THE EDUCATION BILL.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 70, 19 September 1877, Page 2

THE EDUCATION BILL.

We take the following from* the Lyttel- J ton Times :: —

"The demands that are now beincf made by our Roman Catholic felloweolonists for a'terations in the proposed Rducation Act, have brought out expressions of opinion which, like most other human proceedings, are a mixture of good and evil", of reasonableness and unreasonableness, of wisdom and short-sighted-ness; but, in this instance, we think in require* no superhuman power to' distinguish the one from the other, to separate the wheat from the tares, and to point oat at once- that portion of their, demand which should be immediately' granted to the fullest extent in the interest of all, and that which, iz> the interest of the Catholics themselves, as well as of all other classes, should be firmly declined. Ibere is, perhaps, no well-informed) Protestant of the present day who does--not feel deep shame for the narrow bigotry whicu^pur countrymen exhibited,, and the cruel wrongs which our English, lawi and English Government inflicted upon the Catholics for nearly three oenturies; and few indeed would be- found in the present day to feel any sympathy with those who would a Ivocate the* slightest vestige of this injustice,, or would wish to see our vile old histories or even geographies used ii> any of ournational schools. Let every book used in our New Zealand schools be subjected totbe closest scrutiny in this respect. If neeissary, let a commission be appointed, foi the purpose, on which minorities ehoald be most carefully represented.. L§f the well known and disgraceful attempts to blacken Catholics, Jews, andothor religionists, who differ from the writers or their employees, be expunged, with no sparing hand, and lefe us havenothing uunecessarily admitted, even if true, which is calculated to widen the breach between different denominations,, or to arrest the progress of peace on earthand goodwill to men. Every man, be ho Catholic or Protestant, who helps in the work of thus weeding our school books ishelping on the cause of education, as well as of peace, justice, and good government ; and whatever suggestions are made in this direction by those who best knowwhore the khoe pinches, should be listened to with most atteutive considerationEven in doubtful passages, this is on» of the points on which a majority can und should freely yHd to a minority, as there is no reason why our school booksshould be allowed to retain anythmg unfair or offensive to any sect of religion,, nor why we should insist on retaiuing anything that any sect may even fancifully choose to consider of that character. It is much to be regretted that any reasonable suggestions as to history booksmade \<y Mr Loughnan should, as he says,. not have been carried out by the old Board of Education, and we trust that it is only necessary to call attention- to the fact to ensure justice being dove. We hope that Mr Loughnan and his coreligionists will follow this subject up, and not leave oar school books alone until they bare been made as accurate,, ■fair, and impartial as,, ia- a national system of education* they ought to be. In such a w©vk,.we are sure that they wilL be supported by a majority of their fellow-colonist*. Mr Nolan's- allusion to the truatm-ent of Protestants in euuntries where Catholic: priests are io- po-wer was unfortunate. We fear thai be would find it difficult to point out any such i-ouutry where Pro* tesiant eonjwMßces can. command all the.' liberty that Catholics now enioy amongst us,. But the less saul on tnat head thehetter.. It we look, to such countries ar, i all, we must regard tlie'n as beacons, not. as examples- The small liberty granted. ; to Protestant scruples in liomau Catholic countries in Europe, would indeed be it poor excuse »<>r any similes illiberally, towards the Catholics in. iVew ZealandBritonsy whether Catholic on Protestaut,. will bow hardly, wish to- look so- tar away from home for patterns of toleration and. liberty of conscience aud that we may preserve our pre-eminence for freedom o£' speech and practice, and increase our forbearance and goodwill towards those who differ from us in religious views- or religious practice, we must listen ta noproposals to hand over the education of our children to the leader* and lawgiversof religious sects of any description ;. tothose whose nature, and habit, and interest it is to teach 'for doctrines- the commandments of men,' and. to make theshibboleths of tn«*i:* own sect of mow impnrtan«e tl*ni culier oK the- * greatcorn niaaJioeiits.' Whatever sect amongst us- may attempt to obtain public money for denominational' education, we earnestly hope they will not succeed. The cruel persecutions^ which the Catholics have suffered in England $0.(1 $b§ Protestants in Spain, theHug«noJs in" France, and the Celts inlilUjuLs|j|<|)nly * ue natural products ofT 6dttCßtioal]jis&rrow sectarian zealots of flay Such education would' soon produce amongst us a crop of theevils thai have done so much to stamp out the true spirit of the . Christian, religion, that have covered tho fields of Europe with blood, that have madePriests- and Levites plentiful as stones,, but good Samßritans rare as conietsPrießts and) clergymen are not bad men, they are not ignorant men, they are not bloodthirsty men,.and yet what crime is there that Jewish and Christian nations have not committed when the reins havebeen given up to these spiritual guides ?.' They crucified our Saviour, and they murdered Hi* apostles v they maimed^ and imprisoned the venerable- Galileo,, they bowed down bis gigantic intellect to ; their own narrow gauge, and at 70- yearsold made him declare*, on his- knees, that the heavenly bodies moved as they said, . and not as he had demonstrated. They burned Servetus when he had only half revealed' the- circulation. of tbe blood, and. only half reached- the age during whichhis wonderful intellect) might have enriched the worldi. They drove the best blood* of Prance to>" England, the best blood of England- to America. They clipped the ears and split tbe noses of the .Catholics, they imprisoned and hanged the non -conformists,, they crushed theknees and sorewed the thumbs of the Scotch Covenanters> whilst the Covenan* ters, in their turn,, hanged boys for heterodoxy, and mobbed and starved clergymen for orthodoxy. When the Great Teacher reproved and restrained his first disciples- for the cruel use they, proposed to make of tke miraculous power granted to them for su«.h. a widely differeut jmrpose, he told them that the time wouid come w-heu tho?« who killed: them would think that they were doing; God service,. and from, that dag to- this.

,s, WUW9U mo uiuy lniauioio authority tells ' to do to others rfs we would that men ' should do to us, His very fallible pro. fossing disciples hnvo too often taught that it ia • better fo destroy men's bodies in this world, tlmn to .allow, them, by their errors, to destroy men's souls in eternity/ So little mercy shows who neeris so much. Long .before the clause now proposed by Mr Curtis was introduced into the Nelson Education Act, a very- good denominational school had been established by the Catholics in that town, and no school has bocn more highly spoken of by, the Inspector, who junt'y remarks that the institutions peculiar 1, to the Roman Catholics have furnished teachers especially female teachers, to thoir schools of a very high order, and at v minimum of cost, fie might have added that that school has been conduced with a 1 berality to other sects that some ct'ier denominational schools would do well to imitate. But ■ after all this is frpely admitted, how much better would such a school be if it were not denominational ; v 'if it aimed at lessening instead of increas- * ing the religious differences of those who are to take our places in the Colony ; if it invited alt our children to meet on common ground, whore there would be no danger of leading then? to thonk God that they are not as other men ; where the. little Catholics would lose many a narrow prejudice ; and where their intercourse would dissipate many a foolish delusion from the minds of youthful readers of fictitious sectarian histories. i When Mr Curtis proposes Ihe new clause he will probably not give the House the history of its introduction into the Nelson Act. Honorable members can obtain that history from, other sources, and we advise. them to do so, as it will show- the dangerous nature of the element they are asked to introduce, and its^ projable effect on our elective institutions."