CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 246, 14 October 1908, Page 7

CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS.

DECADENCE OF NATIONAL . CHARACTER. SECUI-AR EDUCATION THE CAUSE. For more than two hours yesterday ' afternoon the Anglican Synod devoted its '. attention to the discussion of the fol- , | lowing motion:—"That the time has ■ come when all Christians ehoudl unite :in establishing and supporting Christian schools, and repudiating a system of edu- '' cation that is avowedly and wholly secular." The- mover, Rev. W. G, Monckton, said that businessmen were crying out that there was something wrong wi£h our national character, and that these men looked to the Synod to tell them what was wrong. He had put the '< motion in the form in which it appeared instead of a "Bible in schools" motion, because he believed that the only way to combat the difficulty was for each religion to support its own Christian schools. (Applause.) He had not one word to say against State education for State purposes. He lauded the. work of some State-school teac-hers, taking as an example the women teaching in the country for a pittance a crossingsweeper would not claim; teaching not to secure the praise of the people, but be- • cause they considered it their duty to .'the State. But the State said: "We I educate this boy that he may serve tha State -with all his mind," and the Chris- : tian said, "We educate this boy that he I may serve Cod with all his mind" (Applause.) He was not appealing to the : State to save Christianity, but to Chris-' I tianity to save the State. He quoted ! toe words of Matthew Arnold— -There is only one thing that can guide conduct, ' j and that is the Bible." The , speaker 1! asked, "Ts our municipal life clean?" ■ ' Were contracts always given where they ' I would be best done." Did private interest I j -ver enter into the spending of public i money or did it not*. H it did there ; |was something wrong with our national ci aracter, and that was because we had I lost that which alone could guide con- ■ duel;—the Bible. It might be hard for ; I Christians to see exactly how to act. , i The Catholics had made sacrifices for - i th.ir religion and to keep their own ' schools. A man had said to him the .-tier day that he did not know what 1 the reason was unless it was because the Catholics really believed in their religion; (Applause.) Character was of ■ far more importance than mere knowledge. National decay came from decay of character, decay of character came from loss of faith. All nations had fallen through political corruption, not poverty. Rome had not fallen in the days of her . struggle, but in the day waen her legions covered all Europe. Persian tribes, not Persian arms, destroyed Sparta. Unless we kept public life free from corruption, , unless we produced men who placed God and their country before self and party, .we, too, in the midst of our feast might ' j see the moving finger of God's handwriting for us the message of our doom, . "God hath numbered thy kingdom and 1 finished it." (Loud applause.) Bey. Canon Gould, who seconded the ; motion, suggested as an amendment that ■ the Synod should express the opinion thai the present system of education was excellent, so far as the secular object went, and that the introduction into ' our schools of a system like that which had been used successfully in New South Wale 3 for many years, would tend to make our schools Christian. Bey. W. C Scott-Moncrief. urged that the Synod should strive to bring about a change. Mr. N. Williams said that the Church of England Grammar School should be , re-established, or a similar school I opened. Bey. Mr. Smailes. quoted some compilation which stated that the increase jin crime .in New Zealand was growing j apace of the population, and that New ;' Zealand was the most criminal country in the world. (Expressions of dissent.) Bey. E. C. Budd and Mr. A. H. Maaon deprecated that inconclusive statistics should have been quoted. Several speakers felt that it was ungrateful to condemn th c present system of State education. The State had done its best. Bey. W. Beatty said that he did not believe a. resolution as suggested would have any effect, and that there was not conviction behind it. Not till there was .in honester spirit permeating the Church would the people hand over the teaching, of the young to them. If there bad been a deterioration in character in public life, there had been an equal deterioration in the Church. Ihe Church should look to its faults and not be j continually singing its own praises. Such I conduct was hypocrisy, and until it was I eliminated there would continue to be j the want of confidence in the Church that existed. ( Bey. H- Beeve moved as an amendI ment: ''That the time has come when I all Christians should unite in establishI ing and supporting Christian schools, and j that a committee be set : up to consider i whether any practical steps can be taken toward, the establishment and support of Christian schools, the committee to • 'consist of the Eevs. W, Monekton and IW. C- Scott-Moncrieff, and Messrs. C. J. Tun-is, N. Williams, J. H. Upton, jV. E. Rice, and the mover, and to report Ito next Synod." The amendment was supported by Mr. Monekton and carried with one or two I dissentients. I __=