CORRESPONDENCE. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.

Colonist, Volume XIII, Issue 1291, 8 February 1870, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.

To the Editor of The Oolonist. Sib,—Will you oblige me by inserting the following correspondence? Yours faithfully, A. B. Nelson. Nehon, February 7,1870. "To the Chairman of the Central Boabd of Education, Province of Nelson. " Sib,—At the late meeting ofthe members ofthe Synod ofthe Church 6fEngland in the Diocese of Nelson, it was stated, as the result of careful inquiry, that in a large majority of our Provincial Schools no scriptural instruction was given, and that many Local Committees. , and Teachers believed all such instruction to be forbidden hy the Education Act. On reference to the

that the only ..Umitationa-prejicrjbed were: first, that such instruction should"nbt be Of a, controversial nattfre; "and/-secolidl^^thst^t^hwuld^be given at such timesi as Would !aUo*# all; parents who objreted to withdraw their children: - -' '-"'■■

" The Synod; therefore,; unanimously' resolved to • address your Board on the * subject, inthe hype that ydu would assist them in removing the prevalent misapprehensions *as to the; powers of the Local Committees in this respect: • ■*' ■"•■' "' "In accordance with this^resolution we address you, and we do so with the greater confidence in that we have no wish or'intention to interfere with the fair working of the Education* Act, or to call for any modification of its principles. "In the report of the Cod-trlission on Education oh which tlie Act was based, and of whose recommendation it was intended to be-^he practical result, we find one ofthe resolutions affirming it to be our duty and interest to make "such arrangements asmay promote secular without discouraging religious teaching, and further defining and restricting that religious teaching within certain, limits. yln place it is laid ' down that' any education deserving at all of the name must include moral as w.eUa& intellectual training, and that this moral teaching can only be effectually given with reference.to some standard of right and, wrong, which in UliCh^fmn..'.wuntfießJ's,tbe Bible;' and they quotp the. opinion i pjf.!,Dr.,','A,rpoid that, "as a matter of common sense, and without entering into the religious, question, a .knowledge;of the Christian Scriptures 'must. forta a (part lof the nierely intellectual education of all persQnsji^ "Christian. pountries!' We think, therefon., thatfnolrfljasori^ble'doubt can exist is to the principles which guided the, framers of the Act. We, believe that nq.judicious or right-minded teacher would feel, the , I^'t .difficulty/in selecting such parts of Scripture as/-were,.suited to*tlieir pupils' cotopreherision, tree, frpm, apy^ danger of being misapplied ( fo/pa#^^^^ believe also that the, great jjo^ylof phriptjansip th^ Colony, of all denominations, are much more disposed to set a high value upon the .great truths .which they hold in common, and to! ( cultivi-l» '.the kindly feelings which naturally flow from such an accordance, than to exaggerate and embitter the,difFerencesof opinion, which are still obstacles to a closer union; that we ;__iay rely upon .their 'sympathy, and, incase of need, count upon, their, support in furthering the present application, yWe do not oeUeve'that public opinion is generally adverse to the views we have put forward; and; it will not be until we have decisive proofs to the contrary ,that we' shall relinquish the hope of finding inthe Nelsou Boheme of education a powerful means of promoting, both the moral and intellectual culture of the whole of .th^-^nJ^nnity. We therefore request that; the,. Central Board will,take such steps as to it, may seem desirable, hy resolution, by instruction to their. Inspector, ,or in BU°h- other manner as may remove the misunderstanding which at present exists as to. the power of the Local Committees in regard to the particular point 'to which we have referred, and that the Local Committees may be informed of the readiness of the Inspector to examine in this as well as in any other branches of instruction so long as:it is given inaccordance with the Act. "Signed on behalf ofthe Standing Committee of the Synod,, y X "A. B. Nelson, Chairman. " January 24th, 1870." ( "The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop oe Nelson, ! Chairman of tbe Standing Committee of the Synod Of the Church of England. I" Mr Lord, —In reply to your letter of January i 24th, calling upon the Central Board to take such I steps as may seem to it desirable to remove the misunderstanding that at present exists as to the power of the Local Committees of Education to permit religious jinstruction to be given in the Provincial Schools, I ain instructed to state " that the Central Board have reason to believe that the several Local Committee of Education are already aware of the nature of the duties entrusted to them, the Board having, with this view, taken care to supply them, from time to time, with copies of the Education Act; and that so long «s the Local Committees keep within the powers given them by those Acts (aoiong which is the general control of education within their respective districts), the Central Board will pursue the same system of non-interference as htherto." ".I have the honor to be, " Your Lordship's obedient servant, "W.C.Hodgson, " SecretaryJCentral Board of Education. " Nelson, February 4th, 1870."