ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 254, 11 October 1856, Page 3

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Otago Witness. Mr. Editor, — While the province of the Government with regard to education is a matter of question and of eager dispute, there is one position to which none can give a negative, it beiag clearly beyond the range of question that it is at least the duty of the Government to protect the rights of the people in this very important matter. Some seven or eight years ago the writer was lured to Otago and induced to pay an enormously high price for land, on the express understanding that he, in common with all others who entered into the scheme, was thereby securing certain properties to be permanently available for the purpose of education. When he arrived in Otaga, some things were shewn to him as the fruit of this provision for education ; in particular, a building spoken of as only the temporary church, but permanent school-house, and always designated, until very recently, " the Dnnedin School-house." A good stone house then erecting was also pointed out as being for the use of the schoolmaster. Soon after my arrival the public, all then raeetingin the one place of worship, were called on tb ■ contribute for the purpose of enlarging the former building, and the call was liberally responded to by men of all denominations. At a subsequent period the public were again called

upon to aid in providing aecommod'atioa for a- female school. But what is the position of matters now T ' Has the engagement respecting* education been in the v.cry least fulfilled ?' On the contrary,, have not the revenues of the properties, designed equally for religious and educational uses been appropriated exclusively to, the church, and the Dun-. edin school for a number of years all but utterly neglected, although again and again a competent teacher was actually within reach ? Is it not the fact that the Church, which ought to- be foremost in helping education, is now trying- to> swallow up> all that belongs to that object ?• ?s it not a fact that a tax is to be levied for the purpose of enabling her to- derive rents from properties which ia reality belong not to her, but by right to educational uses. If there be no. tax they can get na rent — the eighty pound's will not be forthcoming.. And, viewing these extraordinary facts, I ask is ift not the imperative duty of the Government to come to the aid of the public and protect our rights t But how different is the conduct of our officials. Instead of actings equally and justly for the rights, of the entire community, as in daty hound, arethey not setting public opinion at defiance, and! showing themselves to be merely the prime movers; to. accomplish a sectarian purpose ? This, however* will not do ; the pubJio are beginning to. open their eyes and to rouse themselves to> the- true position of the case. They may be heard remarking, that those properties usually spoken of as belonging to. the Church belong in reality to schools as much as to the Church. They ax* beginning at last to look after themselves, and to feel strong in the conviction that, as regards the properties for religious and educational uses, the half which belongs to education cannot be validly diverted fiom that object ; that, in fact, the Trustees cannot validly burden it with anything for the Church, and that the public have a complete claim to the onehalf of all revenues that have heen derived there-. j from, as well as to one-half of the properties themI selves ; and not a few are now preparing themselves; j to. demand of the Provincial Council that this half, be taken out of the hands of the Trustees, because in this department they have not in the very leasfc discharged their duty, and are, as touching that point, no longer worthy of public confidence. The manoeuvre seems now to be to try to disarm opposition by limiting the tax for the first year to ten shillings ; but the objections to the Ordinance are of too serious, a nature to be moved in that way. Let any man look at the fact and say if it canrbe otherwise than that the complaints should be loud j — public- opinion already outvoted by ex officia members ; districts to be outvoted by nominees t the region of polities needlessly disturbed by religious questions and embittered by sectarian strife j the rights of the parent, in place of being protected, ac.ually usurped by the Government ;. the beads I of families, instead of being- helped 1 , bwdooed with a tax in addition to the fees ; the properties which belong equally to religious and educational uses. j tacitly abandoned to the use only of the Church j the glaring attempt to pre-occupy the ground with teachers of a particular denomination;, who will in a little be transformed into ministers, and an obstacle thus thrown ia the way to prevent the people having the free choice of their iustructca-s 5 and last, what forms to some minds the strongest objection of aH r i*.that the Ordinance possesses. some of the worst features of the establishment principle* which has always been pernicious in, depriving truth of its moral influence, and always oppressive in its" hostility to civil and religious freedom. Theseeight objections F have gathered from contributions which I have found in your pages ; and although I your paper is open to all parties, I cannot find that I any one has been able to shew that these objections are anything elie than such as merit the most, grave consideration, and make it the duty of every good citizen to oppose the measure, and that ta the j utmost. There was a remark made by one of your contributors which is worth noting — " A sectarian spirit in public matters," said he, "is a thing that we are all liable to, but against which every one of ua should most carefully guard, because it always aims at injustice, and is invariably the foe of everything that is great and good." If the Government will not check this spirit within themselves, the public must do it for them. The people are becoming restive under the just apprehension that an intolerant and grasping sectarianism has been feeling about to discover a way for its movements, and only waits the opportunity to ride rough -shod over the community. Their endeavouring to bleed the pubI lie afresh by demanding rents for buildings which have been in whole or in part erected hy the public, and their appropriating to their awn purposes everything which belongs to education, shew that their zeal is too> strong to be restrained by any over-scrupulous ideas of right and wrong j and their persisting to levy the tax in spite of strong 1 public opinion against it shews that they will not Ibe easily deterred from their purpose. Therefore I it is plain that the people must organize themselves ior a more resolute constitutional resi&tanoe. The constitution affords a remedy to which, if nothing short of it will do, we must have recourse and petition his Excellency to exercise his prerogative and give us the power of choosing new officials. Having enumerated the people's eight objections to the Education Ordinance, it perhaps ought also to be stated that they appear to have only three demands with respect to education, viz. : — 1. The properties which belong to that objeot. 2. The management of the schools to be in their own hands, and not at all in the hands of the Government. 3. The only concern of the Government in the matter to- be the encouraging and stimulating of' the efforts of the people by suitable aid in such cases as are too burdensome to be met by the exertions of the people alone. Government schools may do perhaps for Prussia or for Russia — may do for an indigent or enslaved people — or may be needful even fox America, because of its continually receiving hordes of degraded population ; but they are not the thing for Otago — the land of the enlightened, the independent, and the free. It is hardly possible to tell the import'anoeof the people being true to themselves in the present juncture. If public opinion be allowed in this instance to be trampled down, there wiH be no confidence in any future agitation for our rights, and we shall never be able to accomplish anything. If sectarianism be allowed to. triumph, in this particular, it will only be a step to something more. Therefore we must shew them that we, can be resolute, constitutional, and triumphantI remain, Mr. Editor, yours, &<?., As Old Sett&eiu "