CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 152, 29 June 1914, Page 6

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

SCHOLARSHIPS AND SCHOOL JOURNALS PHYSICAL INSTRUCTION. DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER. The Minister of Education (Hon. J. Allen) was waited on this afternoon by a deputation representing the New Zea« land Catholic Federation, which laid be« , for© him some important phases of the education question, as they affect a Catholic of New Zealand. The deputation was briefly introduced by Mr. A. 11. Himlmarsh, M.P His Grace Archbishop O'Shea said the deputation represented the Catholic Federation, consisting of 80,000 citizens ' of the Dominion. The Catholics were labouring under certain educational dis- ' \ abilities, especially in regard to sclKikr- . ships. They understood that the (iovem* ment proposed to bring in this session an amendment of the Education Act.,, and he hoped that it ohould be mado clear in that measure that Catholics scholars who won Education Hoard scholarships should bo entitled to tako them out at Catholic secondary schools, which wero regarded as "equivalent" to the State secondary schools. While several ,of the Education Boards allowed pupils who had won scholarships from ' private primary schools to take them out . at the secondary schools attached to that denomination, other boards had refused the privilege. The reason given was, not that such institutions Were not educationally equivalent, but that they were denominational schools. It had been the practice for several years to allow such scholarships to be tellable at Christ's College, Christchurch, and at VVanffatmi Collect e School, which were Anglican denominational schools. So far as he knew, no objection had been raised, either by the Government or by the Education Boards, but vhen the . Catholics asked to have the lame right . granted to them they were met with refusal. The deputation, therefore, asked the Minister to insert a, clause ih the amending Education Act, making it imperative that scholarship! won by pupils attending primary schools should be tenable at private second,',ry schools, providing that such secondary schools were certified by the inspectors' as being ' educationally equivalent to (.he Government institutions. "We want that to be the only condition that should be laid down," he added, "and we ask the Government not to leave it to the Education Boards, whose members are often biased and often influenced by considerations that have nothing at all to do with educational matters. We con« aider that we are only asking for the • barest justice. We are making at pre» setit, and have made for many years, great sacrifices, financially and otherwise, on behalf of the education of on* children. We have saved the Government and the taxpayer a large amount of money, and we' feel that this claim of ours must commend itself to the Government, not merely as something worthy of sympathy, but as one deserving of consideration from the point of commonsense." Mr. Martin Kennedy pointed out that ' the_ Catholics of New Zealahd supported their own schools, except in the backblocks, where the Catholic population was not sufficient for the purpose. An to scholarships being held by Catholic winners in State institutions, he said that could only be done at risk of prosetytisation. The question affected chiefly, the poorer classes. The Catholic Church desired that from the beginning to the end of a youth'fc educational career lie should bt» brought up. in a> Catholic atmosphere. He understood that when the Bill dealing with the holding of scolarships waa gomg through the Legislative Council it waß considerably modified at the instigation of sono Ministers, and that the Education Boards were given the full right of deciding which private secondary; school should be regarded as an "equivalent" to the State institution. Sir John Findlay was his authority for that statement. Hon. J. Allen t When was it modified? Mr. Martin Kennedy : "When the Bill passed through Parliament." Continuing, ftti 1 . Kennedy asked : What would bo the position in the Dominion if the Catholics were to abandon their schools? "Have you provision for them? You would make it (he said) but it would cost the taxpayer a great deal of money. I don't suggest the possibility, because no consideration will induce the church to abandon the religious education of > its children, but it is as well to consider possibilities." Mr. G. Girling-Butcher, organiser of the New Zealand Catholic Federation, also spoke. Mr. 11. P. O'Leary urged that the" teaching sisters and brothers should be afforded facilities for acquiring pro. ficiency in physical drill, so as to be enabled to impart it to their pupils, in. the same way as teachers in tho State schools are instructed. THE MINISTER'S REPLY. The Hon. J. Allen, in replying, said; s lie fully recognised the sacrifice that the' Catholics had made in the cause of the education of their children. As to scholarships, the Act referred to by Mr. Martin Kennedy was passed in 1910. He believed that some alteration was made in the House in the clause dealing with scholarships. That question had cropped up since he had become Minister of Education. He would be sorry to think that any board considered the matter of secondary schools from a denominational point of view. ( Perhaps the deputation could toll him privately what boards had acted in that way, and it might give some weight to their argument. He had found the law as it was and endeavoured to »,d- , minister it to the best of his ability. Ho had no doubt in his own mind that, when tho law was made there was good reason for including the Education Board as one of the parties who should consent to the school being considered an " equivalent." He presumed that the reason was that boards are 'in chjca contact with education in the v«v>ns districts, and wore able to Bay whether or not a private secondary scnool cam* up to the required standard. Apparently Parliament considered that bourda had a right to say something about tho quostioni Ho wasj ho added, bringing down an Education Bill this session, and if ho found that Catholics were suffering an injustice the question would receive every consideration. In regard to physical training, tha system had been br.vght into ex'mtened during his term of Ministerial control, and his desire was that the Catholic schools should benefit from the introduction of tho system. He would make c\cry possible provision to > enable the sisters and tho brothers to acquire tho knowledge which svas essential lo tht>ir imparting it to their pupils, and ho made it perfectly clear (hat it was not ' necessary for either the sisters or the brother? to attend the instructional camps in order to acquire that, knowledge.

In the secondary, schools alone in. Japan over lS 10O,00u boys and gals are ettidving English, and, Reutrr'e Tokio correspondent adds, it is safe to &ay that within t\ few goMeratioiw Engltah will b» spoken almost universally m Japan.