The Globe. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1874

Globe, Volume II, Issue 134, 4 November 1874, Page 2

The Globe. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1874

Whether Mr Edward's was right or wrong in. bringing a charge against the Master of the West Christchurch School before the Synod, prior to making any complaint to the School Committee, may be a matter of opinion, but there can be, we imagine, but one opinion as to the tone of the letter of Mr Cumming, sent in reply to a communication made to the Committee by Mr Edwards, and published in Monday's Press. Mr Edwards, in his letter to the Committee, gives the grounds on which he made his statement in the Synod, and any unbiassed person would consider that he had grounds for his statement, more especially when we have the endorsement of the letter by Mr Fox, the father of one of the boys, who says that Mr Cumming had told him that he was not to attend the St Michael's Sunday School. Mr Cumming says that'the boy is truthful, and as he made the statement before Mr and Mrs Eox, and as we have Mr Fox's written testimony to that effect, Mr Cnmming's hasty declaration that MiEdward's charge " Was wholly false, and without a shadow of foundation," bears, on the face of it, more of temper than of reason. Then again, Mr Cumming charges MrEJwards with having made, what he terms, a "singularly wide accusation, which, strangety enough, he does not support with a single name;" now this is not the fact, and Mr Cumming must either have not comprehended the letter he was commenting on, or he wilfully misconstrues it, in neither case showing the qualities expected from the Head Master of one of our largest Schools. But there is a very important question involved, as to how far the district Committees are to have control over the actions of the Masters of the schools. Here is a case in which the Master of a School is charged by a clergyman, never mind of what denomination, with having used his influence to prevent some of his flock from attending his Sunday School, and he writes to the committee giving the simple grounds on which this charge is made, and leaves the matter " to be dealt with as as they " think best." This letter is handed to the Master, we presume, to enable him to reply to the charge, but instead of confining himself to this, he first denies the truth of it, then abuses the writer, and finally winds up with tu quoque, and then sends copies of all the letters to The Press. By whose authority did he send a copy of Mr Edward's letter —addressed to the School Committee, and merely forwarded to him for his information —to a newspaper, and, in fact, what business had he to rush into print at all whilst the charge was still hanging over him. This appears to us to be a very grave question, and one which we scarcely think the Committee will overlook, any more than they can the charge made by Mr Edwards. Great tilings are expected from our new schools, and their friends do not like to see the Masters of them doing anything which will have a tendency to lower them in the estimation of the public. We shall always do battle against those who wish to interfere on religious grounds with secular teaching in our schools ; but, at the same time, we shall as strenuously oppose any attempts on the part of the masters to imbue any of the pupils with their own sectarian views