The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-07-14
PASSIVE RESISTANCE TO SECTA-
RIAN SCHOOLS,

England y upon the eve Of another
struggle Tor freedom Of religion. \ gen
Grafton has passed since the non-Conform-
ISIS refused to pay a rate to ,upport the
established Episcopal Church They re-
garded that a. not only an injustice but
Il. a restraint oi conscience 70 which they
would not submit. They did not submit.
! They refused to pay. some q them We're
sent to prison. thousands had their goods
di-trained upon, but they Won their fight.
They are fact to face with another like
fight over an attempt to compel them 70
pay for and send their children to secta-
ran schools. 1t Is thus described IN the
| outlook by Rev. G. Sylvester Horne.
chairman OF the london Congregational
Union:
As soon as the Education Bill OF 1902
was introduced, the NonconiormIets pro
tested that a new church rate was beng
levied under the guise OF an education
rate. The reason for this was that the
! schools OF the Church OF England were
now to be put upon the rates, and yet
were to remain under UNCONVENTIONAL
management. our contention his hitherto
been that as soon as an institution be
comes i State institution II must cease to
be sectarian. This invaluable constitutions
II principle has now been ignored. The
| Nonconformist ratepayer Will pay his
money to Church of England schools, and
! will lose his ancient privilege of CONTROL
ing the expenditure OF his own money.
| American readers should understand that
in eight thousand parishes in England and
| Wales there IS only one public elementary
school available IN each PARISH. and that
| that school Is under Church OF England
| auspices, and that all children III the par
ish are by law compelled to attend 1t. The
N0nconformist therefore asserts that the
| new education rate is worse than the old
church rate. The old Church rate went
to keep up the parish church. but at least
| the NoncOnfOrmist was not compelled to
| attend the parish church. The new educa-
ton rate goes to support a sectarlan
school. and NOncontormIs children are
compelled to attend this school. To under
stand the intensity Of the Free Church
opposition to his new system something
must be known of the social and religious
conditions which prevail today III many
parts of England. Tn power OF the Els
tablished Church in thousands OF parishes
Is almost absolute. The squire OF the par
ish, who probably owns most of the land,
| expects his tenant to be loyal to the
Church Of England; and multltudes OF Ia
borers and small shOpkeepers are gwen
to understand that their very livelihood
depends on their conformity to the Will of
the squire and the parson. The latter IS
very usually, nowadays, what is known as
High Church. The old pr~lestly notion OF
the ministry has been revived with great
success. He repudiates the name Prot
estant. He regards the NO%ncOnfOrmlst as
a schismatic and a hereto, and the child
rem of Nonconformlsts as roper subjects
for his p~rleStly influence. Even the
pilot which IS an Anglican weekly pa
per of conspicuous moderation and great
Influence due to It's tatesmanhke pm
ions, declares that if the Church of Eng
land is to be re-Protestanlzed ten thousand
clergymen must be turned out. These men
are interested IN the movement for re-
union with Rome, and their teaching IS
hardly distinguishable from that of Rome.
| The schools which these men manage are
the most valuable instrumentality they
possess for proselytizing young England.
! Backed up, therefore, by the social in
t1uence Of the sQulrearchy. they are able
to make the position of the independent
Nonconformist almost intolerable. He may
be strong enough to take his own line so
far as WOrshlppIng at a NOncOntOrmlSt
chapel IS concerned. but when he sees his
own children's mind set against him and
the faith he holds most dear. he IS driven
to the very verge of rebellion. So that
when now he IS required not only to expose
his children to this peril, but to pay his
rate that they may be seduced from their
principles, he is astonishing the Govern
ment by asserting fatty that he Will not
pay, but will suffer loss of goods or even
imprisonment"
1t IS singular. in this day Of religious
freedom that any country should seek to
compel members Of all churches to pay
for the support Of schools controlled by
one church. 1t is a relic of the age when
men were fined and punished If they were
dissenters. What England needs is a JEFF
ferson to write and secure a statute for
religious freedom in England and an Arch
ibald Murphey to give them a perfect
public educational scheme having no rela-
tionship whatever with any church or re
higous system.