CORRESPONDENCE.

Colonist, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7774, 30 October 1893, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Colonist.

Sir,— A letter appeared in yonr inane of Saturday, signed « Seoular Edaoation " on tne snbjeot of religious eduoation in the Stats schools, and as the letter was one oaloulated to mislead on some points, I should be glafl of a short Bpaoe in your columns to reply to it—not in any controversial spirit, bat in order to help if possible to the notation of a question which is not without many difficulties, but which we ought to beprepared to taoe resolutely and without prejudioe. The statements in the letter signed " Seoular Edu- ??\ 10 2 i!' mtty be BUmn aed np under two heads* (I.) That those discontented with the present Seoular syelsm cannot agree among them" selves upon a text book of Soripture lessons, since each denomination wishes its own religious dogmas taught; in short, to return toDenominationalistn. (2.) That the present Standard, lesson books contain sufficient religious inßtrnotion for the State to teach. In reply io the, first point, it must be patent to very many thai there is a growing feeling, not only in Saw Zealand but also in Victoria, that some kind of religious inßtrudtion should be given flaring eohbol hours to those children m the State' schools whose parents wiehit. The difficulty has, naturally been to settle upon some system which should meet the wishes of all, without wounding the feelings of any, and when it is considered that no feel, ings are so deep as religious feelings, it need hardly be wondered at that this difficulty has been a very real one. Your correspondent baa evidently failed to guage the aims of those who have been desirous of seeing some ohange, when he implies that the real aim has been an attempt to return to Denominahonalism. This only applies, I believe, to « small minority; the majority of those who wish for a ohange have no desire to interfere with the present undenominational system^ The difficulty of arrivingat some common basis is gradually disappearing, and there is every prospect of Borne uniform soheme. being adopted, with which most of those interested will heartily co-operate. An Association has been formed in Ohristohuroh with the Bishop of Ohristohuroh as President, and the Rev, Dr Elmslie (Presbyterian) and the Rev. H.R, Dewsbury (Wesleyan) Vice-Presidents, including representatives of almost every section of the Christian Church. They have unanimously agreed to adopt the text books of the, Irißh National Society, which were reoommended by the entire Board of Commissioners of Edaoation in Ireland (inoluding amongst its members the Roman Catholic Arohbishop, the Anglican Arohbishop, and the Moderator and other clergymen of the Presbyterian; Church of Ireland), who, Catholic and Protestant alike, agreed that there Bhould be the reading of the simple Soripture lessons qutta apart from the dogmatic teaching of ths Churches. These same text books have been adopted by an association in Auokland! similar to that in Ghristohureh, and will, not unlikely be adopted by the Nelson Association. With regard to the second point in your correspondent's letter, it is quite trua that the present Standard, reading books contain some good moral instruction, but they can hardly be said to contain religious instruction as such. A few indirect references to religion iq a reading book Can' hardly be called religious instruction, any more than a few casual- references to- foreign countries could be called geographical instruction. Wa are thankful that the tone oHhe books now in use is so good, ; and: no^ like that of the. school books now in use in the Frenoh State schools; out of which the very name of God has been expunged. This example I do not believe New Zealand would ever dream of following. At the same.time, so far from the reading books'giving any definite religious teaching, we know well that children whs have passed through the various Standards are ignorant of the most elementary principles, of religious knowledge, unless they have been provided in some other way, and in a large number of cases the circumstances render it impossible for this to be done. Surely if the State thinks it its duty to provide education for its children, and to take them under its charge, it ought to give every facility for the very foundation of true education to be laid* and we have not yet outlived the truth of thes old statement " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."

Yours, &o, F. W. Chamebton.