EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS.—KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 65, 25 July 1874, Page 8

EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS.— KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

Cotcd you ascertain from the Government Census how many Catholic children, between 7 and 15 years of age, there are in the Colony. If you could, then returns could be got from all the priests in each diocese, shewing the number attending the various Catholic schools. This would shew at a glance how many Catholic children must be either at no school at all, or at non-Catholic schools. Whatever course Government adopt towards us, we must be true to our faith, and we cannot be so if we do not stand by our schools. They are the bulwarks of the Church — the outworks of the Church to guard against the first approaches of danger to our faith, morals and liberties. If any of our schools are not efficient, it must be the united work of clergy and laity to make them so. But let them be ever so efficient, or the fees ever so moderate, there are perverse Catholics who will ever find reasons or pretences for deserting them and sending their children into the schools of the enemies of the Church. There ever will be traitors or false friends to the best cause, and ungratefol servants to the best of masters. There ever will be found some Catholics who are ready to sacrifice their principles to their worldly interest ; and who set the authority 'or counsels of their Holy Mother Church at open defiance. That such should send their children to Protestant or secular schools, or even to no school at all, need not surprise any one. Still, these are but the exceptions. The great body of the Catholics are good men a^d true, faithful to God and his Church. If there be one thing more than another calculated to make our enemies respect U3, and fear our power, it is the state of our schools. In all parts of the world, ever since the so-called Reformation, when the world may be said to have turned more fiercely against the Church than ever, Catholics have had immense difficulties in establishing and keeping up good schools for "secular education. These difficulties still exist ; but they are rapidly diminishing. The gigantic efforts of the Catholic Hierarchy and laity in the United Kingdom to found schools and even Colleges and Universities, for the education of the Catholic youth, are now being crowned with success beyond the hopes of the most sanguine. A like success awaits us in this Colony, if we be true to ourselves, and do not in a base and cowardly manner desert our colours. The • Auckland Herald ' has expressed a fear that the Catholic 3in this Colony would, as the Church of England people do at home, carry off the lion's share of the educational funds, if Denominational schools could claim Government aid on condition of their giving a good secular education up to the Government standard. This is the highest compliment that could be paid to our zeal in the cause of secular education. But where would be the wrong done to the public if we carried off the lion's share ? It would be because we deserved to do so by establishing the greatest number of schools and giving to the people the best secular instruction, in the face of an open competition. The ' Herald ' evidently was taken aback by the statement in the Auckland Catholic Petition, that we were educating twelve hundred children, Catholic and Protestant, in our various schools in town and country, and giving tham as good a secular education as they could get in Government primary schools. It was this which made him fear we would carry off the lion's share of the educational funds, were {private schooU aided according to merit, as we asked ia our petition. Fortunately, we have in the Provincial Council, one member of our community, a gentleman of ability and scrupulous honor, who is loyal to his principles as a Catholic, without attempting to betray the interests of his Protestant constituents. He is to move the insertion in the new Bill of a Grant-in-aid clause to private schools, Catholic and Protestant, who submit to Government secular inspection, and come up to the required Government standard. The resulr you will learn in due time.