INSPECTION OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9991, 22 March 1898, Page 6

INSPECTION OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS.

TO THE JUHXbR OF THE PRESS. Sib, —Referring to your article in Thursday's Press re inspection of private and denominational schools, I see you have at last admitted that Roman Catholic schools are denominational, and the wonder to mc is that some of your correspondents ever doabted the intention of the Legislature re the inspection of these echools. I maintain now, as I have always done, that the Legislature never anticipated such a course. In support of your admission you quote part of a lecture given by the Hon. U. C. Bowen, where he designates the Roman Catholic schools as denomiuational, and also emphatically states, " that not one penny of the State money must be used for schools under the guidance of the clergy or Church." Being interested in education 1 was present at the meeting referred to, and well remember what took place at that meeting. Mr Bowen clearly and decidedly defined the distinction between a public, private and denominational school. Liter on he said, "we must be very careful that we have nothing in our public schools that Roman Catholics can take offence at." I agreed with Mr Bowen that the refusal of the inspection of denominational schools was never contemplated by the Legislature; neither was it presumed that they would ever ask for such inspection ; had each been the intention of the Act section 98 would read private and denominational, not as it is at present private only. Mr Bowen, in his remarks, was decidedly averse to danominationahsm, with the exception of referring to the Auckland Catholic schools, where he says " that the refusal only appeared cont-ary to him," and in the discussion which followed Mr Bowen was sharply criticised for his seeming contftdiottM. Wβ know that Uμ Act wu I

framed to abolish grants to denominationaliam, and there is no provision or mention made in the Act for such schools, for there was no occasion, seeing that the B'ble was taken oat of the schools, and the fullest provision made for the religious feelings of the Roman Catholics, which the Legislature was led to believe would satisfy them. And the Legislature made full provision for this in section 79, paragraph 2, where we read—" That any child attending a public school, who has been absent from such school by reason only of the observance of a iy fast or other days set apart for strictly religious observance, by the religious body of which such child is a'member, shall, notwithstanding such absence, be deemed to have been present a3 above provided." I maintain that this section was framed eolely in the interests of the Catholics, all other public religious days are speci'ied in section 11 of the Act. I think you must admit, sir, that the Legislature were sufficiently intelligent to include denominational inspection if it had beeu the desire or intention of the framers of the Act. Now, Sir, I respectfully request you to point out where Catholic children or children attending private schools are under any disabilities. Further, I ask you to affirm that a public school child, with its inspector's certificate, has any better advantage iv the State than one taught in a private school .or Catholic scUool. I cannot understand, Sir, how any intelligent editor can hint at or try to atnnn that section 98 of the Act contemplates inspection of Catholic denominational schools, nor how you can make Mr Saunders to say private schools where he positively says "sectarian or denominational." His resolution is—" That it would be a violation of the tirstr priuciples of the Constitution Act of New Zealand, as well as of the letter and spirit of the New Zealand Education Act, if tlie North Canterbury Board of Education were to sanction the diversion to any sectarian or denominational purposes, &c." It is true the members of the Education Board would come into collision with clause 98 if they said what you say they did—but they did not use the. words "private schools, 3, but "sectarian aud deiioniiaafcional." — Yours, &c, Taxpayer. March 18th, 1898. [Our correspondent, we fear, is hopeless. No sauts persou would dream ot disputing either that a Catholic school is a denominational school, or that a de- : nominational school is a private school within the meaning of the Education Act, and as such entiLied to ask for inspection. That was the view distinctly laid down by Mr Bo wen in the address from which we quoted. Regarding the refusal to inspect the Auckland Catholic i schools, Mr Bowen said—" This refusal appears to mc to be contrary to the spirit of the Act; it is certainly contrary to the feeling of the Legislature that passed the Act."—Ed. Pkuws.]