THE TOKOMAIRIRO GRAMMAR SCHOOL ENQUIRY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 43, 21 February 1874, Page 9

THE TOKOMAIRIRO GRAMMAR SCHOOL ENQUIRY.

We have received the official- report of this enquiry. We attain, at leait for the present, from making any remarks thereon, thmfang^ enough <o publish the evidence of the late head master, Mr David Ross No remarks ef ours could damage the system more than his eTlde M?^8 S , having been sworn, said: lam head master of the Grammar School, at Tokomairiro. Michael Curran was at ™J*™™ during the third and fourth quarters of 1872 .fr0m abou Juiy to Christmas. Ido not remember particularly the boy Michael coming to the school. I do not remember hia coming to the school, but 1 think Michael Curran's father met me somewhere and "ked me about the fees. I cannot state positively what class Michael Curran was put into when he first came to the school, but I know that during the last quarter he was at the school he was in the Junior Reader class, which is taught by Mr M'lntyre. I taught this class, along with the other Sassesthe* seniors, the Bible lesson each day from half-past nine to ten o'clock. I noticed Michael Curran in the class when I gave it the B?ble lessons in the mornings. The Bible lesson consists of sometimes my reading a portion of the Bible, and sometimes the pupils reading a portion of the Bible, including boys and girls ; sometimes a chapter of the Bible is given out, and the scholars are questioned on it, without reading; and sometimes sacred geography istaugh, which .aeludes that of the Old and New Testament. I sometimes asked SLI Curran an historical or geographical questi on bu £ ™^° backward that I hardly or ever got an answer. I do not remember Sy one single instance in which Michael Curran read the Bible » m the okL This was partly because he was so backward m Ins reading, and partly because PIP I did not know whether he was a Catholic or not I never remember asking Michael Curran to read the Bible in the GlasT The Bible class which I have been describing is held m Mr M'lntyre's room, because it is a larger room than my class room. On one or wo occasions I remember Mr M'lntyre asking me to come and Z °if I thought that Michael Curran and another boy were capable of T* tinning in his- class. lam in the habit of inflict ing r corporal pumsh. ment upon the pupils when necessary, administered with a strap or eaS, generally upon the hands or across the fingers or legs, but I Sver remember a single instance when I flogged a pupil across the back I never remember punishing the boy Curran, but I cannot swear positively that I never did. I swear positively I never punished the boy Curran in connection with the Bible class. I mean that I never punished Curran lor his lessons or exercises in the Bible class. I positively swear I never punished Michael Curran for not being in time for the Bible class/ I do not remember that I ever punished Curran for not, being at school before ten o'clock. I cannot positively swear that I did not. I did not know at the time that the boy was a Catholic, but I suspected that he was a Catholic, and that v the reason why I did not punish him if he did not come to toe school before ten o'clock I cannot remember Michael Curran being absent from the Bible class, but he may have been absent without my rememberxne Ide not remember any particular case m which the boy Carran was' absent from the Bible class. It is pos Sl ble that I might have punished Carran for some misdemeanour committed in school during the day Every teacher punishes the pupils in his own class. Ido rot remember ever haung pumshed Curran far any reason. It was shortly nfter Curran was put into the Junior Reader that Mr M'lntyre called mc to see whether he should be put back. I do not remember whether Curran was at the Bible class during the first quarter he was at school Neither Curran's father or mother ever told me that Michael was a Roman Catholic. I asked some parties m connection with the school what religion Currau was of. I wish to correct this statement • I do Dot confine it to parties in connection with the school; 1 mar have asked some one else. My first idea was that Michael Curran mi«ht belong to the Church of England ; upon farther mquiry some persons told me they thought he was a Roman Catholic. Ihis was some short time aft r Curran came to the school. Ido not remember ever asking any Roman Catholic if Curran was a Catholic. I did not consider it as a part of my duty to ask Curran s father or any of his family whether Michael was a Roman Catholic. I never asked Michael Curran if he was a Roman Catholic ; I did not consider it as a part of my duty to ask him either publicly or privately what his religion was.' I did not think it was a part of my duty to ask him whether he was a ltoman Catholic, or of any other religion. 1 received instructions from the Board of Education with reference to the Bible lesson am! religious instruction in school, which I produce. 1 put up a notice in the school when I received the instructions. lat the same time received the same instructions from the School Committee on the same subject. Those instructions contained directions to placard publicly in all the rooms in the school the time of Bible or religious tuition I was also instructed to make public to the children the hour of Bible instruction, r.nd its being optional for the pupils to attend at that time. 1 was also instructed to discontinue the use of the Shorter Catechism in the schuol. Ido not remember anything else particulary contained in the instructions. As far as I recollect I received the instructions about May 1872 I remember receiving a circular some two years ago containing questions to be answered, but do not remember tlieir nature, nor the answers that I returned to them. I may have returned tie nnswei- appearing under my name, to question No. 3 of questions forwarded to schoolmasters by the Select Committee of Provincial Council, as appearing in Appendix to Votes and Proceedings, Ses. XXIX, 1871, pp. 91 and 93, and am willing to accept the responsibility of it. I have acted upon it since I gave the answer referred to. After I received the instructions from the Education Board I stopped teaching the Shorter Catechism. I stated generally to the school, if your parents object to your attending the Bible class I do not foi cc it, only bring mo a note from them to that effect and you will be exempt. Besides, those whom I knew to be Catholics I took

privately aside and told them, that if their parents or guardians did no wish them to attend at the Biblo class, that I did not. I remember especially speaking to Michael Curran. 1 said does your father know you attend the Biblo class here ? So far as I remember his answer wus, "I don't know— l think so." I then eaid to him, will you tell your father from me, if he wishes you to attend, I dare not object ; but if he does not, I do not ask you. The notices were up on the walla at this time. There is not the smallest foundation for the statement reported by Mrs M'Farlane to have been made to her by Minnie Curran ; it is a fabrication from beginning to end. Curran's father met me in the street with another party, and asked me if I had heard the report about his son having been beaten. I said I had ; and II 11I 1 now understand his son to be the boy in question. Curran did not ask me if the report was true. Curran himself said the report was not true, t know, as a rule, the Roman Catholics object to being present at the reading of the Protestant Bible. Although Michael Curran was in the Bible class, I never remember asking him to read tho Bible, or not to read the Bible. Mr M'lntyre never made any remoustrance with me about beating the boy, Miohael Curran, for anything. At the time Michael Curran was at my school, there were three other Catholic children there— two boys and a girl; the girl a junior, who did not attend my class at all. I consider that sending a message by the children to the parents is complying with the instruction to tako care that both parents and children be informed that attendance at Bible and religious instruction is optional.