MR. WAKEFIELD, M.H.R., ON SECULARISM.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 300, 31 January 1879, Page 16

MR. WAKEFIELD, M.H.R., ON SECULARISM.

We clip from a Tiniaru contemporary the' following extract from Mr. Wakefields's late address to his constituents :— Now I come to a special subject, one indeed in which we all take a special interest. Last session Mr. Cmtip, the member for Nelson, brought in a Bill to make the piactice gcneial thionghout the colony o£ subsiding denominational education where the rchools fulfilled the requirements of the Government Inspector. This it will be observed was the establishment of a modified foim of denominational education. In the pi ovinces of Nelson and Hawke's Bay, they always Had a denominational system of education. In Nelson, where I lived myself, I know tbeie aie no better schools than those conducted by religious bodies ; there is no proselytising ; the children are taught the elements of religion and sound moiality, and during the nineteen years they were in existence in Nelson, to my knowledge no complaint had ever been made against them. The object of the Bill was to restore to feme extent these elcncminational schools which, I believe, would have been a very good thing, but the Government was opposed to it, and did a veiy unjustifiable thing in attempting to burke its being discussed. I hold that every question effecting the public should be allowed to be fairly discussed The Government took adventage of the forms of the House to throw out the Bill. However, the feeling of the House was go strong on the matter that the Bill was restored to the Order paper. Mr. Stout then agiecd that a particular day should be set apart for discussing it, but it was afterwards so arranged by the Government that the Bill should bediscusscd after half-past fivcon another day. A number of the members knew nothing about this change, amongst them myself, and I was not in the House when a division was taken on the question. The late Mr. Teschemaker and myself were supporters of thr. Bill, and we were not in attendance wncn the Bill went to a division. But it was lost only by six votes, ana that fact is, I think, the strongest proof that the opinion of the iiouse regarding the education question had very much changed since the previous session. It is my belief that we shall be obliged to come oacK to a denominational system whether we like it or not. The only real objection urged against this system is that it is very expensive, that is to say thac instead of the Government aiding a small number or large schools they will have to aid a great number of smaller ones, it is said that a proper distribution of the funds could be made to the schools without dissipating the educational fund whatever. I hope that is the case, but even, if not, would it not be better for us to spend more money on the education of our children, and to get a good education. Of bbc money we now spend, a very large sum is wasted in winging up the whole youthful population of this colony without teaching them any religion. Such a system lam sure is a very bad one.and one which is sure to land us in a very bad position in a short time. Well, gentlemen, I am very glad to hear that cheer, for it was only a very short time ago that a man would not dare to stand up on a public platform in New Zealand and express such a sentiment. I remember Avell that Mr. Stafford lost his election at. Heathcote through making a remark like the one I have just made. I say we are a Christian people, and we cannot sub-nit to have our children brought up without religion at all. Some people maintain, that we can educate the children in the public schools without religious instruction in those schools, and that they can then be taujrbt the principles of morality ; but I say that nothing of the kind can be done. We have learnt our own sense of what was right from the Bible, and we are not going to introduce any system of Greek philosophy— that no two men are agreed upon— and to see our children brought up without religious instruction in our public schools. We are not prepared to throw away that system under which Christianity has spread through out the whole world during the last eighteen centuries. I myself would rather see my children dead than grow op without religion, and I say tbat this is the feeling throughout the whole country. I say I attribute half the prevailing larrikinisni iv our towns to the present system of education. If we are to have denominationalism, we must consider those who hold different views to our own, and be most strongly against children learning religion according to a faith they do not belong to (hear, hear). Let us be just and generous to everybody, and let us not, while we do tliis, intioduce anything like bigotry. Ibis is the very worst form the question can assume, and I hope and trust we shall never have it buic. (Chctis). I feel sure of this, that the time will come when we bhall have religion in our schools, so that the opinions of the people who differ from us in religious matters may be respected. (Cheers).