NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 641, 19 October 1909, Page 5

NOTES ON EDUCATION.

. [Bt SOOBATES.] RELIGION AND EDUCATION. To the oducatioriist, the. most interesting fcaturo of the recent Catholic Congress at Sydney was the primary education: scheme introduced by Cardinal Moran, the points, of which maybe thus summarised:— 1. In Holland thore is a uniform and compulsory system for nil the Dutch provinces, « lit R ate , 6 J' stom is practically secular .'. lhe erection and maintenance of the Government schools devolve on the. communes; that would be our municipalities and shires.. Payment of teachers and expenses of administration devolve on the Government. 3. J; or the erection of schools the Government contributes one-fouth, the municipalities, three-fourths. ■ ■ 4. The new arrangements to meet the Catholic requirements would be;—(a) When 20 heads of families- in any district agree to demand a denominational school their request must be acceded to,, although other State or private schools may already exist in ' the locality, (h) Such denominational schools receivo the same amount of Government aid for erection as the State schools, i.e., one-fourth of Uio outlay, but it is spread over a certain ?«aIZ °ry, e . ar s. sav, five years, (c) Teachers in denominational ■ schools are on the same footing as in the State schools as Tegards salary, pension, ete. (d) The salaries in all schools are fixed by law, the amount varying IV ?il,j% grad / e , of^ he sch ° ol and the number of students, (e) Government inspection fixes the grade of each school, according to the standard attained by the children, (f) Teachers for any branches not fixed by the State must bo paid from private sources. ■ (e) The original applicants appoint a committee, of which the-local pastor is always president, .should a. vacancy in tho committee occur, the existing members elect a successor, (h) The committee are the legal ownors of tho school, and on them devolves the presenting of teachers for appointment and dismissal; The president oHho committee,is the acting manager. m Cardinal's scheme was.adversely criticised by : the Sydney newspapers.' The "Sydney Morning Herald'" defined the principle of State nearly:— • "The State' exclude* religion from its schools. ?inh.ft lma yft M escape from the clutches of the conflicting sects, but because education as an economic and industrial equioment is independent of religious teaching. : It is true the State goes a little beyond, this, .there are certain primary duties that arise in the relations of one man with another that must be respected if a social fabric is to' hold together;, and the' State includes'in its bus£ ness the inculcation of those duties-in a word, it inculcates a sound and practicable social morality based on a,certain'general consent Th»™ *? t lDgs a !, O s ool ? l^' right or wrong, -tnere its sphere ends; not merely because it ie n impracticablo to.carry it further, but, paramountlv, because it-Ms right it should end

£° n - hls s " l)jeot, one fiD(ls muc!l '"at is interesting in a recent article by . Professor Anderson on. the subject of "Some of the Defects and Difficulties in the Organisation of Our National Character." The article bv the Cathcho-Congress/ but was vetoed as unsuit:'S§ptal;.la.- Iy appear , cd ;*^yy**<* . "Though we:may.differ on 1 many important questions," observed Professor vinierson, ■ "we are aIL of one mind as to the supreme importance of education and the need of careful and horough organisation in all-that concerns the training of the citizen. Criticism is nneasy, and to many, people a very pleasant, task. Construction is difficult, especially under the fare of criticism from the multitude of experts !■ who: darkon. counsel with contradictory advice, l (io-not profess to bo an expert in education but.in; speakw.to aXatholic audience S the" subject of.tho defects and-difficulties'in the organisation of our National Character ' I cannot pass over in silence one groat difficulty r h l?\ ■ aar cs thrDU B h th e attitude of the .Catholic Church. It would be an impertinence ■K , P fi,° °^ ke an attitude rvhioh is taken on-,the. highest of all. grounds-tho Kit of ., c , 0n | 01 » co a ° d religion. My concern 'rt«™ f b and ie , sults ' "«. I think, ho desire of every good citizen, that no religious, differences shall: be allowed to disturb the social peace or interfore with the common ask of building up a national ljfe which ffiall bo strong, harmonious, and free. In dealine with that task these two facts must be™S n n n <Sf aC f C °rn. st, tha ' ? re havo in' Australia ?i e . C^ lrch ' , 1 !? ?®? iai "Hgion -and, seconpV that the public school is.: and must'be, '"?' ralll { n E.ljround of the future citizen. Our public school,wstem is the outcome ofa'conthese t«;o'.facts. Ifis not a policf due to, accident prj.a'nti-religious prejudice* It owes its origin simply to* the Wssitics of the

"ThV Catholic 'Church, ro far as- her own nni d^ on < ;f e concerned, refuses Io accept' this policy. She builds separate schools, for xtho T- thaf \ sho bui "s separate churches; i™ it ■» I s that , m j> n y thousands of children %iJI t apart from theit future fellow citizens., Two policies thus como into conflict' the national policy and the separatist Catholic nn ft M ro ls .?° pm P ect ° J surrender on, the one side or the other.. In most'other communities this conflict would- be dangerous thLl °tA nily a f ud ! roll >?B..<rf tho Stat!, but thanks -to our free institutions. , 'bur many.common interests, and most of all, perhaps to nE»TT vT , ' he , CatUolio '""science in New South. Wales is less a menace to the public peace than .the Nonconformist con-science-is in England. You protest, but at tSt w 3 ™ S T Bn t7 on do more'than-.pro. te and pay. You make a • certain claim on grounds of, cqui ty. and justice. That claim as I understand, it is that tho separate Catholic schools should also bo. subsidised .by. the Sao; •and receive a share of the taxation to which a 1 in common .contribute. And yon make'that n,£!?\- yo " r fPJ 10 ? Bot as Catholic; but as educational institutions. ...You,do not object to inspection,'or. to; any of • tho ordinary tests etedttcaUpnal..efficiency.'-. :You. complain' that Catholic citizens are penalised. They have to the* 1' °, f f ° r W Stato 6chools - ° f *W«h 1 tttej do not ,ay;-..l thoinsolvts,. but. also for their own schools'as well ' ' iur V,feW wi'l. PWdon me- if.l frankly sav f fi rtt V P' 10 001 stom ffi ay bo -dehe CathohV FT 1 of V ' ew " b,l£ 6tc " if tne Latholic. part of tho community were twirn as large as,.it isthe pv.Wic' school would till for a ouf eCe n f r f ° r;the PUbli!! S° od ' l 0'" Paid nnf fM-i, . COIn! ? on Nation. They aro the ,0 ' tl,e c <"»-enience of me parent, but for tho common woal Thav are established for the benefit o tho State the BteS rre\ e P l ''"f° r i by tU bo£n£ tue btato reaps, tho benefit. The bachelor who caty,;° o ? h A ldro !S IWS1 WS >t *? ' W for tho dil cation ■ot tho. children of others. The Catholic Kiaf^tF-^ o^ n y ? Uro \ n schoois is no doubt vexa. o^ ; t? ttt ' you ,'^ Te your schools tual welfare, of Catholic children. You do be a lH d rehBIOUS , as something to jects S K a h Tt" sub Jeet^o'other !ubS« > ,1 scn °ol tours; or outside school meate ihl as something which should pelSre^Kfe^te!,^^ . «ow, mv concern is with your - obicctioiU and your claim only in relation k m^wt ve? ar L y^ a V M mth J ' OU in s" oUr fina n"al and honour. you for rour «elf-sarri- ■ Being offorfe. But without reminding vou thit Pav to , b / m , ar^5 h to thJf ™,; cost f'. I ' lvoilW "skyou to note the fact that jour claim cannot bo considered-by the f.t&t^^comfere^^ current endowment, the State, subsidy and upSinn,?- "• M °° l h ?' IlDr ? an 'efficient secular education is provided, ■'without resard to- thi> SI? , " °• l t \ chools in »«•« rS' s> or to the appointment and control of the teacher. iLfVr"™ ?* I%? spealdnp to nn audientt! brfongmg.to a Church which puts princTthoiio n° , imm , ed at V cx P etliCTc r- ne 2"5 Church it has been said, not only : builds for otermty, but deliberates and legisimp' 9 ff rm l y, / S WC " M for «"■ P* .time. Ido not for,a moment think of <sking you to snrrenilpr'principle. Tho question of separate is your own business. But I venture, with all-respect, to ask you to .consider whether your demand for State sub■.sidy ; is not outside the possibilities of'practical politics, at any rate, in Australia, and whether ««rt.i , " ! » elCe H. may i. no i. bo more Profitably Kcrtel in other directions, for the greater benefit of your own schools, and for the better oruanisation of our national education? ; 'Let me supposn that all the schools outside the control of tho Departmontof Public Instruction ,will remain unsubsidised by: tho brate. , It is possible that a number of theso schools will disappear in time, and the disappearance of some of them will, perhaps, be no groat loss. But it is also possible, aven highly probable, , that there will bo nn increaso in tho number of non-State schools of n bettor ™ ■Wβ able to withstand the competition of iJ h i. Str - t i. sc ' ,o i? l! - It ivftild ho' ii' national misfortune if >neh schoole censed to exitt" •