Page:Distinguished Churchmen.djvu/94

68 occupy a representative position, and on this matter difficulties have often arisen.”

“What is the position as regards education?’

“With regard to education the systems of the different Colonies vary considerably. But education is always undertaken and maintained by the Government, voluntary schools not being forbidden, but receiving no Government support. I may note that these voluntary schools are mainly found in the Roman Catholic body; and their position is rather a curious one; for the Government allow attendance at these voluntary schools to be substituted for attendance at the public schools, and yet take no pains whatever to inspect them or to ascertain their efficiency. In New South Wales it is laid down in the Public School Act that ‘secular education’—by which, I suppose, is meant education for the work of this life—is impossible without ‘general religious instruction,’ and, accordingly, such general instruction ought to be given, and in some considerable degree is given, by the teachers of the schools. I should say, from my own experience, that this general instruction would be as systematic and as effective as that given under the London School Board, if it were not for the opposition of the Roman Catholics, who, on this matter, from wholly different motives, may be said to join hands with the Secularist party. Besides this provision, the New South Wales Act allows authorised religious instructors to enter the