The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-01-14 00:00:00

Nocal anb Pstrict Jtn.

THE REV. J. S. BOLDER° ON

EDUCATION.

On Sunday last special sermons were preached
morning and evening in Amblecote Church, in
aid of the National and Sunday Schoo ; in the
morning by the Rev. O. D. Boyle, of Kidder-
minster, and in the evening by the Rev. J. S.
Boldero.

The Vicar in the evening selected for hie text
Ephesians, 6th c., and 4th v. Ile said there
were several portions of scripture scattered
throughout the Old and New Testaments, which
contained exhortations concerning the education
of children. Ile had not, however, been able to
. .

find one in which there was the slightest op-
preach to that view which has now become so
common, viz., that education is of two kinds—
religious and secular—and that they should be
separate. The Bible most distinctly, as far as
he was able to understand, laid it down as a rule
that the education of children, if it was to be
education so-called, must begin and end with re-
ligious teaching. " The fear of the Lord is the
beginning (or principal part) of knowledge. saith
the wise man," and so saying he merely repeated
the words of One wiser than himself, even of
the Almighty, of whom we read, Job 28th c.,
iind 28th v., that in answer to the inquiries
" Where shall wisdom be found?" "Whence
then cometh wisdom ?" He replied, "Behold the
fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart
from evil is understanding." By the command
of the Lord to suffer little children to come unto
him it had always been maintained that reli-
gious truths should be interwoven with the teach-
ing of the children. He (the preacher) was at a
loss to understand under such stringent corn
mends how it was any really religious people
could adopt views on education which caused
them to desire the teaching of religious truths
should be excluded from parish schools. He
admitted their conscientiousness, and that their
reasons appeared plausible; but he would not for
a moment allow that there was just cause for
complaint in the National School system. To
justify the step they were taking for enlarging
their National Schools, and appealing to the
congregation to continue voluntarily to support
them as public elementary schools, under their
present management, he proposed to consider
the reasons that had influenced his mind in tak-
ing that step. Many would question whether
they were wise in continuing to ask the few to
bear the burden of supporting these schools,
which the law would allow if they liked to throw
upon the whole community of the ratepayers.
The preacher then said that there were two ways
of carrying out the Education Act : first, by ex-
tending the " present voluntary subscriptions,"
and second by adopting a system of rate-aided
schools, under School Boards. Both ways might
be adopted with the view of benefiting the coun-
try. The former had been successful during the
last half century. The present system of reli-
gious teaching was not calculated to proselytize
the children, nor stir up religious controversy.
There was less sectarian teaching now than there
would be after a few years' working under the
system o: School Boards and School Rates. At ,
present they knew what amount of it there was,
but could not tell what would be affected under
the new system. Elections of School Boards in
many towns had called forth bitter feeling and
words between those who had been before neigh•
boors and friends. The compulsory provisions
of the bill, and the difficulties which surrounded
the carrying of them out were noticed, as well
as how hard the rate would press upon poorer
householders, who if they had children would
have two payments, viz., school rate and school
fee, instead of school fee only; and the congre-
gation were entreated not to add to the already
heavy burden which weighed down the poorer
class of householders, but to continue to support
that religious and liberal system of education in
thr ir schools which had raised them to the pros-
perous state in which they now were, and which
was giving satisfaction to the parents of the
children, as was proved by the number—now up-
wards of 400—now almost in daily attendance.
Uunfortunately, the attendance, owing to the
inclement state of the weather, and the cone°.
tion, were small; the latter only amounting to
LB.