THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1883.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6692, 30 April 1883, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1883.

At a recent meeting of tke Board of Education a very important question came up for consideration. The headteaclier of the Newton East School reported to the Board that he had received a donation of books from the Scripture Gift Association for the school, and desired instructions. The Chairman said it was the general feelj ing that the Scripture Gift Association had a religious tendency in what they did, and after dome discussion, he moved that the committee should report on the books, with the view to the exclusion of such as might be of a denominational or sectarian character. The bulwark of the Act,' and that which gives it its hold upon the affections of the great masses of the people, is its secularity, and every attempt, from whatever quarter it may arise, to weaken that characteristic, should be jealously guarded against, as being an insidious advance towards denominationalism. We understand that some of the Catholics sending their children . to the public schools have taken . umbrage at' the circulation of books given by the Scripture Gift. Association, and one prominent Catholic politician, who has been subjected to considerable social and religious persecution from his Church for - his ■ unflinching adhesion to the cause of secular education, ■ was so staggered when he saw the report of the Newton affair that he remarked, " If such proceedings go on there will be no help "for it but to concede the claims of Catholics in the matter of education." ..The Board of Education should imperatively decline gifts of books from the Scripture Gift Association for school ■ libraries.' These books are to be circulated amongst ,the children, • and- is no doubt that some 'of them contain, what may fairly be caUed "religious teaching," and even sectarian religious :at . all events, the i schools..which are maintained out of the ;taxation of the whole community have ho right to have anything at all ; to do with religious or sectarian organi- ' sations. "VVe feel quite sure-that the ; '.very; well-meaning men who rule the | Scripture Gift Association would -be very indignant 'if any headmaster';'i!;were. to accept gifts of i books from" the Christian Doctrine Society. I 'v.Even; if it could be shown thatthe'books presented contained no 1 dircct.lreligious teaching, still it would be an error to accept them. No doubt the books would be specially marked ; as bcing: presented by the . Scripture, Gift Association, thus bringing a sectarian;; religious';,society directly under .theAattentiori of the children. In , presenting ;«tho :-r books . the associationl. ;woreV>guilty, -as we think,:; of impertinence and folly. •If they ■ want" the system to be maintained they 5 should keep their hands off it altogether,*and the Education Board will

be . m its duty if it does not snub them severely. ' The effect of the toleration of such action would be that the Catholics < would go to Parliament' .with an irresistible case, and would be able to prove that the present state system of . education was a proselytising system. I ;:;. This is what the Scripture Gift Association would achieve. ~ Perhaps they do want to destroy the ;system, if they are. not able to carry out. their ideaii as to religious teaching, but at all events that is not what ■is desired by the mass of the people of this colony.,, Probably the b«st plan would be to prohibit libraries in 'connection. with schools altogether; The books kept at school to be put into the hands of the children by the teachers would have to be as carefully scrutinised as . the school-books themselves, .'and to be as devoid of sectarian teaching,; and that is impossible. Butat all events the Education Board, if it desires to maintain the system it was created to administer, will decline any books from the Scripture Gift Association to be circulated amongst the children by the teachers.