EDUCATION

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 85, 10 April 1917, Page 2

EDUCATION

10 THE BDITOK

Sir, —Yonr correspondent "Freeman" was surely very ill-advised in the selection of anon de plume, and I cannot believe that. Professor Mackenzie is pleased with the gentleman who has tendered his services as assistant demonstrator; " Freeman " wants to bo free to have for his children the- form of what lie calls education, but denies to Catholics the freedom to havfl for their children what they, and .all the leading educationalists the world ,has ever known, know to be the only real education, whiqh, is the harmonious j development of the soul, the mind, and ■the,body/. ■■<-.. ■.■•■.-.•■. ■' <■-.. "'Freeman " wante to be free to have mot only,his own'education, money_spesnt |on his secular sectarian, schools, but' he j wants to be free also to take other : people's 'mimey for the furtherance of ihis secularism. Our opponents seem *to revel in the- term sectarian, which they : use as, an ■epithet in speaking! of; schools ; where 'religion is the foundation of, and j motive for, right living, but we fling the 'epjth«t back, them, for the. so-called, ipublic' schools' .are the real sectarian schools, for. tirey haye cut themselves off ■from, the form of education which held the sway for centuries, and still holds , the sway, with people who hold that : the stability of the State depends more I on' the charftcter .rfthe. yoijng- than their proficiency in reading, writing, and arith- ; metjc, Let me ask "'Freeman" a i straight-out question, Does he, or does | he not, want Catholics, tot help him to pay for the education of his children? jl cannot believel he does. If then, he is quite, prepared to pay through Ration for the education of- his children.; and for the npkeep of the .seculiarists' sectarian 1 schools, let him be reasonable enough to allow to Catholics tihe right to have their money spent on theirs. The secularists seem to have got ■ into the back" :of their heads the idea/ Fhat the term ," secular "means- "neutral," and Mr. Hanan pirates about " our free, secular, and compulsory system of education." "A Secularist,", says Webster, "is one who, discarding religious belief and worship, applies himself esclusvely to the thngs of .this life^'' Especially one who maintains that-education should be .given without any allusion t6 God, to an immortal soul, or to any existence beyond the grave. . On the'other hand, Catholics, believe that there is a personal ' God, One Infinite, AU-knowing, All-merciful, Eternal, Who made,out of nothing the heavens and the earth. Who is the Slb'fal Governor of the univer^ and will, reward t-h« good and punish the wicked, arid they believe further that this truth .is" more, calculated to inform the understanding and elevate the minds" of children than a knowledge of the parts of speech, or an acquaintance with the -vagaries of the ocean currents. We don't, however, want to take other people's money for this education which we desira for our children. Unlike " Freeman," we want to be free to have the education of our children founded on, and permeated with, religious principles, but we' want our Protestant and secularist*friends to enjoy the same.. freedom for .their children.

The Government has a perfect right to see that all the children of the State are trained in secular knowledge, and we welcome the Government inspectors to our schools at any hour ,of the day, on any day. of the year, to see that our children are fully abreast of the State requirements in secular instruction. -When we have built our schools, staffed them with efficient teachers, and answered all the Government's requirements, we assert that it is nothing less than daylight robbery and religious persecution for the State to force us to yidld annually our hard-earned thousands of pounds, and instead of speeding that money for the purpose which the contributors intended, to devote it to the .jipkeep of a system which we cannot conscientiously make use of. "Freeman" brings in a Jot of nonsense about "creating a State within a State." Does he mean to say that the Catholics of New Zealand have not- 1 shown themselves to ba as good citizens of this country and Empire as any others? Is it not perfectly true that our men have, as soldiers, proved that their adherence to tjjeir religign has only made them better as fighters and as comrades?

No. one. is more highly respected and' loved on the battlefield than the Catholic chaplain, ■• and yet the.';.soldiers/ of ' all creeds are quite prepared to admit that' the fullest liberty should be accorded >tp each section for the practice of religion, and that none should be penalised for the support of the other. What we have on the battlefield can we, not have in civil life? Let the secularists have their money spent on secular education in secular schools (don't call them public schools), arid let Catholics have their money spent on Catholic education in Catholic schools. If Protestants do the. 'same'as Catholics have done there is nothing whatever to prevent them being similarly accommodated. 'Then thereswill be fairplay/to all, and privilege to none., —I am, 'etc, . ■ ■■ : > ■■■'■- CATHOLIC, r