The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1888-11-06

been well said, is not in any sense
whatever charity The providing OF
reasonable and proper educational iacili
ties is one OF the regular functions Of
government, and rests on the same
foundation Of necessity and public policy
As the building OF roads and bridges. or
the maintenance OF police force. The
same arguments which are conclusive As
regards the latter, are equally applicable
to the former. Means Of instruction,
public highways, the protection OF life
and properly, the administration Of JUS
tice between man and man, all stand on
the same foundation. They are all alike
necessary to the welfare of society and
the safety Of the state, and are all, there
fore, matters which every civilized gov
ernment, in proportion to its means, is
bound TO provide Tor. \ public school is
no more 4 government charity than is Il
court OF justice"
We do not attempt to deny that some
kind and amount OF religious instruction
would be valuable element in any edu-
catioual system. But admitting this. we
are met at once by the apparently insolu-
bic question, What shall the nature and
scope of that instruction be- We've the
community composed entirely OF persons
Of one way of thiRking in religious mat
ters. the solution of the problem would
be easy. We've we all Catholics. or
Methodist, or Jews, we could, through
the regular methods of political action,
decree that our religious doctrines should
be part OF the regular school curriculum,
snd the thing would be done. But We
are not all adherents Of any one church
or creed, and consequently we cannot
agree SIS TO what shall be taught. Under
these circumstances it seems altogether
the wisest and safest course to limit the
junction Of state schools to the importing
Of secular knowledge. and relegate the
intoxicating of religion to the parents and
guardians OF the children, and the religi-
Gus teachers OF the different denomina-
ttons. We think experience hiss shown
that where this plan is pursued, and the
various religious bodies are put, so to
speak, on their mettle, the practical re-
suit has been that the children have re-
ceived, upon the whole, more and better
religious teaching than could be secured
under any state system whatever. All
that seems practicable under the circum-
stances is TO require that the teachers
shall De not only competent instructors,
but persons OF good moral character,
whose personal influence and example |
shau be sound and healthy, and whose
iidaetic teaching, outside OF the impart-
ing OF knowledge, and the preservation |
Of good order and discipline, shall be con
fined to those sound moral principles and |
rules OF conduct about which people Of |
al religions, and even no religion at all,
-1C SUBSTANTIALLY AG-A- ~ l-tAcf i4A We
shall oppose any change in the basis on
which our school system Is conducted,
n the direction proposed by the Bishop, |
u any arrangement or understanding
Ooking TO the use Of the public school
for the incuIcation OF seetar-
IN dogmas. OF the distinctive tenets Of
nv denomination, Or sect The friend
hip and cooperation OF the ministers OF
eIigiou Is sl#ays desirable, and We value
I very highly Nevertheless, whether
1athoIic OF Protestant, broad or narrow,
ligh or low, Ne want, 50 far as our Gov
rumeut schools are concerned, no Ell
angling slliaucss with any Of them in
heir official capacity We believe It TO
Z one o. the lessons which history
caches in the clearest manner, that the
rs eccIesiaz5ics, as such, have to DO
nth the control Of public afIirs, the
ettsr II i for the people.