The Bruce herald. "Nemo me impune lacessit" TOKOMAIRIRO, AUGUST 16th, 1871.

Bruce Herald, Volume VI, Issue 380, 16 August 1871, Page 4

The Bruce herald. "Nemo me impune lacessit" TOKOMAIRIRO, AUGUST 16th, 1871.

In supplementing our la^t article on education, we would recall the attention of our renders ro the place which reli»ion should command in connection with the i <i.n ton of theschui 1 We affirmed that the Choieh had no connection necessarily with the school — that it does not belong to the Church in ordinary circumstances to provide and superintend an ordinary school education. The education ot the voung rests primarily with the pareno, and

by his parent should every child be edu- 1 catec. both secularly and religiously— i.e., in matters secular, and in matters sacred. There may be, and there are, parents amongst us who are not christians — who lo hot belong- to any religious denomination of christians, and who do not feel the weight of christian obligation to give to th^ir children areligious as well a. a secular education.- Of ' coarse, . .Wievinpy in Christianity, we hold that such parents come far short of educating their children aright if they give them not christian in* struction, imparting to them a knowledge of christian truth, and train _ng tbem in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. But is this religious instruction, which we hold to be an essential branch of education of necessity, a part of education to be given hy the parent's substitute— 4he te.icher— and must it be systemntically taught in school, as arithmetic, geography, »nd the other branches -of a common education are imparted there? In other words, is ita matter of necessity that religion, its fact?, its truths, its hopes, its results, should be matter of a common school education, just las the secular eh ments of education are I regarded and treated ? That it should \» so considered we can see no possible renson, but Can conceive of lunch that should induce religion to have a very diSWent place in the business ot the school. The demand for a denominational system ot education can only rest on ihe foundation of some .UGh necessity— a necessity requiring- the children of each denomination to have i:s peculiar ism in religion placed on a level as a matter of necessary instruction, with the necessary R's regarded as indispensable in education. The teaching of religion, ihns demanded by the advocates of the denominational sys'em, pist means, therefore, the teaching of their ism, the value of which they indicate when they put v on a level with any of the secular matters of a common school education. We con sider religion to he very different from the urns of denominations. Religion is not Preshyterianism, nor Episcopacy, nor Wesleyanism, nor Popery. These h,»ve. indeed, to do with religion ; but they are not religion. We do not need to be Presbyterians or Episcopalians, or Wesley-ins to he religious ; neither is it necessary tha' onr children be taught what is peculiar to any of them, or what makes them to differ from each other in order that they may be religious. Religion is above and apart from any of these isms, and therefore, in order to religion finding a place in the school, there is no need that denominatioualistn should be inscrihod over the school dooi\ op find fl place in ihe .chop) books, or in the school instructions. Tile demand for denominational schools, and denominational teaching, we regard as a declaration tbat the denominational— -\<m —is something higher and more importan: than what really constitutes religion. If is making the I am of Panl, and the 1 am of Cephas, higher than tbe I am of Christ. But, apart from such considerations, we demur to the placing of religious instruction whether denominational or in its true character as properly religious, on a level with arithmetic as a regular branch of school work. Religion and religions in fluence must suffer if religion be made in the school what grammar and arithmetic are made, matters of* common learning and common drilling, aided by the fear of punishment where failure or inaccuracy may be shown. It requires but a moment's reflection to shew that the teaching ot religion, its truths, its principles, its requirements, its hopes, can never rightly be made a part of school teaching-, so as to be effectually taught, il it be made, in the eyes of our youth, on a par with orthography, etymology, syntax, and prosody, which it must be. according to the demands of tbe denominationalists. Religion, to be tauo-ht, must not be rendered in the eves of youth as a iourth R, brought to a level with the three R.'s, nor associated with them, so as to have associated wirh it all the disagreeables that surro-.ind them in the midst of the young. If religion and religions truths be made a common school task a part of common school business, it cannot fail to be the case that the young will look upon their religious lessons as tbey look upon tbeir o'her les-ons, and regard it with common disfavor — a result this whicb human nature, as we know i' to be in young and old, would nece.-s irily lead us to expect. Religion, if to hetaught as a matter of instruction, must have its proper place and time, and instructors. At a patent's knee it mu.->t be taught, from a parent's lips, by a parent's ex-.mple, and by others whose proper place and function it is to instruct in the ways of God, and give the lessons of religioi*-* ' instruction as the special work oft.; i office, or who are moved to give such m- j structions becai se of the love they he ir to | God, and the souls of their fellow im- j mortals. Parents first, and next and in conjunction with them the ministers «f religion, and the helps these have in Sabbath school teachers, and other instrumentalities are the true instructors in religion. From these with far more influ.nce and effect, will religious instruction come than it it came as part and parcel of the heterogeneous mass of a common school education. But because such isthe ca?e, aud tew will deny it, is religion to find no place in the school, and exercise no mfl lence there ? Shall the Word, the name, I the requirements of God, the creator, preserver, benefactor and redeemer of the young as well as of the old, be the only things shut out from the precincts of the school, where meet the rising hopes alike < f Church and of State. No, verily. These m ist. find a place t! e e, otherwise the hiirht-si influences for good, and strouge-t mot ves to induce to perseverance in the best objects of .-chool instruction would be taken trim our teachers, and from their scholars. yAnd how best can these, the i est and highest influences be had in the school— lst, by the presence of the Bible there, and by the.solemn exercise ot prayer, in connection with, the readiug of the 'Bible-

as linking the school aid 'he busines? x>f ibe school with Him woo is wiSDOMt^k

and 2ndly, by the lessons and influence of the Bible being* made to pervade the conduct of teachers towards the pupils, and thereby the conduct of the pupils towards e h other, and towards their instructor. The Bible read, aid the lessons of the Bible acted upon by the teacher and taught, thus Will religion be powerful./ taught in the schools, and from the school will come a far more powerful religious influence to pervade society, and determine its relation and actions than if in school her* the isms of this sect, and in school tli6re the isms of that sect were taught, which seems to be the object of Roman Catholics and Episcopalians in demanding a denominational system of education. Grant th.^ denominational system and you will have, as all experience proves, an inferior secular education, and a religious education but in name — it will he sectarianism with religion left out. These twofold evils our present system has saved us from, evils so great in themselves, that better than have a system that must necessarily lead tovrheir production, have out teachers occupying themselves solely With, the ordinary secular branches of education, and leave to parents, ministers, and others to g'ivg to the youno* the knowledge whicb. revelation g-ives, as calculated to give more of religion and less of sectarianism, than if sectarianism were a necessary element of school instruction, as seems to be the object of denominational schools, an object gained as Prussia, Holland and England^ national schools a'l unite in testifying, at tlie expense of sound instruction, alike in matters secular and properly religious. Both, therefore, for the sake of the ordinary branches of education, and for the siike of religion, as expressive of love to God and to man, we say, let Otago's present system of education be untouched.