RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 137, 8 December 1919, Page 9

RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

ADDRESS BY CANON TAYLOR,

"Religion and Education" was the subject of an interesting address by Canon T. Feildcn Taylor last evening in tho King's Theatre before a largo audience All political candidates wore being asked, ho said, whether they were in favour of "free, secular, and compulsory educa tion" —and they_ were expected to answer "Yes," when in ■' reality they ought to answer "No." The true object of education was the development *bf personality and character, so that the child might become a worthy citizen of the. State. Education involved the body, which must be strong; then the mind, the will, tho motive power, the desire, the conscience, tho emotions. Tho State was concerned with the education of the child because the child^ was a future citizen. And tho qualifications for citizenship were derived from the whole of the child's nature and not from part of it. The State was realising the nocessity of caring for the body oF the child. For the State knew that illhealth did not make for good citizenship. Moreovor, the State was givirig increasing study to psychology. Tho moral teaching of the State school was high. But morality could not be divorced from religion, nor religion from morality. Where, if not in religion, were the children to find the motive for obeying the excellent precepts they were taught? It had been .aid that the home was the right place for teaching religion. Then why was not the home the right place for the education of the citizen? Was it 'true that the quality of a child's teeth and eyesight was of more importance to the State than the quality of the child's immortal soul? The most deeply and truly religious men made the greatest and best, citizens. "But you have your Sunday .{schools," some ono would object. Yes, and that meant five hours a day for five days of the week, devoted to tho material-les-sons of citizenship, and one hour a week (if the child did attend Sunday school) devoted to the spiritual lessons of citizenship. The evil of the age was the gradual cutting-out of religion. Sectarianism was the only obstacle to religion in tho schools. Unless we could eliminate sectarianism we must be content with an educational system that turned out secular adults; and secular morality was not always Christian morality.