An Anglican Bishop's Testimony

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2, 14 January 1909, Page 63

An Anglican Bishop's Testimony

Some weeks ago a .cable message in the daily papers made intimation of the fact that the Anglican Bishop of Auckland just prior to leaving on his return journey to the Dominion had contributed an interesting letter, to the London Times containing damaging strictures on our New Zoaland education system. The full text of the communication is now to hand, and, as a testimony to the evil influence of our secular system and a vindication of the absolute necessity of religion in the schools, the utterance is one which well deserves to. be placed on permanent record. Bishop Neligan writes : — ' There appear to be to-day in England three schools of thought about the education question. Broadly speaking, they may be described thus : 1. The secularists. 2. The men who say "All we jvant or secularism." These men are churchmen on one side and Nonconformists on the other. 3. The advocates of a fair and honorable compromise, which shall preserve both in theory and fact true religious equality. ' Had it not been for my- oversea experience, I should' have been inclined to advocate the cause of the second group of men. But that experience has, 1 hope, taught me something. That something is — secularism is educationally false, morally bad for a nation, fraught with disaster. To the men who advocate secularism as the only, or the alternative, solution of the present difficulties at Home, I would venture to say : Avoid this issue by any honorable means in your power; my experience in "the Britain of the Pacific" makes me view with horror the possibility of secular State schools in England. Very many teachers in the State schools of New Zealand long to be allowed to teach religion ; the greater number of Nonconformists in that country, as well as of Anglicans, are gravely apprehensive of the results of secular State schools. Concerning a compromise, may I add this : Religion only exists in the provided schools to-day because it is and has always been the characteristic feature of the non-provided schools. Religion will not long icraain in any State school if denominational schools arc starved out. Denominational schools give a standard for religious instruction ; other schools give a reasonably fair civic approximation to that standard ; more cannot be expected of citizen schools. Therefore, the compromise, while quite fairly demanding some measure of denominational • support for denominational schools, must also provide those schools with funds from the Imperial exchequer sufficient to save them from becoming inefficient in other educational respects. ' It is estimated that there are to-day in New Zealand about one-third of the children of school age — roughly, 50,000 out of 160,000 — who are outside any religious instruction. That is a serious fact for the State and for all religious bodies to face in that young nation. It is largely the result of State secular schools. ' In New Zealand religious instruction may be given out of school hours. "Facilities" of this kind are useless. Religious instruction must be as normal as any other instruction; otherwise God becomes an "extra" in a child's mind. That must spell, sooner or later, moral loss to a nation. ' May the mother of nations, at this time, be guided to teach her daughter nations that religion in the schools is necessary to the moral health of the State.' From the foregoing it is evident that so far as goneral principles are concerned Bishop Neligan sees practically eye to eye with ourselves as to the lines along which the true solution of the education question must come. And if his Lordship has any following at all among his people-^-and, considering his office, it is impossible to suppose that he stands alone — it is further evident that on this question of religious education Catholics have more allies throughout the country than they have been wont to .imagine.