Education; An Anglican View

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 15, 15 April 1909, Page 569

Education; An Anglican View

From an editorial article in the April number of an Anglican contemporary, the New Brighton Monthly Magazine (Canterbury), we take the following : 'In one of hisletters Sir i Robert Stout appeals to the well-worn argument that children, trained in secular schools compare more than favorably with those brought up under what he describes as the sanction of ecclesiasticism. We do not say for one moment that , our secular education can not turn out good citizens. But we are sure of this, that it is making them forget that "Here we have no continuing city, but w e , see lc . one to , come." The lessening of the growth of crime must, in many cases, be put down, not to the fear of wounding a L loving Heavenly Father, but to the thought ' that tho *~ State, rightly, will not let the offence go unpunished. Only a few years ago we met, in the backblocks, a girl who had not evei heard the name of Jesus. What was there to keep her from crime but the fear of being found out? . . It may be that sins which bring their certain puiiishment, at the hands of the authorities are on the decrease, but what of those hidden sins which no detective can find out, and which, even if they are found out, are not pun- , ishable before the earthly judge? . . . -As things are,

the schools are only teaching, What must I do to get a piece of land? What 'must I do to improve' my mind or drive away disease? — all oiecessary- and most useful, but still with tho most important thing left out. . . We are becoming more and more convinced that the Church out here should build her mvn, schools. In, a matter of such importance we must not look to the State. . . Our leaders — both clerical and lay — liave acquiesced so long ill the present state of things that we realise there are tremendous difficulties ahead of us. Yfb with God, nothing is impossible.' '. .