THE ONTARIO SYSTEM.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 38, 10 January 1890, Page 17

THE ONTARIO SYSTEM.

§ABT week we drew attention to the system of education prevailing in the Dominion of Canada. In principle this system is the same in alt the Provinces of the Dominion ; but in details there are some differences as regards the various provinces. The principle everywhere recognised and acted upon everywhere, is that all the chil- """ dren of the Dominion shall be educated, that there shall be everywhere a National system, that all shall be treated alike and with absolute justice and fair play, and that no one shall be compelled to contribute to a system which his conscience forbids him to accept. These are the principles on which public education in the Dominion of Canada rests. In the working out of these principles there is variety in detail in the several provinces. In the province oi Quebec, for example, the system is denominational, but tho principles above enumerated are kept in view, and realised to the fullest extent. Here Catholics have their own schools, and , -. Protestants have their own schools, all equally supported and fostered by the State. In this province Catholics are in, an overwhelming majority, nevertheless they enjoy no advantage over tbeir Protestant fellow subjects in any way. There ie

ItoZ£%£T% TT 86 * ° f Catholicß and Protestants. enUreWnTr^^ \\ ™ ded mt ° tW ° committe <*> one composed fiohonU fP t - CS ' the ° ther entirel 7 of Protestants. The Schools of Catholics are managed by the Catholic committee, o^ ol6^ 8 bythe Protestant committee, and the schools of the two denominations are equally supported •nd encouraged by the State. In Quebec this system works tS'wfr T; n ? *! the H ° n - Charles Car roll Colbt, tl«fp g l representative of Quebec in the ZttZlJ* ?%*"s y° Where * a minorit y «™ l^r°<k/treated than the Protestant minority in Quebec." The school law of Manitoba is very l.ke that of Quebec, and Mr. t thlfc nr ****' B , u P e ™tendent of Protestant schools in that province, says of it ,n one of his recently published reports .— "Vn connection with its workings during the last Xt m<2J be P ° inted out that the "dols of the province have been managed without a particle of the aenomithesXf wZ« ° f Domini ° n " In °rder to understand JX; rd ' Tm & remark that « the maritime pro%Ze?FtJZ / \ th t° Wn SChool8 > °™Mlef<>r religious an t^JT7 98enUn t nt 0/ the P e °P le cognised as holding InZ Provm «C« C % J ? ievd °P™ n t of thechila's nature:' «eat mlfnH *k ta - 10 ' " here the Protestants are in a Zadslf SS£' T ; h6Be - Pr ° Vide that fi ve or ™ r * CathoUc tricV«£,{ ' reßld^ iH any rural or urban *<> h ool disThaTaCatTT a ™ etin9 ° fthose P ersons «** d^e same and ttt I* 00 *' M '** W« °f establishing the o7t™?l I T V'T" 5 may P e ™ di ™Uy elect a Lara LlTdwilnllT 1 manage the Bchool > ™ hich B^d is ZTtf 7? the P<>™rs and responsibilities of a body corZ»£aJ m TT', ° f Be ? arate 8ch ° ols ™ exempt from ffi 7 h l? r t SCh ° 0L l aX ll S >r d th < Tr^es are empowered tol.vy school rates on Catholic inhabitants, they consentina Zthe r t Bar8 ard c T CUd tHe mUUid P al ::/ h t7d to the Board of separate school trustees. Companies viav rejuxre any portion of their property to be assessed jlr sepal Zftf UrP T S; T d iU CQBeS When the landlord pays the taxes, the tenant is taken as the person primarily liable and he decides as to whether the school raj ahull bVpZlothe C Zo7T e :t°° 1 ' „*«* araU scho ° l >* entitled to PrZilrl 11 ™ f? lU aUpUhllC Bch0 ° l 9 ra * ts mad « h the BenZZif Le /' 8l f ture > and is nder the supervision of the Department of Education. Two inspectors of that Departmentvisu all such schools regularly Ld repo/t onth^Zl was writte^S *f A °l Whatiß Written and <l uoted a °ove Z» Z iJ ?t q?q ?° te f by US iv our leader last week. But 7JZFE I !i °u r th / Porpose Of P uttin » a text book and «^hl J? ? handß ° f Catholic 3 whe^by they may be enabled to catechise candidates for Parliamentary honours and to ascertain whethersuch candidates aredeservingornotof their ITn n U amly n °, Cath ° He Wh ° haS the he^t and mnd of IZ P? to !°i c f ° r v aDy Candidate who refuses to concede £ th! r a fh° r C b °A What the school law of secures % .h£n^J ICBOf , that , PrOVinCe ' and We trußt tha t Catholics mU absent themselves from the polling booths rather than vote for such candidates. Catholics are, no doubt under obligation to Mr P YiE and the other Members who supported him during the last and previous sessions of Parliament in his efforts to obtain for the Catholic body a modicum of justice 6 °° 18 / B , Ut Whilßt Ba * in « thi8 > * c are bo«d to •dathathismeasure^ounded.nodoubt^n the principle that half a loaf is better than no bread, is wholly inadequate, and, though we acquit him of all intention to lower or insult us, is, nevertneless, nothing less in substance than an insult. As taxpayerß and citizens of Kew Zealand, we are entitled to equality With our fellow nfczens, w equality fluf recogniges religious

liberty, and also recognises that in calling npon ns, as the Education law of this Colony calls upon ns to violate oar consciences and religious principles, it in reality imposes npon us a penal law because we are Catholics. This, of course, will be stoutly denied by bigots and partisans of godless education. But a denial, no matter how loud or brave, is not a disproof ; and what difference is there in calling upon as tj violate our consciences in school matters, and calling upon as to violate our consciences in church matters. In both cases there is equally a violation of conscience attempted, and consequently a denial of religions liberty.