MR. STOUT'S STATISTICS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 21, 14 September 1883, Page 21

MR. STOUT'S STATISTICS.

" August 81, 1883. " Eobeet STOirr, Esq., Dunedin. "Sir,— Od careful investigation of your statements respecting the children (Catholic) sent to the Cavexsham Industrial School since Ist January, 1875, 1 have arrived at conclusions quite at variance with those published by you. — A.s, however, I desire to sift the matter thoroughly 1 will feel obliged if you will kindly let me know the basis on which your enquiry was conducted. If you will do so I shall in return place before you all the particulars now in my possession. — I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant, " JOHK F. PEBBIN." Mr. Stout in reply forwarded a list of names and particulars, which Mr. Perrin acknowledged, and, having examined them, returned with the following note. '•' September 3, 1883. " Robert Stout, Esq., Dunedin. " Sir,— l return your lists with thanks— having copied the particulars given in connection with the Roman Catholic children at the Industrial school. By comparing your list with that 1 have supplied you with, you will perceive that your statistics— as published by you — were false in many particulars, and therefore you may be expected as a man of honoar ta publish a correction of them. I have the honour, etc., " John F. Pebbin." Mr. Stout's reply was as follows :—: — ' Dunedin, September 6, 1883. • • Dear Sir,— l return, your list, of -which I have taken a copy. I find that the only corrections you desire to make in my list deals with the school the children attended. The religion of the parents is correct and in five or six instances you state that neither you nor the Christian Brothers know the children named. It may be that they have told the master of the Industrial school an uutruth that they were at the Catholic School. I find that in one or two instances where children had attended the Catholic school I had marked them as State School pupils,. O£ course, the mere irregular attendance or being truants does not affect my argument. Were this allowed in dealing with the Catholic children, of course the sap^f allowance would have to be made in dealing with the children amending the State schools, and it may be correct that few of the children committed for crime or as being uncontrollableever attended any school regularly. If this bo so it will not help the question as to whether religious teaching has any effect on conduct. If the Catholic advocates say <; our system has not had a fair chance," the secular advocates may use the same argument. I intend, when my business engagements will permit me to rewrite a paper on " Morals and Secular Schools," and if you have any further notes I can assure you I shall gladly use them. My sole desire is to state facts.— Yours truly, „,-,_> Robebt Stout. "J. F. Permit, Esq. Tablet office, Dunedin. " We append tables of the school-attendance of the children, as given respectively by Messrs. Stout and Perrin. The looseness of Mr. Stout's calculations will be very evident to every one who reads the remarks we make on them, and our readers are also requested to compare the particulars in question with those given by Mr. Perrin who has in every case obtaiued his information from the patrons or teachers of the schools alluded to—with the two exceptions of information given from his own personal knowledge'respecting the parents of certain children asserted by Mr. Stout to be" Irish.