The Evening Star THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1887.

Evening Star, Issue 7281, 4 August 1887, Page 2

The Evening Star THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1887.

Bisiioi’ NeVilL must surely by this time be in doubt as to the policy of his attack bn 'etir educational System. Me meant well) no doubt \ but thebe is a pfoVerb about good intentions, afld he has certainly laid down a Very big paving-stone in—the wrong place. Unquestionably the effect of his lecture will be to put back the favorable Consideration of Bible-rcading in schools for at least three years—that Is to say, durihg the existence of the Parliament abUUt to be elected. He has furnished the opponents of the movement with very sharp and potent weapons, which will most certainly be used against it. Talleyrand was wise when he warned his secretaries against too much seal. The advocate of Bible-reading may Well say to the Bishop “ The Seal of thine house hath eaten me Up,” Had he been Content tb urge the desirability of the Bthlb being read in the public schools, and not diverged into a discussion on religious training, which is more properly the duty of parents and pastors, he would have been more effective. And if he had displayed sufficient good taste to refrain from the sweeping condemnation of school children in which hp indulged be Would have escaped the well - deserved censUrb Which he has drawn down upon himself. To speak of “ a considerable proportion” of our boys as being hard, cruel, and selfish—lacking “ a want of tone, a “want of delicacy, a want of gentleness, “ and a want of refinement” iS an exaggeration which bettayS Want of discrimination, and a Certain inaptitude for understanding boy nature, tlven this, however, might have been pardoned. Boys are boys all the world over, and a little rough shaking up docs them no harm. But his attack on “ the sweet girls of our country,” whom he denounced as wanting in modesty, and possessed of “a knowledge of evil and an “ allowance of evil thoughts that exhibited “ Itself in ways most disgusting,” is entirely Inexcusable and altogether UhWarfafated. The apocryphal instance he cited, not as of. his oWh knowledge but “on authority he could not deny,” was of the most puerile character. If he has no more convincing proofs of his assertions respecting our school children than he gave to his audience, he owes an ample apology to every parent of and to every school chud in New Zealand. The conference of members of the Education Board, their inspectors, and others Concerned in the work of education was the proper and natural outcome of Bishop NevilL’m slanderous fulminatioh against the children under their charge. Their testimony is so full and complete that nothing requires to bo added for the full exoneration of teachers and pUpils from the inconsiderate and foundationless accusations levelled at them. We include the teachers, because it is obvious that, if things are in the desperately immoral condition the Bishop represented them as being, they arc chiefly to blame. Whatever the children arc, they are by virtue of proper and adequate care and instruction, or the lack of it. It is not surprising) therefore, that the masters of scihbola protested strongly against Bishop Nevill’s statements. Were a meeting of female teachers convened to consider the matter, it would be desirable that he should be invited to attend it and make good his charges. Possibly in such case he might regard discretion as the better part of valor and keep away. But the matter will scarcely be allowed to rest as it is. An angry feeling has been engendered such as will not easily be allayed; and it is doubly unfortunate that it should have emanated from SUch a high quarter. Bishop Nevill’s words will be read and quoted in other colonics and at Home also; and by this means a disgraceful and altogether undeserved stigma will be attached to the rising generation of New Zealand.

Since the above was in type we have received the following letter, which speaks for itself:—

Oamaru. August 2,1887. Sin,—As a teacher who lias taught in and managed all grades of schools under the Otago Board, I have to add ray testimony to the fact that, although the Bible is not read in our public schools, the tone of the morality of the pupils boys or girl. has not suffered. Further, if the influence of the system were bad, the longer pupils remained under it the greater immorality would be developed in them. Bat I hereby bear witness—and others well able to do so will bear mo out—that, if there arc larrikins who have been under the New Zealand education system, they arc those who have had the smallest amount of the training. Those who have taken full advantage of the system turn out, In the tnaiti, good, trite, and useful citiscns. Still further, the boys and girls of Otago, in all things but the specialty of Bible knowledge, compare most favorably with the boys and girls of the Home schools, Twenty years of varied experience at Home and twelve here enable me to speak with authority. The want of special Bible knowledge does not unfit our pupils to receive training Jn morality —does not make our boys brutish or our girls immodest. The man who would make so unguarded and unwarranted a statement is really not fit judge of the majority of our children. Every such statement materially weakens the cause in behalf of which it is uttered.

But with regard to the scribbling spoken of by Bishop, teacher, and layman, the worst of the most of it is that it is merely scribbling, and, like early smoking, the habit is acquired from the adult. While on this head, however, I ask you to note a statement of Mr Park : “The building was of birch, and the fences of native timber certainly, so that there could not be any scribbling done.” This point should not be lost sight of by those who have to provide closets for schools or more public places. Finely finished interiors simply offer a firstrate opportunity for scribbling immorality or anything else. Let the outsides, where the public eye is tho best safeguard, bo made as fine and artistic as may be, but the interiors should be of rough sawn timber, or of an unstainablo hue. “Prevention is hotter than cure.”

Finally, let mo thank you, both professionally and personally, for your action which brought about the meeting recorded in to-day’s issue of tho Staii. —I am, etc., Robert Peattie, M.A.