The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-10-15 00:00:00

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS COMMITTEE,

The proceedings of this committee contained the following
resolution, adopted on the motion of Mr. Whitty, seconded by
Mr. Cook, and carried by four votes against three :—" That
permission be given for the appointment of one boy and two
girls, from the Roman Catholic children in the schools, who
may be found most eligible as pupil teachers."
Mr. Nickson objected to that part of the proceedings.
Mr. W. Jones said he could not support that part of the
proceedings. It could not be doubted that the intention was
to give religious instruction, and he objected to the selection
of Roman Catholics. He would not object to a pupil teacher
being chosen, because he happened to be a Roman Catholic,
but he objected to Roman Catholics being specially selected
because of their religion. He, therefore, moved that the pro-
ceedings he confirmed, with the exception of that portion.
Mr. Nickson protested strongly against the resolution, de-
claring that it involved a question of principle, of right and
wrong. He urged that whatever education Roman Catholic
children had in .his country was owing to Protestants. The
Church of Rome never gave any education, except when corn-
pelted by stern necessity. He did not believe there was a
single gentleman in that room, except one, who would ❑ot
shrink from the idea of having his children, or even
his domestics. taught the Roman Catholic faith ; and
he should like to know by what process of reasoning
they could hold themselves justified iu allowing to
the poor children, that which they would shudder at as
dangerous, if applied to any connected with their ow❑ families.
They would punish a boy for breaking the eighth command.
ment, and yet here, by passing this resolution, they were
facilitating them in breaking the second. The same authority
gave forth both commandments.
Mr. Owen objected to the resolution, not on the grounds
urged by Mr. Nickson, but on the ground that it was super-
fluous. _

Mr. Bairstow moved the confirmation of the whole
proceedings, including the resolution. He explained that he
found that 213 Roman Catholic boys were drafted into a room
under the charge of one solitary boy, denominated a pupil
teacher, and 161 Roman Catholic girls were drafted into
another room, under no charge whatever, while the Protestant
children were receiving their religious instruction. Now, he
contended that this state of things should not be allowed to
continue, and that these Roman Catholic children, 374 in
number, had a right to be properly taken charge of. 4s they
had a Protestant chaplain and Protestant teachers to conduct the
worship of Almighty God by the Protestant children, with
proper reverence and order, and as they thought it necessary to
open and close their schools with prayer, he contended that
these 374 Roman Catholic children had a claim to be enabled
to conduct their prayers with the same reverence and order.
(sear, hear.)
Mr. Whitty dwelt upon the fact that, at the time the Pro-
testant children were receiving religious instruction, the Roman
Catholic children were turned into two rooms without any
proper supervision or authority at all. Consequently, it might
be supposed that much mischief, or, at least, irregularity, would
arise, and an unprofitable waste of time take place. So long as
it was considered necessary for the welfare of the Protestant
children to receive religious instruction, it was not just that
nearly 400 children of the Roman Catholic faith should be
placed idly in a room, and not permitted to receive the
instruction necessary for their welfare. It would not cost the
board any money, as the salaries would be paid by the Com-
mittee of Council on Education. Mr. Nickson had conde-
scended to insinuate that the Roman Catholic church taught
vice, while his own church taught virtue. He would not deny
that Mr. Nickson's church taught virtue, but he strongly
denied before.. that I:card and the public that the Roman
Catholic church taught any child vice, ordtaught it to break the
commandments. (Hear, hear.) Ho declared Mr. Nickson's
observations a gratuitous and very insulting insinuation, which
his limited stock o f knowledge d:d not justify him in using.
If that were a proper time or place to treat the question con-
troversionally, he should not be much afraid of the result, even
although Mr. Nickson appealed to higher sources of informa-
tion than his own very limited stock of knowledge. He
might very easily point out to Mr. Nickson many things which
had struck thoughtful men in his own church as requiring to
be set to rights, lie might remind him of things which