The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-10-19 00:00:00

MR. C. S. READ, M.P., ON RELIGIOUS

EDUCATION,

On Saturday afternoon Mr. C. S. Read, M.P., dia.
tributed the prizes won by the children and pupil-
teachers of the Church of England schools in the
diocese of Norwich, as a result of an independent ex-
amination in religious knowledge. In addressing the
meeting, he spoke of the rural districts of England not
being quite so bebindband as some people imagined in
either religious or secular education. The Church
had, he was glad to find, organized this movement for
supplying that deficiency which was not supplied by
the State. He was one of those who still thought that
it was both the duty and interest of the State to
foster, promote, and encourage religious teaching in
the schools. All forms of the Christian religion—
the most superstitious and extravagant, and also
the most simple and evangelical taught people
the fear of God, obedience to the Queen, and to
the laws administered tu her name ; therefore
he contended that those were right who argued that it

was the duty and interest of the State to encourage
religious teaching. However, the State had thought
fit to leave that duty to others—and he was very sorry
for it. There were people who said it was quite
possible to inculcate the principles of morality without
the aid of religion. Now he was not a learned man or
a philosopher, but he was bound to say he did not know
how it could be done. He thought it very hard upon
the teachers in the schools that they should be deprived
of the great privilege of teaching morality by the aid
of religion. He held that the surest way of teaching a
child his duty to his neighbour was to teach him the fear
of the Lord. There were two aspects in which education
west° be regarded—the moral and the intellectual. The
heart as well as the head must be educated before a
perfect manhood could be attained to. Mere intel-
lectual culture might make a man less of a brute or a.
beast than he would otherwise be; but without reli-
gious culture he might be made more of a clever
rogue or a scheming rascal. It was therefore ex-
tremely gratifying to know that outside Birmingham
and a few other towns religious instruction was
regularly given in all elementary schools, with ex-
planations and comments suited to the capacity of
the children taught therein. Thus it had been
proved that the great bugbear called the religious
difficulty had been no difficulty at all, for there had
been no withdrawals of children from such instruc-
tion, or at any rate none worth speaking about.
This said much for the good sense and religious feeling
of the people of England. although he did not think
it said much for the Government of a Christian
country, which, although it insisted upon secular e Inca-
tion, yet appeared to be afraid of, at all ev,nts did
not encourage, the 115ligous education of its rising
generation. There might be something in the argu-
ment that it was the especial duty of therChurch to
take charge of the religious education of the poor;
but, be that as it might, he was one of those who were
glad to- see the Church of England organizing such
movements as this in the diocese of Norwich. It was
to him a matter of much satisfaction to find that it had
been so successful.

Speaking of the great interest nowadays taken in
the cause of education, which led to so many debates
in Parliament, and to Act after Act being passed, Mr.
Read said that although Mr. Forster's name would go
down to posterity as the statesman who passed the Act
of 1870, yet Lord Sandon would be equally venerated
for passing the Act of 1876, which had enabled them
to secure the regular attendance of the children at their
voluntary schools without going to the expense of es-
tablishing school boards. This Act, contrary to the
expectations of many, had worked extremely well, and
he strongly urged managers of voluntary schools who
had not yet adopted its provisions to do so at once.