Correspondence.

Colonist, Issue 26, 19 January 1858, Page 2

Correspondence.

g_f* Wedesire particularly to state that we do not by any means hold ourselves responsible for either the doctrines or mere statements of our correspondents.

To the Editor of the Colonist.

Sib, —In a communicated article in one of your recent numbers, the salaries of the teachers in the country schools are assumed to average one hundred pounds per annum. . Is not this much higher than they really are ? The advertisements for teachers (which, by-the-by, appear more frequently than one could wish) generally contain the very moderate sum of eighty pounds per year._ With such a small annual salary for country teachers, ( it certainly does appear extraordinary that the immoderate sum of two hundred and fifty pounds per year should be given to the teacher of the town school. •

Local Boards frequently play fast and loose with the public money—merely because it is public money. The individuals composing these Boards, it may he presumed, in their private capacity are as chary of this commodity as any other persons composing the somewhat peculiar and jobbing society of New Zealand.

The (l peculiar reasons "of the committee are alluded to. Perhaps some of your correspondents, more at home in a knowledge of these reasons, can enlighten the public on this matter.

The poll-tax for educational purposes is unpalatable enough to the public; and the money thus' wrung from the '■"' hard : hahded peasant " should not be squandered away on ; any individual.

It will be remembered by the public that it is only a short time since, that a young man was expected to keep eighty unruly children in subjection for the small charge of only eighty pounds a-year—or one pound per head per annum. INQUIRER.

To the Editor of the Colonist. Sir, —The question was once asked—" Is Saul among the prophets?" and with all due deference to the extreme wisdom of one of your last week's correspondents, one need scarcely venture on an enquiry as to the school where he obtained his philosophy. Having very little acquaintance with the writiugs of Burke, or parliamentary speeches a hundred years old, I am not prepared either with arguments or contradiction. The analysation of the component parts of Scripture as given by him, may be very clever, definite, and concentrated. The wants of this age, so marvelloudy intelligent in thought, word, and deed, may even really or fancifully require a revision of the old book. The present translation may be faulty, the style of language inadequate to the full expression of the original sense. All this I admit, and would gladly wish success to any men of learning, talent, and decided piety, who would co-operate for the correction of error, and an unfettered delineation of truth. Any efforts put forth for the dissemination of the pure light of knowledge among the people must be "laudable in the undertakings" But let it be something high and seraphlike in its teaching, hovering in purity and holiness over the spirits of men j not wormlike in its nature, creeping only among the dust.

Now, whether to desire a new translation of the Bible, or to rest content with the old one, is with me no vexed question. But to concede with your correspondent in his desire of blotting out some of the parts of that boqlr, should admit 'of no parley from any implicit 'believer in the inspired truths of Divine revelation. Concession here ?—never. What ? Shall the frivolities of scepticism give falsehood to the testimony of the Highest ? Shall it assign a limit to the Power which fills immensity ? Are the Scriptures to be trimmed and cut into such shapes as shall best suit the tastes and divers strange devices of men's imaginations, until we are presented with a skeleton, or at best a spiritless nondescript? While some may desire the subtraction of particular " passages " from the graphic history of facts recorded by one of the sacred writers, and the obliteration of those peculiarly distasteful denunciations of plagues that form a part of the finale of the whole; others, with equally qualified judgment, may consider an addition as absolutely necessary to meet the exigencies of their own case. The pen of ■Inspiration, dictated by the foresight alone belonging to Creative Wisdom, has written with very determined emphasis the irretrievable doom of these itinerant arithmeticians.

It may be possible for mere human invention to compile.a volume divested of every sentence of the retributive justice of an offended Deity. The literal signification of terms may be contorted into a thousand figures, rendered so completely ridiculous by their fertile speculations common sense disdains the, reception. Nevertheless, the infallibility of One who was, before a star walked through the azure depth of heaven, or earth had risen in beauty to rejoice in its light ;—even from Him hath the sentence gone forth—" These shall pass, away, but my word shall not." Wonderful age this in which we live. How rapidly the world and the things in it move on 1 What extensive improvements are being made! What a revision and restoration of everything except consciences! What * bol_ speculations on things that perish in the using! What marvellous intelligence ! What logical inferences on everything excepting eternal realities! It is trne there are immense, advances 'in every department of industry, tangible progression in every work of art, a large diffusion of mental and .moral culture over the broad surface of general society. The rights of men are respected, intelligence receives its due honour, and the triumphal achievements of human thought stand out in bold relief amid these happy combinations of social policy. Serfdom is become all but obsolete, and the people stand on the open free ground of independent action, " none daring to make them afraid."

And what has brought about this state of things ? Of-all • the influences that have been used for the reformation of general character, for the attainment of a widespread civilisation, there is nothing dhfetly or indirectly that can at all compete with the increasing circulation of those glorious truths contained in the sacred volume, which alone form the basis of every good, calculated to enhance the tone of human morals. Well did the poet speak of this—

" Book! this holy book on every line Marked with the seal of high divinity— On every ieaf bedewed with drops of love This ray of sacred light. This lamp from off the everlasting throne, Mercy brought down, and in the night of Time Stands casting on the dark her gracious brow, And evermore beseeching men with tears And earnest sighs, to read, believe, and live."

No gloomy mysticisms bere.as to the things belonging to our peace, unless men choose to make it themselves. "The same .yesterday, to-day, and for ever/, is the inflexible motto, of life-giv-

———————^ — ' ing truth. Noroisit to be supposed that it will; permit itself to be shorn of any single item of strength in order to meet'the fancies of any age: in entire harmony with all that is lovely, legiti--mate and true—itself the beautiful type of perfection—there is nothing wanting, nothing superfluous. Fallible reason may reject it, or try to modify its stern orthodoxy; to smooth down some of its roughness, or file. off.the" sharp angles that are particularly objectionable— " but all to no purpose. To render it ihus agreeable is but to make it like one of the creatures existing in the animal world, which, when it loses its sting, dies. Trusting that' if we are to be presented with a new edition of the Bible, its " doctrines, corrections, instructions, and reproofs " may be brought out.with the full force : and native impress of their Divine originality,. I am, yours &c, AZILE. . , Nelson, January 16th.

To the Editor of the Colonist, Sir,-—ln looking over the pages of the London Literary Journal I came across the following" extracts from a publication entitled the Protoplast, in which the author says—

"In common with many others, my mind has' often reverted to the Protoplast, the first form, ortypical mould of the things with which our thoughts are now familiarised; and it is this which I propose to study in the succeeding pages. I shall ask my; readers to consider with me the earliest records given in Scripture of * the things that are,' and to; trace their origin as there described. My hope is that we may thus be led to see a little, a very;;. little, of the glpry of the Alpha* as it stands among the hieroglyphs of God." The author is strongly of opinion that, even in matters of mere scientific enquiry, the Scriptures are our safest guide, and that what we find therein contained ' must he thefoundation of all our superstructure pf earthly knowledge. The Scripture,' he goes on to observe, 'is not a compendium of science,; but he who- , looks for scientific Truth, without the ever-bumihg,-lamp of Revelation in, his hand, will labor in vain,; and wander iii darkness/ Oh this wemust'bb--servethat, with every wish to harmonise the relations between religion and,science, we see a danger in pressing the authority of the Scriptures, 'as some" delight in doing, on any and every occasion that > involves scientific investigation.' In the hands of: inexperienced writers the danger is, of course, | always greater ; and thus it is that the zealot of tent' inflicts as serious an injury upon the cause of religion as the avowed infidel. The writer of these' ; pages is not happily; neither is he without a fair acquaintance with the results of modern,, scientific research. Still we think that he Tak» sometimes gone beyond his' depth, and ventured: upon subjects to which neither his genius .nor attainments are at all equal. The idea of this work, however, is, at all events,, original, notwith-. standing any errors of shortcomings in its tion. It is interesting to contemplate the first ap- ! pearance of everything. There was a time when printing was not, when steam-boats were not, when railways and electric telegraphs were not; and we' are fond of tracing these discoveries to their, source, and seek to become acquainted with all the circumstances connected • with them. But there was a time, also, according to Holy Writ, when man himself, the inventor, was not; and when that matter, out of which he has wrought so many ( wonderful and- glorious works, did not exist; there * was a time when the world was without sin, and without a curse, and without death, and the writer accordingly invites us to meditate upon the estrange and mysterious first appearance of these and many other things."

It will be seen that the critic in his remarks upon that part of the work in which the author states it as his opinion that " even in matters of mere scientific inquiry, .the Scriptures are our •safest guide," observes that, " with every wish to harmonize the relations between religion and science, we see a danger in pressing the authority of the Scriptures, £s some delight in ,ion any and every occasion that involves scientific education." I will here only remark, that the critic would seem to wish that his ipse dixit. should be taken as the bounds between which the relations between religion and science shouldbe confined. One object I have in requesting your insertion of the foregoing, is to show some of your readers that I am not the only one who, contends for the relationship of science and re-" ligion (so called) that is the Scriptures, the extent of which I yet hope some day to explain and elucidate.

I am yours, &o„ SENEX ALBUS