CO129-182 - Governor Hennessy - 1878 [9-12] — Page 29

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the Colony in regard to education and having named the four distinct communities possessing no religious sympathy with each other but who fairly agreed upon other questions to live in peace, he comes to the Roman Catholics, "to mect whose views Protestant statesmen have of late years ap- proved secular education; or education without any direct or distinct religious teaching. Now, he says, considera- blo disappointment has been cansed in a great any places, as it has been in Hongkong, at the total rejection by the Roman Catholic priesthood of any such measure of conci- liation au a great many people are apt to attribute the attitude of theirs to a wrong source. We may frankly ad- mit, that we were ourselves somewhat astonished at some arguments recently used to us in support of their action, and must equally admit that they have a great deal more cognney than we could have supposed." Then the Editor goes on proving practically the basis upon which the Ca- tholics start that there can be no education or instruction given to children that does not partake of religious tinge" with regard to the books of the Irish National School course they find, he says, they cannot read all the lessons if uudenominationalism is to be actually enforced "and moreover they do not accept a merely dry narrative of so called facts as worth anything for the purpose of instrne- tion." The position (the Catholic) taken up, continues the Editor, might be irritating, but it was logical, and it pro- duced in our minds a perfect hopelessness of any success attending in Hongkong a policy of conciliation such as that simed at by the advocates of secular education. We should strongly advocate undenominational instruction, if it pro- mised to lead to any results, such as the education of Catholic children who would otherwise get no education at all. But we honestly hold that, were the Government Schools made essentially Protestant to-morrow, they would scarcely lose a single pupil. If our supposition be right it is difficult to see what argument remains to the advoca- tes of secular education in Hongkong. We should say, the Editor of the China Mail concludes, do away with it alto- gether and expand the grant-in-aid system for denomina- tional schools. Make the Government Schools, "Protes. tant," but afford a liberal measure of support to those un- der Catholic or any other auspices, provided the competent authorities were convinced that the facts of education were well taught, no matter what deductions were drawn from them. This would be the only really effective way of pro-

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viding for the education of all classes and yet leaving con-

science free."

Some letters appoured in the same newspaper, two in favour of and one against religions education. In one of them we read." In reference to Hongkong itself how suicidal must be the educational policy winch, in the vain hope of securing the approbation of the Romanists, treats Chris- tianity as is it were of no value; certainly as of far less importance than arithmetic or Geography." Mail Februa ry Brd) In another complaints are made concerning the use of the Morrison education fund, on account of a rumour being atlout that the money given for protestant teaching has been hurriedly applied to what you yourself (Mr. Editor) "call" pagan teaching" to avoid the imminent risk of a legal decision which would have handed it over to the only Protestant Chinese and English School at present in the Colony. I allude to St. Paul's College. This is, Sir, a vital question in these days of enquiry into the ul timate destination of trust funds." The Editor pats a note (we think the disposition made of the Morrison Trust money the best that could have been made under the cir cumstances. But we should now have no objection to see it turned over to St. Paul's College to found a Morrison scholarship there; nor we suspect, would the Trustees.)

*

St. Paul's College, under the strenous efforts of Bis- bop Burdon, was, at this time, reviving again.

In the Report on Education for the year 1874 which was published on the 27th February of the same year we read; "The Morrison scholarship which was referred to last year as being involved in much difficulty, may now be considered as settled. Details have yet to be arranged, but no question of principle remains and the school has al- ready enjoyed the benefit of it. When the schetne for its administrations is complete a detailed account of it will be given."

"The total number of scholars taught in the schools which are subject to Government supervision, says Mr. Stewart in the same Report, was 2,565, giving an increase of 289 over the previous year.

..In the Government Schools, properly so called there was an increase of 93 and in the Schools which receive grants-in-nid there was an increase of 190." Of the 93 above mentioned 56 were in the village schools, the rest in the Central School. The to- tal number of scholars enrolled in uine denominational Schools receiving grants-in-aid was 682 and the amount

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