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New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6817, 22 September 1883, Page 4

: .vf*; ; >.*' ■ .■■ ■ i= '■''' '■ It is satisfactory to note that the Boar of Education has reconsidered its inquisi torial resolution into the religious fait] of teachcra, and rescinded the obnoxiou proposal. It is not that any teache would probably have any objection ti declaTe his religious belief as a mer matter of information, so that the flippan remark that nobody should be aahame( of his religion goes for nothing, Bii there is ho doubt that the importation o the question of religious faiths in an; form into the administration of edueatioi is a violation of the principle of the systeii as accepted and established in the colony. Of course it is easy to furnish abundance of plausible reasons why a record of the distinctive beliefs of teachers should be in the possession of the Board, but the most curious of these is the irtea that it would be Useful as a means of "preventing denominationalism creeping into tht schools." The moat obvious thought is that it would hare a contrary effect, attd that the knowledge of a teacher's religious denomination would tend to his bein£ appointed or not appointed to a position in consequence of his religious faith. This is the conclusion at which any reasonable mind would arrive, and farther, that this wa3 the express object contemplated bj the promoters ' of this inquisitorial record. Thie 'conclusion would be strengthened also by the fact that those supporting the proposal are known to be actuated by a very strong feeling of oppo sition to one particular denomination,, anc the natural impression conveyed by theii action is that it was intended to use this record against the appointment of teach ere belonging to that particular faith. For ii is : no secret, and therefore need not be spoken with baited breath, that Mr Goldie and Mr. Hobbs have a particular "down" on Roman Catholics, andwoulc probabljr desire to see all teachers of tha denomination excluded from service undei the Board. When therefore these gentle men are found supporting a proposal t( hayeastandiug record in the office, of thi religious faith of teachers, people natu rally conclude that it is with the object o indulging their particular hobby, and keep ing '"'Popery"in its. proper place. Thismai indeed be what is meant by ''preventin; denominationaliam creeping into th<

schools," but the case more explicitly stated would be perhaps preventing Roman Catholics creeping into the schools." If these two gentlemen, who are deservedly held in high, esteem for their many estimable qualities, are wronged by public opinion in this regard, they have only themselves to thank for having conveyed the impression that they have been actuated 111 this matter by a morbid fear of Popish aggression, and that not a disinterested desire for the purity of the secular system but a determination to keep their eyes on Popery lias been at the bottom of this innocent-looking attempt to have a record of religious beliefs. Now we hold that the general feeling of the community is that our Catholic fellow-citizens have a perfectright to share in the emoluments of the Education Department, in proportion to their numbers in the population, equally with any other citizens ; and so honourable ana honest is public sentiment that the public would resist any attempt at any other kind of treatment; and our surprise is that gentlemen of the high haracter of these two members of the Board of Education should have allowed the public to form the impression that .in striving for this record of religious beliefs they were actuated by a desire to use it to check the appointment of Roman Catholic teachers. Happily the wiser counsels of others in the Board of Education have prevailed, and the religious test has been abandoned. Apart from such possibly contemplated action on the part of the Board or mem-

bera of it, the possession of such a reli- i gious record in the office would be bad. i School committees in applying for teachers to be recommended by the Board to them would refer the Board to such record, and possibly say members of such and such a, faith are npt to be sent to u3. This, of course, might quite suit Jthe i taste of bigots, and would practically amount to the general exclusion of j teachers belonging to particular forms i of faith. But as religion enters in no. Way into the scholastic instruction under the system of education, the question of a man's faith should not enter in any shape into the business of selection of teachers, and no facilities of any kind for finding what it is, or encouraging the question: being raised, should be afforded to school committees or any others. And whenever a committee ia narrow-minded enough to. write and say we want a teacher of such and such a faith, the : Board should be able to say we don't know anything about hia faith; ha ia a goo j

■ ' ■ ■. :: — .^*^ ua teacher-pf things tLiat we'know and that l 3 all; we {{■ b ill that you odght to enquire. If ybn trouble abont his religious belief i n: things which tie is not going to teach pou must §nd out! elsewhere for your' 3elyes, for we have no record ia the office Out system is a secular system, and we know nothing pf dur teachers' faith There was far more in the objects of inquisitorial resolution than wae smilingly professed, and we ars glai the Board has put it3.foOt..on it. .■;