy, and eyen money in educating our fellow citizens as to the ]ustice of our cause ? I doubt not that but bcfoie long they would leturn to Parliament men favorable to oui cause and the victory would be gained. 1 still believe in the fair play of the people of New Zealand. The more efforts that aie made by the Government to spiead their agnosticismg system of education, the gieater also the bribes that aie offeied to oui Catholic children, by means of scholai ships in the high schools—bribes which some weak T kneed Catholics aie found too ready to jump at, as foimeily. But why go into ancient history ? We ought to stir ourselves to save the Catholic cause and to preseive the faith of the rising geneiation.—l am, etc., "» < Waimate, Novcmbei 28. A. HARRIS,

'",:.'^' ; Editor..' t- : 'i .' Sir,—G;ne r cannot ; but adniire the' good r 'intatitibir amh; the strong proposed : by- 'MrAiScott for a-/religious MEducatdprii question. > In ; my f ippii>ion, : I?-fail' to see \vherc I can endorse one : single ■■■'-contribution to-. war4s ; Ms, suggestion. ; Are not our ! iii*.,-. ; :ail ■ towns, : , cities, - : and- ■'.' :.dmpregivable forts> of example.,' to do ; ; at once; /iW'hatf; is* id'dbi-anhi*" ; trust ; .ourselves, alone ?-> inception bftouci Catholicischppls and education was >not and ; is; nbt : brought.about- by. international; interdenominational con-. •- ; ferences. Nor is the Church likely to, alter her course -of .'religious instruction.7 '■■-as suggested by ;Mr. J. - A".. Scott by .calUng together a, mixed.conference, "to draw. ; up,;,plans and specifications as. to how and what shall : be-;, taught on .this- axiigious -question; Sir, -i£ our. agi- \ rcligipus education.were 'sincere ,in • their in- \. .tbntions,. they would be up : and; doing--, Did not the : Bibie-in-scliools League stump -the country at great ex-; ; pense, .and by force r more,than precept to as- : sail and silence, the .conscience of; ■;the-minority ?.lHb w f . far woußl.,the expense (now thrown to the wind's) 1 have I gone towards, someLhing of a- practical ;hature ?;Didi I not, ; Dr. Gib'b, -.at a .recent meeting divines i din, assert that ;the 'time "Bible- : in-sphools, making political; references his malefactor'? !; This, .attitude: looks ~yery like an ; ;amicable > conference' - \ as v •suggested. by Mr. Scott. The.. most, '■. •:,iadvaritaeous' I way to a solution of Mr. Scott's J" proposedv movement i is to carefully precipitate c the 'intention and filter the solution of activity :by ; doing at onee, what is to do —by all denominations- "cotivertirig-theirfSuriday schools ■'■ into secular schools, and doing themselves, what they i are asking Parliament to do; or by building their : ;' own schools, suoh.asr we :Catholics haveVdbnei and are' :] doing. ' Whatr rnan has done, man can do.' : Surely, if ;: generous funds 'can be "collected to stump the country ? to«*force the -Protestant version of the Bible into : the i schools, - only logic* to say tha4;Mne sanib funds i would- go towards building :,and'-'-maihtaimng^'tneir\p ; wh.-.' ; schools.-.-Having done -this; then we;-"as 5 av-Catholic : body, ,1; think, would•■'.-join t in ' with Mr.i:Scbtt's proposed conference, and further, petition or demand 'pfi Parliament,the just subsidy to support* purown .-■.'■ arid :-t'hoir,. schools. ; We- wpuld ; ; -;noli' need any.;, conscience .; clause. We would .each -take bur; own .quota of i teach- . • : nig, both secular and feligipus; and : thus: relieve the ;; -State of the respensibility pf .teaching.; our>', schools 'or: " forming, a new V State creed,'/ :Whioh ? : would certainly' ; change at every. new :; election.-;" ;; I >am ? hearty, welcome.; would be accorded \to any-conference: ; ; that;,,would wish , to- .."visit, any -pf our; £ adopt a similar plan of combined .education;!':; which would speak more forcibly than- any merpV j ferencc.; -If JVTr. Scott will kwidly.jreview my. remarks, ? he. will' at j once sec, v that ..there,' :is, H in-p.- ne- : cessity'.fbr'tlie:/Catholic s .plergy ;-pf ,iai]ty; to* form' ;anyf '. conference other,.... th7an ..jtheirj own." 'Our .secular anqV rer £ ligibus;: systent/'of "bducatipri':. is. riot under, question ; Many-' pf ;the u pi^nbipi^s' l pf "Cathplic education'are being: • universally, adopted. "I, wonder ,why ?—Yours, etc. ; , > JAS. J. CRONIN. • ':■ Wellington, November 24. '>.. ■ ... ......