SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1874 SECULAR EDUCATION—AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 61, 27 June 1874, Page 5

SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 1874 SECULAR EDUCATION— AUCKLAND.

As will te seen from the report of the closing scenes of the late Provincial Council of Auckland, it is clear that this Province ia unable to provide even secular education for ,her own children. The work is beyond her present resources. Auckland has very little land revenue, and the proceeds of the customs are all absorbed -by the requirements of the General Government. Under these circum•tances the Provincial Government, bent on purely Becular education, has no alternative but to fall back on direct taxation for educational purposes. Those who at considerable expense educate their own children, as also those who }ka,ye no children to educate* are compelled to pay a tax in

order that Mculftritsta may be enabled to ride their hobby. This is not fair. < It is not very easy to see why people who pay for the education of their own children, such as denominationalitti, should be compelled to pay for the schooling of the children of people who are unwilling to undertake the expense of their education. Again, it is difficult to appreciate the wisdom of forcing unmarried men to provide education for other people's children. But, it will be said, the good of the community i« the justification of these seeming anomalies. This, however, amounts to saying that people, who do their duty, are for that very reason, to be compelled to pay the penalty of the neglect of their neighbours. Secularists run counter to the demands of justice, they advocate a system which in effect imposes a double tax on those who faithfully discharge their duty, and permits the neglectful to go comparatively free. Secularism holds out a premium for negligence and disregard of duty, and makes adherence to duty and conscience penal. Such is the new enlightenment of this most hypocritical age. DenominationaUsts establish and maintain their own schools at great sacrifices and expense, and are then forced by secularists to add .^to their already heavy burdens, large contributions for the maintenance of secular schools for the children of men who are unwilling to bear their own natural burdens. We should not be at all surprised to hear of a motion made by secularists to the effect — that all children attending secular schools should be provided with books, stationary, clothing, and lunch, at the public expense. If the public good, public morality, the progress of society, and the peace and industry of the community all depend on merely secular education, and that, consequently, the community at large must provide for all the three R's. there is an easy transition to the argument, that as this essentially moral education of reading, writing, and arithmetic ! can not be had without books, paper, ink, clothing, and food, the community is bound to provide these as well as the mere education itself for all comers. Logically, this mode of argumentation would be correct and irresistible. To what are we drifting ? But what is most extraordinary is that the Auckland secularists, who acknowledge the impossibility of raising by any practicable mode of taxation, the funds necessary to provide an adequate number of Government schools, art nevertheless determined to ruin the already existing schools by withholding from them all aid from public money, and compelling denominationalists to contribute to the upholding of secular schools equally with those who can, and do, avail themselves of them.

The rational course to pursue, above all, by those who are at their wits end for money for Provincial purposes, would be to encourage and assist the established denominational schools, which are doing such good work in and about Auckland, or at least to exempt from school taxation those who so generously and nobly maintain them, instead of wringing money from the people to set up an antagonistic system to crush them. This is certainly the course that would recommend itself to men really anxious for the education of the people- But we do not believe that secularists are really anxious for the education of mankind, unless, indeed, it be that sort of education which ignores God, and man's duty to his Creator and Judge. Nor caa we believe secularists to be genuine friends of the peace, order, and stability of even civil society. Secular education ignores the only sanctions powerful enough to secure these — the sanctions supplied by religion. The Auckland secularists despairing of being able to procure in their own Province the funds necessary to maintain fully their pet system of education are, it would seem, about to appeal to the General Government to provide the balance. This means, of course, that denominationalists, throughout the other Pravinces, who are already unjustly burdened for the support of secular schools, shall have their burden increased to provide secular schools for Auckland. "We naturally say this is too bad. It is an outrage to call on us to help to crush the denominational schools of that Province. It was bad enough to compel us to help to ruin our own schools, but it is perfectly monstrous to ask us in addition to contribute to the. ruin of our neighbours schools. But Auckland is in a fix. Secular education, as it is called, proves to be very expensive : the necessary funds are not forthcoming ; there is no large land estate to draw upon as in Otago and Canterbury ; and the secular statesmen — bless the mark — see no way out of their difficulty,

except in a raid oil the, purses of? colonists generally. Truly they are in a fix.; but the day; is hot far distent when tfcey shaft, have companions in misfortune. Otago and Canterbury cannot hate a large land ,esfcata to «sdl>on for everj; .and when the time arrives for throwing thy support of schools on rates, the pitiful cry of the Auckland seen* , lariats will be heard to resound through these two Prorinces, now so lieh arid overbeaWng. Our. advice to the Auckland secularists is to make friends with the denominationftlist*, by doing justice . to their claims. This is the only course within their reach of tightening their burdens, and .securing the education of the people, 1 <