SECULAR EDUCATION IN VICTORIA.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE “SPECTATOB-1 SIR,—The statement in a paragraph of to-day's Spectator that in the Legislative Assembly of the colony of Victoria, on the discus- sion of the address in reply to the Governor's speech, an amend- ment asking for a secular system throughout the colony was defeated by a majority of 30 against 24, conveys a totally incorrect impression. The writer of the paragraph brings forward the fact as showing that in "the most democratic of our colonies" a ma-
jority of the popular branch of the Legislature is opposed to a purely secular system, but the division does not really prove anything of the kind.
The Governor's speech contained the following passage :—" The question of education has engaged the anxious deliberation of my advisers, and they will be prepared to submit for your con- sideration a measure providing for the greater efficiency of the public schools, and a more general and regular attendance thereat." Mr. Higinbotham moved as an amendment to the address (which, as usual, was a mere echo of the speech), that no measure would be acceptable to the House that did not provide for a general system of purely secular education, and the withdrawal of all aid from denominational schools. The majority voted against this amendment because it was treated as equivalent to a vote of want of confidence in the Ministry. The supplement to the Melbourne Argrts of the 28th of February, says :—" This manceuvre [i.e., the moving of such an amendment] took the Housesomewhat by sur- prise, since a majority of hon. members are known to be in favour of the principles set forth in the amendment, and some of the sup- porters of the Ministry asked the Government to accept it." The Australasian of the 19th of February says : — " Mr. Macpherson" (the Chief Secretary) "contended that a Govern- ment would entirely forfeit its proper position if it accepted the amendment ; the present was certainly not the time to discuss an abstract proposition such as that now put forward. And in reply to an interjection, the hon. member said the question was not an open one with the Government." Mr. Berry, the Treasurer, is reported in the Australasian of February 26 to have said, "he had always been in favour of that system" (secular education), "but the question of education was not the question then before the House ; it was the question of confidence or no confidence in the Government, and if the matter went to a division, hon, mem- bers who cared nothing for the secular system would be found voting for the amendment, whilst some of the staunchest supporters of the principle would be obliged to vote against it. He contended that the present Act, by being amended in the way indicated in the Governor's speech, would carry out all that any section of the community had ever asked for."
Of course these detlils would be wholly without interest to your readers, but I have gone into them to endeavour to show that the passage in the Spectator on which I am animadverting is based on a misconception, and should you be convinced of this, you will, I presume, think it proper to insert a short paragraph in your next issue correcting your previous statemeut.—I am, Sir, &c.,
2 Clarges Street, April 30, 1870. J. DENNISTOUN WOOD.
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