Thursday, September 7th.

Otago Witness, Issue 1033, 16 September 1871, Page 2

Thursday, September 7th.

Mr Creighton resumed the Education debate in the evening. He maintained that the denominational system had been tried for ten years in Auckland, and had utterly failed. Mr Hall himself had introduced a purely secular system, which was now working satisfactorily. The denominational system had failed in every country in which it had been tried. He objected to historical inaccuracies and scientific fallacies being taught in the schools under the name of religion. It was impossible to obtain secular teachers competent to teach religion, as there was no definition as to what religious truth was. He approved of the system adopted in Canada and New South Wales, of allowing the clergy of various denominations to give religious instruction in the schools after school hours.

Mr White (Hokitika) supported the Aided 'Schools clause as a fair compromise. He congratulated the Ministry on the Bill, denying that its machinery was either complicated or expensive. Mr Jolmston (Manawatu) protested against compelling the Catholics to contribute to the support of schools to which they could never send their children. This was the feeling of the Catholic laity. He denied that there was any such thing as secular education ; all books inculcated some religious doctrine. The Catholics did not regard the Reformation and the confiscation of the property of the Catholic Church as unmixed blessing as they were usually representedtobe. W n " a £ books agreed as to their estimates c'^ ie characters of Henry VIII., Eli'^g^ and Mary > Even John Kncor was no £ always represented as an 'irreproachable character. The Catlio 1 j cs required that their children should be educated in an atmosphere, o f Catholicity. It would be better V, retain the Aided Schools clauses than to exasperate a large section of the community by A\hit they considered injustice. A national measure should enable each section of the community to derive equal benefit under it. Mr Thomson maintained that the Otago \ system, though not perfectly satisfactory, had worked well up to a recent period. He most strongly objected to introducing a denominational system to spoil j all that had been already done in Ota<*o. j The Provincial Treasurer should be° a member of the Board, and the teachers ! should be represented in that body. He objected to the power given to borrow money on the security of a rate to erect school buildings. Not being reproductive, the cost of those buildings should come out of the general revenue. Although believing that the Bill would do more harm than good, Otago would, from a colonial point of view, support it. Mr Fitzherbert pointed out that the introduction of the Bill was chiefly owing to the action of Messrs Ball and Richmond in the previous Parliament. He siipported the Bill as being a colonial measure. Heretofore all attempts to educate the people had failed, because, however praiseworthy they might be, they were isolated attempts, and such attempts always would fail until the colony as a whole took the matter up. He had an enthusiastic desire to see the present Bill passed, aa it recognised the necessity for a higher class of education. It was not a final, but an initiatory measure, 1 which would be the parent of all future

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cnes. ffi was not the duty of frve State to interfere in regard to> religion. It couM not do so, in fact, as there was no common platform fro?)* which it could work. The having both local Committees and Boards was useless ; the Committees were a mistake. One great cause of the failure of school systems was the absence of proper discipline, and the bringing parental solicitude to "bear directly on the administration of schools interfered with discipline. He would like to have seen the colony mapped uut into school districts iirespective of the Provincial boundaries, each with its own Board as the medium of communication between the Minister and the people. If Provincial distinctions were maintained, the Superintendent should have the power to appoint the Inspectors. The Boards shcmld be elected, and females should be allowed to vote and be eligible for election to the Boards. He wished to see greater prominence given to female education. No nation ever attained greatness xmless its women were educated. He desired more attention to be given to the providing of the means of education for adults, so as to remedy past neglect by enabling adults to obtain education without wounding their susceptibilities. Having a regard and veneration for the Bible, he would prefer not to see it read in the schools. The mere reading of the Bible would not effect the object aimed at, but the reverse, and doing it half secretly, as if ashamed of it, would stamp the proceeding as suspicious. The reading would lapse into a perfunctory discharge of duty. He did not call that religion. He agreed with Mr Stafford that the House only should fix the mode and maximum of taxation. Compulsory attendance was desirable, but impracticable. A capitation rate on all children, whether attending school or not, would be a useful form of mild compulsion. Mr O'Neill supported the Aided Schoolsclauses. Mr Kelly moved the adjournment of the debate. This afternoon was spent in Committee on various Bills. In the Motueka Election case tho evidence of the petitioner on the br [ beiy allegation was concluded. It * .x. x of the most trumpery character, si' lV f showing that 12 Germans, who ' J '] + travel 40 miles from where t> n ™ *° working to the polling place ie^ Me f whom had signed the reqtr '. solve c . David Monro; and all of to Sxr leaving had declared t> . w . ]l( f > J? eioro . voting for him, had r ' eir jrtention °f being at the rate of ' . reived 16s each, days°they lost in t ds ***7 , for th , e J™ Mr Travers subr .^^f to imd , fro : been made out + ' lltted that no case had allegation as ' to answer regarding this been showr + ch f men \ ? lade had y i to be tor reasonable travelthis a> xSeS< Mr Alhm contended that m, aient really amounted to bribery. .-. r committee have taken time to conS1 ,. c - their decision. The Chinese Immigration Committee are sending a set of queries to the Goldfields Wardens, the Victorian Government, and various other quarters, and are not likely to report for a long time.