THE CLERGY AND THE SCHOOLS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4763, 2 October 1893, Page 1

THE CLERGY AND THE SCHOOLS.

[by ABCANIUS.] I hope the meeting last Thursday after- : noon and the late extension of the franchise had no causal connection. . It is however, a curious coincidence, tbat immediately that news reaches us we are threatened with afresh agitation for the Bible in schools. A good many years ago the then elective body made up its mind on thia question, and it has shown no signs cf haying altered its decision. The clergy themselveß, it. would seem, have felt the crusade hopeless, and have let the' case go by default. Provided the new electors understand— as I feel sure they quickly will— the true nature of the questions at issue, I see no reason, why the prospect should now be materially altered. There was a time when religion was a great factor in politics; it made and unmade princes, it threw nations afc each' Other's throats, it dictated policy at Home and abroad. That time passed a good while ago, but there is still & notion requite exploded ot a certain organic connestien between Church and State. No^ this is sn idea that is, altogether oppo ; -._ tothe Bpirit of modern democracy. VV.taoafc discussing, the question as to wheth. r tne influence of religion in politics has been beneficial or the reverse, it is sufficient that the idea of religion doeß not enter .the modern conception of the St.te. The State is an aggregate of individuals viewed in their economic relatione. It is the function of the State to watch those relations in order that there may remain to each individual the maximum of freedom consistent- with the liberty of the rest. Thiß, in its various ramifications, is the sole function of the State. It is not the function of the State to consider possible relations between individuals and a Deity such a? are connoted by religion. When, therefore, the framera of the .' present Act rigidly excluded the teach-. . ing of religion from the educational : system, they acted with logical regard to the duties of the State, and their position is the only one economically defensible. Bub we are now asked to introduce into the school curriculum a text-book of religion. ' Our Byllabus is already overcrowded and .; can scarcely be got through . in tho .time available ; but we are asked to curtail that time and to heapf urther burdens on an over- ' laden Byllabus. I have pointed out that in. diverting revenue to aid religion we w oald be acting contrary to all the dicta of State < economics, but I will look at the3e proposals in their practical bearing. I. imagine such a text book as proposed ! would be absolutely useless wi hout inter- . pretation. Scripture teaching, where prevalent, generally resolves itself into getting up so many pages cf sacred history, or learning half a chapter by rote. As to the first, I fail to see that the tricky caballing of the Jews is any more edifying ; than the vagaries of the fickle Greeks ; as to the second, it becomes a mere matter of ■ memory — the ethical results are nil. In my ' own experience, it was the naughtiest boya J ■who had " Scripture " off most pat j and I ' have yet to learn that those secondary schools where Divinity is taught have a higher "tone "than those where it is absent. If, on the other hand, it is attempted to replace these, dry bones of divinity by some inculcation of ethical doctrine we are on dangerous ground. As one reverend gentleman remarked, " the teachers must be men who could teach by word of mouth the principles of Christianity." If no teacher is to teach till he has signed the Thirtynine Articles we may expect a repetition of the exodus of non-juror*. Tbat the clerical mind is capable of such a suggestion is curiously indicative of its non-pro-gressive character. But if the teacher, after taking this new rdle, is to be allowed the right of private interpretation, I tremble for the results. Even after a process of rigid selection our text books will hardly be free from reference to the Creation, the Fall, the Atonement, the Punishment of Sin, and Miracles. Any one of these will afford whole barrier reefs of interprefcary rocks to : sink the new theological craft. And when the private individual touches these fundamental elements we have Tom rigidly orthodox on the question of eternal torment* his brother Dick, in the next standard, imbibing the destructionist view of miracles, and enlivening the dinner table with Huxley ite jokes regarding swine and deluges j while Harry, in the sixth, goes mad with the latest craze of pseud o - philosophy. Eeligion is in a somewhat transitory and chaotic condition. It will be time for its exponents to come to us when they are agreed in their exposition; Until then, at any rate, I am uncompromisingly against any attempt at State religion. Nor do I think the strictures of several speakers on the present system justified by the fads. Education, of course, should produce citizens with a well-developed moral sense and a high ethical standard, and the present system does this as well as the innate depravity of human, nature "will allow. Our schools teem with morality; ethics are taught better by example than precept; good conduct is more likely to be got by keeping a high standard before the children in parents and teachers, than by compelling them to learn by' heart Pa3tor Birch's catechism up to date. It is, of course, open to the clergy to supplement this indirect moral teaching; they are welcome to the use of the school-build-ings after hours, but how many of them ever entered a class room, this great opportunity is thrown away; and yet they ask ns to force the teachers tp take up this extra work that in all conscience should be their own. But- after all, I venture to think that school iB not the proper place even for moral teaching. The responsibility \of parentage seems now only too readily forgotten ; but if any duty yet pertains to motherhood it is the training of her child. If we had less agitation, less meetings devotional or aggressive, more home life, better examples, closer watching as the boy forms habits that will make or mar the man,' we should hear less of the degeneracy of our yorith : and the cry oE religion sgainst godless education need be heard no more.