The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. NEW PLYMOUTH, APRIL 25,1868.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 822, 25 April 1868, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. NEW PLYMOUTH, APRIL 25, 1868.

T#ere' is "a v qii«stfo'n-'<now" beforo th'c Provincial Couneil~\vhich will tax its bpst ability in order i to effect' a" satisfactory •solution, viz.j a Ryste'm of education suii;ed. feo the -.yaut3 oi' tho community. W fch" regard t<s this qriesbibnMri the a-Bstract, ivc '■do not suppose tliat Uiero are a great many bqrsons who are- disposer! to ! 'de'tfy_ (its advantages /oi'. Ali'. closes of society, or thas th,Q ifavjuiers- of TaranakiFfJik^^ijl^ap [of Norfolk — cohsideV tli at .education "ij jail humbug, an^jifls boen' carried) f^V. ; onongh in. rm'al disfcrß^, and .would openly vbto' against furthei^fegiplation on matter, | prargue^hat children prefer to; labpjir i in I the fields and therefore ougbj; not to bo (Sent, to school. This conclusion wopld seem to havo been the result of -.an. unavowed opinion that the education ,6f agU ; ft;ii4turariftli<3Urers? ohildren '-Avbuld ibe found ultimately incompatible with labo|ur t ai*ytent pdr^weok, and'th^t?. |no persons would bo rfpund; to pdrl^Mt^ iho .drudgery and -.tlisngree.ab.le .p^,vt,;cff:agricultural operations. This if} not found i to' bo f the-p«a4tical result ©f universal od.ucat|on in Ainerjca, Scotland, or Prussia.,", \ln the tbrmer country it has no doubt "made rind i3..jtnak4ngj tpany of tho. opefcitfpns : of^ agriculture ;h3sg laborious, transferring fclio* more muscnlar part to the beastsrof btordan ; there ij; h; np/ s ,ii)iusual ri cii'cunistanco tfor: farmers' children, even girls, to assist; in, operations'dn-th^lieid during-bnsyaeasojis, but not to. undtrgo, muscular faijigue> tut 111 1 :> bo soa'tea driving thp p|ouglj, i^i]ier, &c, in the same inaunei' that an English

I young huly drive* her plirioton'^- Tbismtfy' ! bo considered one of th« threat' triumphs of mind over mallei' jipp'lied "to agriculture, wliich tho intelligent Americans ;&o constantly achieving- tyul wlii&h ltou'st ; bo attributed to their superior "Educational stains. '•<-.. Talcing it for granted that all children "sTiouTtnrt)" taught; nT'lfnst the elements' "of education, tlic question arises as to tho best ' modo of effecting it. It will perhaps assist „u s in.-lbriiiing.our- minds if .we wilLoxaniine,. the modes adopted ia other countries to effect the object. In England tho denominational system is tho means adopted, by tho State — that is by grants of money' to scuools_- - cstabliahod by the various religious bodies, a"n&&s a rule in proportion", to their .own.. contributions. .r.ThC State appoints inspectors approved of by tho various bodies, thoy jridrely- report oiv the. condition of tbo schbola receiving-" aid? but liavo no power to interfere in- the" management.' * ' It is -in fact State-aid in' support; of tho voluntary efforts of the various rcligipus bodies "to provide education according. to" their respective systems for , tho children of their flocks ; leaving a vast body of childron without the sphero of their operation^ who receive 1 ho education whatever, which 'is cftlc'u'lated to fit them ifor 1 performing their duties as citizens. . „-- l Avo«amyjeuakA,i)iott6r^Btato of things, „ there „a .school.- must :be established' in'cvbry parisfr, khd a rate is levied 011 the. landed property to maintain it') this is the oxtail p£. state interference, the ratepayers having entire control of the details. The result of this system is that the Scotch ' people are ' 'second to none in, .intelligence, morality ,~and f iailußtry. In America the system is as follows;— -" whoro fifty houses spring"! up they constitute -a-tdwnsliip',' and it' becomes" the duty<of the inhabitants to "elect their " select men."Their : cjuty (amptig others) is to, call a 'meeting 6f'tho_ townsmen to establish >a ,schopl;. that decides .pn ;> a site, appoints a master, levies a rate within the township to build the school, and pay the ' master's salary,- and.determine the course of instruction' to be "given ; no. authority ibeyond tho' limits of the . township can' interfere in- any way. It is bound to conform to no rules but those it may} impose upon itself. If no school is established, tho township is liable to be indicted. f Tho result of this system has been veryfc&grcat,- scarcely any .born •Americana' can be found' who cannot read and wrifco, .full- .one in four- of , the whole population go to school. -.' : ..; :Tho" Prussian system: is, -diametrically* opposed to . thoso above enumerated, it is a contral one under the enfjire management- of the State;... nnder it ■attendance ..at :•' school " is compulsory, and tho result, as far. as ordinary' school odiacatibn.is. concerned, is a success. Uirtlor tho Scotch, Amei'ican, or Prussian system, tho result is that tho whole-of the children arc instructed in* the elements of oducation/bnt'how -infinitely, superior is' the American system, -for a • free people there is shown tho successful development of free ' institutions • in local voluntary ratirig'-for educational purposes. " Education ■' 'plus the •policeman may be tho einbodyment,.of progress under a mild system of despotism, but' it is one totally at variance with a system of representative Government.. ,_. In tho New England States of America ■ the'seetriftp ■systettr--raH;he^Trae w «»itepted in tho public schqojsi arid we do not supposo thero-is a more religious people in tho f wbrlcl fclian^h'e descendouts of : ihe-pilgrirn fathers. Their towns. and villages literally bristlo with' gteeplps, and they iiavo more church' • 'accommoflfition ' ' than England, which fosters tho denominational system. Wo have how bofbre'-us'the' report of an Education' Commission appointed ' here in '1867, and also the roport of a Commission appointed in Wellington in 185d>, which wo havo djgen.totnbed"; from a mass of they lay forgotton.' Singular.,, to .state, the Bijfc which ismow bo fore the Council might have been specially drafted, to meet, the recommen-dations,.->of* ,sb;e,si) r .repprts, though we questipu,if- the^uthors ever perused them. Tho Wellington Commission recommend that no Government aid should be given, except to one-system of- schools. "T,hat no religious institution should, be " allowed in schools, except that sanctioned "bysthe school books published by the, ." Irish Board of Education.- That children " bo allowed to attend one day per week to :"■: "■ ueceive^Bp'edal -religioa&instrtrofciou from " Hie ministers of the several denomina"'tio'ns elsewhere 'than at' school. • That "local rates; be authorised to be raiseil by " act of Council, to assist in the establish- " ment of schools." , • \ ■ > '"These are the chief features of the result jof '.'.the Wellington Commission, With regard to our > own . .Commission they roport :—: — - Government aid bo given "joiilji to-one system bf -schools. | Qphflt the "grants given by .the" Government snonld " be in proportion to the amounts raised by " the inhabitants 'for school pnrposes. That ," reljgiqu>;instr.uction by Jay teachers be "restricted to a daily repetition of the "Lord's, prayer, and to the reading of " selections from the scriptures, appointed " by, tjhe Bpardipf public, instruction. That " one^day'a we*ek ; ,be set apart, jfor special '^I'cligibiis instruction .by Ministe/I Jof "Religion of the varions'denominatidns.jat 1 "♦'sttfted^ h'6urs to children .of thfeir " respective sects. That the scliools ?be " under the! / control Oof a Board fof "Education." - - _ _(„. .. ? '^"KTbe-report as'the » very" 'briefest ontl jne of a systom of v edncatiol/, and suggests jnjcL scheuio'by which- "the local contributions-iftrd-ite^feQ-raisd'd. ; . Tho Bill which the jGorarnment has' sent down qua which proposos to localise education Vf asysieni of rates voluntarily iinpospd by the householders of; » tho educational district who require school aeeommoda^iqn,, ..and on the , district agreeing to do tins, the Board of Education confriGutes a* sum in ad in proportion' to ho funds which they have got in hand.

-Tho chief control of tho school is in tho hands of tho local committee elected by tho ratepayers ; as regards religious instruction it, is proposed to be givou at certain hours «|wu:e a week, in order that tho children of who object to it may absent themselves during that time. As tho levying of tho rate is entirely voluntary, wo fear 'tli'at u'nTosT'al^ffbTft'is'ftiaae" by tlroTlioro public spirited men of t^q* rural districts, it will not bo generally operativo ; yet- wo . cannot - see - oojc-w.ay ., clear. . to a compulsory into. It. 'is not the timo to impose fresh taxos, even' Tor educational E'Pps|S,.butJtjn.ua.t r ijltiinately come to fT,*and 'this'Bilf inaypreparo the Nvay. If an educational ' district can bo found Lwldcll so. eatfitestly;d,eStresths establishTnenfc of schoola as... to, levy a. rate to assist in their maintenance, it will be a great step in the right direction, but tho 'desh&.for education ,goherally f 'must . spread more among tho people before they would freely submit to a rate for that purposo^ .yet it is only bySaV"sy.fiteiin df- Idcat rating that a national system • . of schools can bo established; -which will . work wi}»h QUk present, fiystera of representative Govern^ ment. A central systom of education, aud a local administratiqn ,of other matters of Government,; ..cannot long work harmoniously, but would sooner or later come into collision to tho injury of both.