CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume II, Issue 50, 26 April 1862, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

'To the Editor 0/Hue Pre**.' X l was intending to draw your attention to the system of established at Auckland, as one which would throw -;,Wible li |f ht upon the discussions which are now oeeuv .. n i our minds m this province ; but 1 observe by a letter K, m °Mr. Sanders which appeared in tlie ' Lyttelton Times" of l\t Saturday, that it is his intention to bring it under the otice of the" public, and, as I have no doubt that he has the "'..foriak for doing so much more completely than I can, I will Hull"* i<i*v * , - 1 - 1 ir f I vivo this task to him. 1 couln only speak horn memory of the provisions of the Act now in operation in Auckland, but 1 maY say that, so far as I have been able to judge by personal observation aud inquiry as to its results, 1 have come to the conclusion that it has worked exceedingly well, or at least with incomparably greater success than any measure in force in other parts of the colony, and for this reason, I think we might .rather from it many useful hints for our own guidance. "■' v m-esout object in addressing you is to consider whether it would not be possible to adopt .some of the principles of the A llc J.;land scheme, so modiiied as to suit our particular cirenmst'Uices; and in order to do so. 1 must shortly allude to some of the provisions of the Ordinance in which these principles are embodied. .... One main feature of that Act is, that it takes no cognisance of the different religious denominations, nor of the religious instruction imparted in the schools which obtain assistance out! of the Provincial revenue, but leaves this part of the arrange- j merits to the promoters of the respective schools. No relation exists between the Provincial Government and the religious denominations, as such, in the matter of education, but each individual school is in direct relation with the Board which is the representative of the Government; the funds available for education being distributed, according to certain fixed rules, and on the performance of certain specified conditions according to the number of scholars who attend. In short it is exactly the system which you denounce as likely to lead to, "keen rivalry, unhealthy both in kind and degree"—as calculated to create jealousies aud heartburnings, as encouraging "a very odious kind of jockeying and trickery"—and as causing a wasteful expenditure of public money. 1 can only say that, so far as my enquiries have enabled to form an opinion, this system has tended to produce the very opposite of these results. The establishment of a new school is not left, as you propose, to a central Board necessarily unacquainted with the wants of distant localities, but originates in the first instance with those who feel the want of ■ a school most, and who are the host judges of the particular organisation required. The distrbution of the grant is made (generally on the recommendation of the Inspector) by a board appointed by the Superintend :nt. Tho difficulty with regard to religious teaching is disposed of by allowing the promoters of each school to decide this question for themselves. Practically these promoters are tho different religious bodies. Now I cannot help thinking that some machinery of this kind would answer as well with us in obviating denomina" tional antagonisms as it does at Auckland, while the danger of a secularisation of education would be guarded against by those bodies themselves at whose instance the great bulk of the schools would be established. As to the idea of excluding instruction in religion from the schools by means of legislative enactment, which I understand to be the theory of the Pro■wacial Secretary, or of making it what Mr. Raven calls an "extra," such as music or drawing, I believe either attempt here would be impracticable. It appears to mc to argue a total misapprehension of the whole bearings of the question to aniline, as you appear to do, that religion and religious doctrines are things to be taught in hours specially set apart tor the purpose, as if they could only be inculcated by means of direct dogmatical teaching. On the contrary it appears to mc that as much, if not more, is conveyed indirectly and almost unconsciously by the tone of mind pervading the school, or by the unseen influence of the master. The feelings and ideas of fhe master must, I should think, necessarily tinne his teaching even in studies not professedly bearing upone religion. A mapter, for instance, strongly impressed with thr, truth of t any particular set of religions doctrines, howeved scrupulously lie might avoid propounding them formnllyn could, hardly avoid, unless his whole teaching was hollow and artificial, unconsciously presenting to the minds of his scholars the same side of the picture as that which presented itself to 11s own mind. How for instance would it be possible to teach history without instilling into the minds of the learners that Particular view of most points in theology which appeared to *jie teacher as the most obvious inference to be drawn from tlie events which might come under notice, unless indeed some such plan wore adopted as that mentioned by Dr. Wolff in tlie Austin's historical lectures, who, as soon a3 ~ began to tread on the dangerous ground of the reformation, stopped short, and began again at tlie first century. But if ■Ms involving religious controversy are handled at all, it st'cins clear that they can be dealt with in two ways only : wlier everything controversial must be eliminated and only ™ part taught upon which all are agreed, or else some 1 istinetive tenet must be assumed and enforced. In the one '•3c there remains a dead, unmeaning, uninteresting, residuum, without form or life; in the other, the non-religious character '' x ' v; stll,l -y i* lost s : ght of. It is this view of the case which ninkes mc think that the Provincial Secretary, in proposing a •\vstein of education "entirely independent of religious '''"'."" mat;01 iv," propounds a theory which can never be • ■•iTicd out rigidly in practice and, therefore that it partakes a t ,'p] uf the nature of what is vernacularly called clap-j->JI'. I Ins classifying nnd distinguishing and separating j ween tta spiritual ami intellectual, between the moral and Ti!!7"e''t ■ between a knowledge of facts and an opinion ast'> ' !r ''earing, might no doubt bo worked up into a very good !'; ,ra( i"x, but i-nif scarcely, I should think, be taken 'as the ■>«» or a legislative enactment oinnissmg (lt j, er theories of this nature as Vtopian, the appears to mo to resolve itself into the more practical '•.,'")'" '•',• to wmcn is 1 -l»i' I't'st machinery for distributing tlie t ; ( , T '' s ; lVi } : ' a,, h'for education—consistently with the reeogni- ,:'. t "'.. c °X''-tenco of religious bodies and tho necessity of ••'• m.'' t *V| Ye n ' !i ' ::i " i:9 t< -'" hing'in the schools. Now it appears ;< 1, . * m . r " discussions as to the best mode of framing v u i' ou the subject, the alternative has never been con-

sul-ohl of having no law at all. 1 cannot see what there is to prevent the establishment of an educational department of government charged with the duty of organizing and supervising t.ic schools supported or aided out of the public funds. It would be the business of the head of such a department to make himself acquainted with the wants and circumstances of every district, to advise with, and suggest improvements to the managers of schools already established, to devise means for extending the benefits of education to the various districts of the province, to submit his proposals for effecting these objects to tlio Provincial Council, and to prepare estimates of the funds required to carry them out. 1 think that it would be better to make one individual responsible for the efficiency of his system than to trust to the activity of an unpaid board which would be practically irresponsible. The head of the educational department, on the other hand, would be aetim* continually under a sense of responsibility, and would be coiv stantlv aware that he would be called upon to just'fy his acts directly to the Provincial Council. Such a plan as this would have this advantage, that the whole system would possess a degree of elasticity and a capability of adaptation to circumstances the most diverse, which no rigidly delined rule, however ingeniously contrived, could ever attain. In process of time some principles would assume the form of axioms, and according as experience shewed them to be sound they might be stereotyped by an act of the legislature, but in the meantime it appeal's to mc to be the wiser course to gam from experience that knowledge of which we at present are in want, and then to decide upon the exact form of the system best adapted to our circumstances. I remain, Sir, Your obedient servant, HENRY JOHN TANCKLP. Christchurch, April '21st, ISG2.