COURAGE VERSUS POLICY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 102, 29 April 1908, Page 8

COURAGE VERSUS POLICY.

" '' {To the Editor.) '. . Sir,—-In these days' of mutual flattery and self-satisfaction, it is indeed refreshing to observe that at least one man has been found who possesses courage to speak out his convictions concerning a matter of most vital public interest, namely, Bishop Neligan, and our New Zealand defective education. AVith our public men in general there is. noticeable so very much smooth talking, and that, too, on "policy" lines, that one often grows fairly sick of • it, and especially so when the cause thereof is known to be either a lack of faithfulness or of moral courage. In all matters of trade and commerce, agriculture, health, sanitation, travelling, etc., we all demand the plain truth, plainly stated, and why should it not be thus expressed concerning national education? Is . it. so extremely perfect'? If it is one cause of the production of pagans, then surely it cannot be. True education anywhere implies the training definitely - the mind, the conscience, and the character. If this is not realised, then such education is a failure, and such is the case wherever instruction-is limited to the secular only. It might be very correctly named a brain education. Bishop Neligan and others have now discovered many instances of the fact in the back blocks, and numerous isolated localities, hence these children never being allowed to hear the teachings contained in the Book Divine in their daily lessons, are extremely likely to grow up as dark as pagans, How can it possibly be otherwise? They are completely cut ofl' by distance from any chance of Bible knowledge or acquaintance with its teachings. Christian teachers cannot possibly undertake the journey excepting it be once or twice each year. It is not the back blocks children only, moreover, for in all the larger towns also there are children who show the bad results of no Biblereading in their common school. Yes, such is perfectly true, for do we not see and know of boys and girl 3by scores throughout the Dominion drifting into crime?—l am, etc., N.Z.