THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1879.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5372, 4 February 1879, Page 2

THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1879.

The last number of the Tablet has an article on " Tho Bible Controversy," in which the Catholic organ proceeds to demolish the arguments that have been used lately by those who wish to have the Bible read in the public schools by the ordinary teacher. It is quite evident that the Catholic party are as determinedly opposed to this solution of tho difficulty as to the entirely secular mode of dealing with the question. The Tablet triumphs in the alleged fact that many who were formerly advocates of the secular system have suddenly discovered that some religious teaching, as a little Bible-reading, is necessary. But then it asks, " Why should the Bible-readers get religious teaching at tho public expense, and others none at all. If the school teachers were made to read the Bible in the schools, that would be a communication of religious instruction

to the children of Protestants at the expenso of the State, and would be unjust. The teacher would be called upon to give religious instruction to the children of some, while others would be neglected because they could not accept of such teaching. Tho Tablet goes on to shew that this demand would necessarily ininclude the stipulation that all teachers would be selected from the "Protestant Bible-reading class," and, therefore, that a demand is now made that for the future no Catholic shall be appointed a teacher in any public school. Probably that is so, and wo admit that it would be unfair. But the same end would be brought about by conceding the Catholic demand for separate grants. for their schools. As it is, Catholics can be teachers as well as Protestants, but if the Catholics declared off, and had their own schools, they could hardly expect that Catholic teachers would receive appointments in the public schools. The Tablet asserts that this is really already the case in Otago and Canterbury, but if so, we can only say that it is not the case in Auckland. The writer, speaking of the proposal to introduce some religious teaching into the public schools,. Bays :— " To us it is a matter of no importance ir> reality. Vet, inasmuch as it amounts to a new insult, and a new manifestation not only o£ injustice, but of supercilious tyranny, we protest against it." Further, the proposal is denounced as a scheme to convert all the public schools of the country into really Protestant denominational schools.

There is no denying the cogency of the arguments used by the organ of the Roman Catholic Church. We are compelled to agree with the Church for once, and to hold a candle to the Tablet, while it shews the weaknesses of the'proposals for the introduction of religious teaching into the public schools, to be communicated by the ordinary teachers. But at this point we call a decided halt. The Catholic Church says : —" There is no way out of the difficulty but by giving us grants of money for our schools, so that we may be able to maintain them, and teach our religious dogmas." "No," we reply, "there is a way out of the difficulty better than that, And quite fair towards you. We

shall not require the school teachers to communicate religious instruction so that Protestant and Catholic tnachers shall all have fair-play in our system. We shall not ask that any public money shall, directly or indirectly, be devoted to the teaching of religion, so that there shall be perfect fair-play there. But we shall provide that all the Churches may fulfil their ardent desire to communicate religious instruction, and we will arrange with any clergyman or with any authorised person to have the use of the school and to teach the children whose parents desire that they should be taught. Thus the Churches will not be burdened with the cost and trouble of school systems while they will be afforded facilities for imparting religious instruction fairly and efficiently." The action of the Tablet will unquestionably strengthen the present system against all attempt at change or modification. There are really no denominationalists except the Catholics.