PENALISING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Tablet, 16 October 1919, Page 18

PENALISING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS.

TO THE EDITOR. , ' - M- . _ Sir,-At every meeting of Teachers’ Institutes, Education Boards’ Conferences, School Committees, etc., we hear the same old shibboleth,' “our (alleged) free, secular, and' compulsory system must be maintained.” It has been prattled so often that the majority of non-Cath-olics believe it is free, and that secular means neutral. It cannot, of course, be free to any Catholic who knows his duty to God and his children, nor can it be acceptable even if it were neutral, which of course it cannot be, for as America says, “objective neutrality in all that concerns religions instruction is as impossible as a square circle.” Would it not bo advantageous for every branch of the Catholic Federation ‘ throughout the Dominion to pass a resolution similar to the following, have it published in the local papers, and forwarded also to the Government and every member of Parliament?

“That, while recognising the right of the Government to see that every child is being properly educated, we, p the members of the branch of the Catholic Federation, enter an emphatic protest against the action of the ,N.Z. Educational Institute and certain Education Boards in asking the Government first to compel religious and other private schools to pay a special registration fee not paid by secular schools, and second to deprive the children in these schools of the right to gain the Government school certificates. We regard such resolutions of these bodies as acts of tyranny, and as attempts, by the imposition of further penalties and persecution, to wrest from parents their inalienable and God-given right to have their children educated according to their religion and the dictates of their conscience. We also pledge ourselves to use all lawful means to have the present sectarian system in which only one section, or denomination —viz., the secularists — is catered for at the expense of all, replaced by a truly national system of education such as obtains in the British Isles, Canada, and other parts of the Empire; a. system in which each section of the community, whether Catholic, Protestant, or secular, has spent on its own schools the money that each section contributes through taxation for the purpose, in proportion to the number of children being educated, provided that these, schools are fully abreast of all State requirements.” —l am, etc., T. P. Robinson. Napier, October 10, 1919. As a footnote, I would like you to publish the following from the report of the monthly meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, the members of which are evidently all prime bigots: — “Department advised that legislation would be necessary before the board’s suggestion re registered schools could be adopted. Resolved to urge the department to bring down the necessary legislation.” The original resolution was; —“The Government be urged to impose a special tax or registration fee on all private schools.” Although these survivors from 16th century bigotry are poor sports, they evidently believe that attack is the best Form of defence. What are we going to do? When shall we realise that we must attack to defend, but; unlike our opponents, we shall play the ball, not the man, attack the system, not the people? Those people want for their sectarian system not only their money, but ours also. We want only our own. Why can’t we get it? “’Know ye slaves who would be free yourselves first must strike the blow.”—T.P.R.