The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1888-10-30
RELIGIOUS TEACHING IN NATIONAL
SCHOOLS.

sent to the press a long letter on the
grievance which the members OF his
Church find in the educational laws OF
the Kingdom. He virtually claims that
schools in which religious instruction is
given are "really necessary" for the
children of Catholics and that, there
fore, in fairness such schools should re-
ceive aid from the public purse because
Catholic parents pay taxes. like other
people. He asks US to go back to sys-
tenn such as prevailed at one time in
Prussia and which that country has
found good reason for abandoning.
This cry for Government aid is loud at
present in all English-speaking lands.
For all practical purposes this Kingdom
must be reckoned as an integer of the
English-speaking world; and she has
modelled her educational system on the
most recent developments attained to
try that world in putting all religious in
struction out of her schools. 1t is not
surprising that the same opposition to
the system of goddess" schools makes
itself heard here, nor that the Roman
Catholic Church should, here as else
where, lead the van of such opposition.
1t is very difficult for Christian man to
defend education which excludes reli-
gious instruction. He knows that it is a
lop-sided and imperfect thing. But he
| also knows, if he shall have given any
| thought to the matter, that in these days
national and especially compulsory
system OF education cannot be carried
out upon any other basis. So far as the
Government of country provides for
the education of the people, that educa-
ton must be such as can be properly and
fairly enforced upon all, and no form OF
religious education comes within that
category. So long also as the Govern
ment provides for the primary education
of the people, it would be folly indeed
for it to subsidize competing schools, not
belonging to its system, and not in any
way under its control and guidance.
There are forms of education which the
state nowhere undertakes, such as the
boarding school. For girls especially
this class of school is valuable-has ad-
vantages which the day school cannot
yield even with the help of careful and
conscientious home training, which I'M
fortunately few parents are able, even if
willing to give. Help to schools of this
description, which are open to all classes,
might we think be properly given
by the state. Not help without condi-
lions, however; some right Of inspection,
some conformity of the schools to educa-
tional standards which have the APP
proval of the national authority, must
be demanded as the condition of pecu-
mary aid from the state. There may
also be wisdom in substituting, under
similar conditions, a higher grade of
education than the state is able to give,
or is disposed to undertake the task of
giving But in the matter of primary
education, made compulsory on the chill
dren of all classes, the state cannot |
brook any interference with its system,
and the cry for aid to private competing
schools from the public purse, however
loud or prolonged it may be, will forever
be unavailing. The English-speaking
races (and the European nations, which
on this subject are following in their
wake) must accept entirely new modes
of thought, our existing civilization must
be overwhelmed as SO many former civil
izations have been, before religious in
struction is admitted into state schools,
or state subsidies are forthcoming for
denominational primary schools.
The exclusion of religious teaching
from state schools ought not in our opin-
ion to preclude the use of the Bible
there. 1t is great loss to the rising
generation that they do not become
with the sacred writings
acknowledged by all Christendom. All
our best literature is full of illusions to
scripture story or scriptural aphorism,
the force of which is greatly impaired for
those to whom the Bible is an unknown
book. Where, too, in all our literature
shall we find such beauty of language,
such impressiveness of style, such lofty
sentiment, as in this book, albeit that it
Is after all but translation from foreign
1t is an education in itselffor
The young mind to be introduced to an
Gent Oriental ways of life and ways of
regarding things, by the perusal of the
simple narratives, stories
and parallels in which the book abounds.
All those parts Of the Bible which are
likely to interest the young might be
-ead in our schools with advantage,
md general instruction as to what the
book contains might well be made part
If every school course. The fear that
Iuch use of the Bible would lead to the
multiplication of heresies seems to us
absurd Most parts of the book from
which debatable Christian dogma is de- ]
lived would be neither attractive to nor
understood by children. If such instruc-
ion in the Bible as we suggest were the
,nlv source from which a child should | .