The sun., 1903-12-13
RELIGION IN SCHOOLS.
Letter From MIR. Goodwin Smith.

4 Letter From MIR. Goodwin smith.
To THE EDITOR or THE SUN--Sir: The
controversy in your columns on the proposal
to introduce religion into public sohoo,e
has an interest for us in Canada. !" .nis
Province Of Ontario the Catholics py VIC
force Of their vote command the priV'eee
of separate schools. Otherwise the system
Is substantially the same as yours ana ti'e
same nisgivings exist in certain quarters
with regard to it's moral element Ihere
appears to be growing disposition here on
the part of those who can afford II 10 seho
their children to voluntary and religious
schools.
In our present state of religious division
and doubt, the introduction Of religion into
our public schools seems out OF the question
The reading Of neutral passages OF the Bible
might he introduced, but how much would
1t be worth? What the advocates OF re-
llgious education want Is that the character
Of child shall be formed and the sense OF
duty instilled into it by the application of
religious principles. which in their opinion
are alone effective. They maintain that to
make the child good and useful, the training
OF it's character must be kept abreast of the
training of it's intellect, and they say that
under our purely secular system intellect
is outrunning character with bad conse-
qlences to the child and to society. Though
their contention is impractcable, 1t may
point TO a real defect in he present system
and can hardly be dismissed with sneer.
They have not proposed anything 80 foolish
as the introduction of controversial the eology
into the curriculum.
Lord Elgln. the Governor General of Cam
ada, was a very wise and liberal-minded
as well rs very good man. After con-
graduating Upper Canada on legislation
which had enabled IL to place itself in the
van among tho nations in the important
work of providing an efficient system Of
education for the whole community, he
went on to commend "the laying of the
foundation deep in the framework of our
common Christianity" saying that while
the varying opinions of mixed religious
society we're sc-upulously respected, it
was confidently expected that every child
who attended the common schools should
learn there that he was being who had an
interest in eternity as well az in time; that
he had Father toward whom he stood in
closer and more affecting and more endear-
ing relationship than to any earthly father;
anu tIIdl lIlhl dtHeI Was Ill UedNen. lbTu
Elgin's confident expectations have not
heen. nor do we nee how they can be, full
filled. Yet We read his words, not with con-
tempt az the words OF visionary, but
rather with the hope that some day when our
divisions are healed and our doubts are
solved. an ethical equivalent may be found.
Our old sanctions Of morality are failing lis,
When will new sanctions take their place?
The chief stimulus Of the system at
present seems to be the hope OF rising in
life. This Is very good in It's way and in its
measure. But we cannot all hope to rise in
life Most of us must bs content with heing
well to do and worthy in the station in which
we are born.
One peculiar and Indispensable service the
system in it's present form has done the
American republic 1t has assimiated a
vast immigration. Its capacity in this re-
spect seems likely to be severely tried, since
the immigration has become extremely
heterogeneous in character as well as i'm
mense in amount.
There are other points which are begin
ming to attract notice and may some day
receive practical consideration. DR.. j. M.
Rice in his valuable survey of the public
schools complains Of the want of interest
on the part OF many parents, who throw
everything ON the State. The old common
school of New England was probably pa
rental as we'll az religious. Doubts are ex-
pressed by experts about the mixture of
the sexes beyond the age Of childhood Mis-
gvings are felt about intrusting the train
ing of boys to female teachers as is being
done in an increasing degree. The gen.
eral grade Of teachers is said not to be suf-
fciently high, for lack apparently ofpro-
fessional emulation. Questions are raised
about the effect Of the system on the supply
OF manual labor Of the humble kind and of
domestic service with which the community
cannot dispense and which are at present
largely imported. On these points opinion
will in time mature.
1t ia not a bad thing sometimes to inspect
the foundations even Of the most settled
institutions and to sec that they are sound.
TORONTO. Dec 10. GOODWIN SMITH.