The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-11-26 00:00:00

THE EDUCATION ACT.
To the Editor of the Observer."

Ste,-1 have lately seen two long letters in the local
papers from one signing himself " Economist," advocat-
ing the appointment of a School Board for Stnurbridge.
Ile has evidently studied the Elementary Education Act
to good purpose, and has given your readers a very fair
summary of its contents. It struck Inc, however, that
lie lost eight of one point, viz., that it was never the in-
tention of the Act to interfere with the present status of
denominational schools, but that the function of the
School Bonril was simply to supply any deficiency whir%
might exist beyond the limits of their operation. This
town is 110 M as well furnished with schools that I very
mach doubt whether the Education Department of the
l'rivy Council will insist upon the election of a School
Board. Nevertheless, I, for one, heartily concur with
" Economist " in his desire to eoe every child in the town
well taught in the elementary branches of a sound edu-
cation, and should be glad to see a Board appointed with
the view of compelling, if possible (for I think there
would be great difficulty in working the compulsory
clauses of the Act), all the poor ignorant children to go
to sonic school or other, the choice of the school being
left entirely to the parents. It appears to me that, with
our present supply of good schools, this is all the assist-
ance we require from the Act; and taking into account
that in every denominational school there must be a
conscience clause, allowing parents to withdraw their
children from any or all of the religious teaching given
in the school, there would be no risk of any such religi-
ous convictions being tampered with.
I feel rather inclined to notice one or two other points
in " Economist's" letters, but time will not permit. I
may, however, be allowed to say in passing. that I greatly
doubt whether the schools of our town would be nearly
so well worked or no carefully watched over if they were
placed under the government of some Central Bound, as
they now are under the care of their separate managers
and superintendents.
. . .

I hasten to say • few words about the qualifications
which " Economist" desires to find in the members of
the School Board. In most of these I agree with him,
but upon one point I must beg leave to say something.
What does be mean by unnectarian teaching? If this
poor word could apeak I think it would cry out that it
had id late been very badly used, and that instead of
being employed in the tiacred cause of religious liberty
it had been perverted to sanction the most diluted and
attenuated form of religious teaching, and sometimes to
warrant the absence of all such teaching. I once heard •
church dignitary any that " uneectarian religion " meant
the residuum which would be found after every one had
pared away every mingle doctrine or opinion to which he
objected; and he, I think rightly, inferred that what was
left would not be worth teaching at all. But let us see
how a Board might be expected to deal with religious
teaching. Suppose one was elected for Stourbridge ;it
would probably be composed of members of different
religious bodies, and I should think that they would like
to have the children taught what the great majority of
them thought to be the grand and simple truths of reli-
gion as they are revealed in Holy Scripture. I think
they would like to have the Bible read and taught in the
school.; but if no teaching wan to be given to which any
member of the Board objected, I am afraid it would be
difficult to teach anything worth having. Nine-tenths of
the ratepayers of this town, I imagine, believe in the
Divine Nature of ow L ird, and the perfection of hie
Atoning Sacrifice, but I presume our Unitarian neigh-
bours would say that that was " nectsrian teaching."
Again, we most of us believe in the importance of the
two nacramente, aud that some blessing will flow from
the right use of them ; but • member of the Society of
Friends might naturally object to such • doctrine, being
taught, and thy Romanist would say there were seven, in-
stead of two. Again, • Hebrew might object to the New
Testament altogether, as decidedly " sectarian teaching,"
and it there are any moonlit us who do not accept the
scriptures as • revelation from God, they would object to
any religious teaching at all. There would be only two
or three courses open to the Board : either to elect a
teaclier who would teach the leading doctrines of the
Christian religion as they are held by the majority of the
ratepayers; or to ignore religious teaching altogether ;
or to confine it to the simple reading of the Scriptures.
The mum objection, in my opinion, to the latter course
would be that it would be a degrading position for any
Christian-minded teacher to occupy, that he should be
&Aimed to explain any book but the best of books; and
give information upon any other subject but the most
important of all subject..
Taking all thing,: into Account, I think it would be far
better, and far more for the peace of the inhabitants
(and the older I get, Mr. Editor, the more I long for
peace) that we should go on as we are, or that our efforts
should be merely supplemented in the way proposed
above. I believe there is far fess sectarian, and far
more simple Bible teaching in oar existing nchools than
many people sappose, and I think with the protection of
the conscience clause no one need fear that Ins religious
liberty would be infringed upon.
In conclusion, I hope " Ecimomist " will receive these
few remarks in a friendly npirit, I assure you, Mr. Edi-
tor. I like " Economist " very much : he in quite the
gentlemau—you see the name " Economist " in transpa.
rent to inc—few in the town have warmer karts, end
not many of us "longer heads." I agree with him on
many oubjects ; but unimetarian teaching in our eleineu.
tary schools is one on which I am constrained to differ
from him.