The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-02-24 00:00:00

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN THE DIOCESE OF

SA.! ISBURY.

Ths Bishop of Ballshu.y has Woad this sppial :
Palace, Salisbury, February 6, 1874.
MT DWI BIR, —I beg to call your attention to the following
statement:—
Under the Elementary Education Act of 1670, as no doubt
you are well aware, sevular Instruction Is amply provided for
In our elementary 4chmds at the public charge. The system
is complete in all lerticulars, and Is perfectly administered by
Goveniment department admirably utlteeml, and abundantly

Supplied.
Bo complete Is this system, that even In the LAIC 4 our
voluntary seh.s.b., the managers sire rather to he net:Arlo! as
servants .4 the Mate than of the Church. For they most
Secure, In the very first place, the full ',collar rmillta re-
quired by the Act, In order to obtain the faiourable report
of the Government luspeoor, and the Government grant,
amounting pomitily to fifty or cent. .4 the whole cxpeuses
of the school, and on which the very existence of the school

depends.
hut it is no part of the duties of the Government Inspector
to inquire into any instruction in religious subjects. or to
examine any scholar in religious Mioaludgot or in any religious
Subject or boot( (Mine. Act 7, l)
The entire subject of reli•gion therefore. absolotely ignored
awl disowned by the public system, is loft to am voluntary
charge and care of Churchmen.
. . . . . . . .

In order to maintain tom voluntary scbools and the in-
struction In religion hit+ they impart, etre lar;ge outlay has
been made In building and lumen Mg schools In the Diocese of
Bellsbury. Resides very considemble 11111 l suspend...l by private
Individuals, the amount of which I havono 1111.1.3 wmputing,
upwards of C.M,000, the particulars of which were printed in the
Appendix to my Charge last year, hal been spent on this work
Ln,the
But the nmintenance of these schools in the requisite
efficiency has still, 11/ groat mason:, to be provided for. And
for this purpose It is lICCOMPirY that a system of Inspection not
loos thorough than that which the Education Department has
Instituted In regard to the *ocular, should be adopted in regard
to the religious adoration of our i.ichoola.
. . .

We have, with very groat and *axiom' pains, constructed
Mich a system. Under It every voluntary school will be invited
to receive Inspection and examination annually from inspectors
appointed by me. The examinati will be In Holy Scripture
and the Player-book, according either to the syllabus dmern up
by the Diocesan Hoard or a syllabus presented by the
of the school. The namee of the children who paw,
:mnditits trl':olie who have done eufficiestly well to be clawed, will
be hung up In the schoolroom.
Such children All we recommended by the Inspector, will,
with the onisent of the managers, be examined on paper In the
autumn by examiners of my appointment. And at the same
tlrne an examination will be held, also in writing, of pupil
teachers and monitors. The printed questions for this autumnal
examination will he went to the clergy to be distributed by the
conducting examiner to the assembled candidates in their
several ;writhe.
It Is plain that this esetein, which promises to he very com-
plete and useful (comprehending, as it does, the ;wise scheme,
along with the general wheme of parochial Inspection), will
require annual sumort of ninety.
We do not contemplate, at Iciest for the present, engaging the
terviees of a paid inspector; but we desire hi pay the expenses
a the gentlemen who to the great advantage of the diocese
give their gratuitous seri ieve to the work of inspecting the
parochial wheels. This might protably be heat done by • pay-
ment of lih for each school iiispectol. There will also be
the expenses of those who conduct the written examination
In the autumn.
. . .

We also wIA to pay, if presible, a small capitation grant
to the principal teachers in each school for every scholar
placed in the first or second class in the eaamination on
paper, provided that a due proportion of the children
presented for examination show surnisient proficiency : also,
• small gratuity to pupil teachers on entering a Church
&mining sahouL
'There will also he certain office-oharges, as for printing, and
Other things of the same kind.
Under these cinuunstaticxe, I confidently appeal to the church-
.. ei the Diocese of callabury to furnish the pecuniary help
weaned. The cam is urgent, and the work is well begun
The first results of our system, so far as it hay been tried during
the hug year, have been satidactory. The Diocese of Salisbury
las always held • very high rank among the Dioceses of
England in regard to Church education. and I feel no doubt
that by the blessing of God upon onr unitedand card ul efforts,
It will retain it.
Any sums which may he subscribed for this great object,
which I venture to reco ______ end to you most earnestly, may
be paid to Maws. Pinckney's Bank, In PaliaMiry, to the
credit of Charles Mikes, Fey., C S. 1., kietheravon House,
Amesbury, the l'ressurer of the Salisbury Diocesan Board of
Etimaithat.
I have the hunuar to be,
My dear Sir,
Your very faithfol Servant
Gignuit SARC74