DENOMINATIONAL EDUCATION

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12559, 22 July 1901, Page 3

DENOMINATIONAL EDUCATION

CANON HARPER AT THE

CATHEDRAL.

At the Cathedral yesterday morning, the Rev Canon Harper preached' from Kcclesiastcs sii, 1, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, .nor the years drawnigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." After detailing the circumstances under which the Book of Ecclesiastes had been written, and referring to the fact that the writer evidently showed a clear knowledge of human nature, the preacher went on to say that in youth was the time when the mind was most impressionable and most open to influences, either for good or for evil, as they never could be to the same degree later in life. This was recognised by many who had had the care of the young', as well as by many who looked back on their own lives. He quoted the saying of an astute Jesuit, " Give me the care and education of a child till seven or eight years of age, and I will undertake to '■make ."him -a strong adherent r cf the Church," and said that many knew they were what they were owing to early influx ences, and it was in the days of childhood that religious teaching should be inculcated. Although they, as parents, must hold the words of the text as most appropriate, what werts they doing.collectively.as a nation to see that the instructions given them were being carried oat. Their education system was secular in primary and secondary schools, acd also in the colonial University Colleges. Here and there there wore Voluntary efforts to give religious instruction, and*those'who mad* these efforts were worthy of all praise; but the instruction thus given by well-disposed and earnest teachers was no regular part of the course of education as given in schools or colleges established by tho State. The State, as such, did not recognise religion, nor, it would seem,' the need or desirableness of giving religious instruction, mid anything dome in this direction was done voluntarily and out of school hours. It was as well to "face the fact that wo in this colony were doing nothing to.h-elp, the children to remember their Creator in tho days of their youth. Could they look with satisfaction on such a state of things? Surely they could not, if they calmly, considered what was, and must be, the result of such a system of education. Some of the results were already apparent, to a .few of which he would briefly allude. It was said, and, he had reason to believe on good authority, that there was a greater amount of crime in New Zealand in proportion to the population than there was in England. If that was tiio case it wss a terrible fact to consider—for in a new country like this where they had not the difficulty arising from a congested, population in the towns ; where extreme poverty and destitution were almost unknown; where work was easily obtained; and the means of gaining a livelihood far greater than in older and crowded countries ; where the conditions of life were easier and more healthful—crime ought to.be less in amount than in a country like England. But statistics revealed the fact (so it was said) of a larger amount of crime, and he might not be wrong in drawing the inference that this was due in great measure to the absence of religious and moral training of the young-in the present system of secular education. Apart from the actual amount of crime they could not fail to notice a great indifference to religion and. religious observances, an absence of ideals and-of aspirations after better things, among those born and educated in the colonies. Not to speak of a very locc moral tone a mong young people more especially in ..regard to the relations between the sexes. It was painful to refer to suoh things, but it was well to bring themselves face to face with suoh facts as these. And in view of such facts they might well ask whether the present system of non-religious education was not largely responsible for the state of things, and whether it -was not their duty to.do what they could to create'a public opinion Which will insist on giving the youth _ of the colony a real opportunity of venerating their Creator. His reason for alluding to the subject was that the matter had been referred to by one of the candidates at the election which took place the previous week, who had clearly advocated grants in aid to denominational schools, and appeared to have genuinely desired religious education. To expect a. return to denemmationalism in the present state of public opinion - was hopeless and impracticable, and involved the whole, subject in many difficulties. But to introduce the London School Board system into the

colonies dad not appear to ths preacher to be impracticable. In his judgment they should aim at teeming the reading of the Bible in the 'sjh'C-ols, and to open the doily work of the school with soma simple prayer, as for example, the Lord's Prayer—a practice that no sect ■of Christians could'. reasonably object Co. If that could be-achieved something would be done in the direction ot bringing the subject of religion before tho minds of our children. 'To them Would be gften an opportunity, at least, of renumbering theirl Creator in the days of their youth.