EDUCATIONAL RATES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1020, 6 February 1869, Page 3

EDUCATIONAL RATES.

(From the " N. Z. Herald," Jan. 28.) The following is an extract from a speech delivered by Mr. Macffarlane, at Wade, on Jan. 25: — I shall now consider the educational - question . The question of education came ,. before.the House in a form which Icouldji not approve of, , providing for umversifp scholarship's, .wjtrile no ptovision^as beijs|| made for'tlie general community '; an'ofx; took the liberty of stating to the House, that I thought they were putting the carl;, before the horse in providing for univer-. sity scholarships before making sure that they had scholars to send to a University. I further stated that I was in favor of a national system of education in preference to the voluntary system. Ido not know that it is necessary to state my reasons for coming to this conclusion, but I shall do so very shortly, especially as I have heard men declare that they would not pay one" sixpence of taxes for the education of their children. In this matter I look upon the state as the parent of all the children in the country, and bound as such to see that everything is clone for its children that will make them learned and intelligent members of society, and thereby provide the best guarantee against their ever after becoming burdens on the general fund. The national system is more economical than the voluntary, because where the former system prevails schools will be placed where they will be most suitable for the population, and only a sufficient number will be placed — instead of as at present every denomination having a school — and sometimes in close proximity to each other, thereby frittering*away the funds over a number of inferior schools, while one good one would be more beneficial to all concerned. It is further the. duty of the state to see that all its subjects can read the laws which they are expected to obey — just as it is its duty to provide magistrates, police, and gaols, to administer those laws, and to punish offenders ; and the only way the state has to provide funds for carrying out these objects is by taxation in some form or other, either direct or indirect, or by setting aside land for the endowment of schools. And the man who will refuse to pay an educational tax I regard as the very worst enemy of his country, and as not entitled to enjoy the benefits and the blessings of a civilised community ; for the slightest consideration will show that the want of education increases the general expenses of the country by rendering necessary additional magistrates, police, gaols, hospitals, asylums, &c. All history proves this. Take an example of this, say Prussia and Austria. What is it that has raised the former to be one of the leading powers in Europe ? — the attention she has bestowed on the education of her people ; and- what is it that has thrust a power so great as Austria to an inferior position ? — the neglect of her people in this respect. And what has made America the great nation she now is P nothing but education, the genuine education of her people. Thcro tho teachers are highly paid, and men of the first talent devote themselves to this work— laborious work— of educating their fellow-men, and the preparing everyone to take a first place in any walk of life to which he may be pleased to devote himself and his talents. I have faith in the fixture greatness of this colony, provided, the proper means are adopted to secure this ; and primary among these means is tho question of education. And therefore I would devote every sixpence that could bo spared to this noble object, and I would endeavour to carry out the system at present in operation in the rural districts of Scotland. I would have the colony divided into districts, and in each district I would have a good school and a properly qualified teacher ; aud I would place a small tax on land for this special purpose. Where the population in any district is not sufficient to occupy the time of a teacher, I would divide the district into sub-districts, and make the teacher spend two or three days a week on each sub-district, till the population increased to such an extent as to get a school and teacher for each district, or sub-school. I would even go farther than; all this. Having provided schools and schoolmasters, I would do as they do in Prussia ; I would compel parents to send their children to school and to pay for their education — if they wcro able to ~'Mso. In Scotland" the tax on land,/iss|t* public burden, and the fact of having, idpay this tax is always taken into account' in fixing the price of land, and the rent of farms ; and the purchaser or tenant takes' the land on tho distinct understanding that he has to pay this tax, and, therefore, no hardship is imposed on any one, whilo national good is the result. The tax is not always sufficient to pay the full salary of the teacher, and in theso cases _he is allowed to charge small fixed fees in addition from parents who are able to pay them. These fees induce the teachers to exerfc themselves so as to secure tho confidence of the parents, and the increaso of their fees. This system has wrought well in the rural districts of Scotland, and I think it is admirably adapted to the peculiar circumstances of this Colony, and would strongly and earnestly urge its adoption here. But whether this system shall be adopted here or not, one thing I am fully convinced of, viz., that this Colony will never be great, prosperous, or truly free, unless its people shall be thoroughly educated. The time is rapidly approaching when imported education shall have died out, and if we shall fail to train our children for tho duties that shall necessarily devolve upon them as citizens of a free state, we shall fail— lamentably fail — • in the first and most important duties imposed upon us by the great Father of all. " Train up a child in the way ho should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

■jxpattfaoon