Tuesday's Times contains an admirable letter on simple Bible-teaching by
the Bishop of Carlisle. The religious instruction given under the Cowper-Temple Clause, whether tested by syllabus or examination or the effect on character, is, declares the Bishop, as clearly and strongly Christian as that given in denominational schools. Here and there there may be isolated instances of unbelieving teachers in our Provided schools, as here and there are instances of superstitious teachers in our denominational schools. But in both eases the number is infinitesimal, and altogether insufficient as a vindication for wrecking the religious instruction in either instance. Hundreds of thousands of our poorest children have been taught of Christ by earnest Christian teachers who would otherwise never have heard of Him at all. The Bishop of Carlisle turns next to Bishop Mitchinson's advocacy of secularism as the national system, relying on voluntary agencies for religious instruction, and shows how dire must be the consequences of such a policy. Unless the religious lesson is a part of the curriculum of the school, multitudes of children will go without any religious instruction whatever. The Bishop ends his letter, which we recommend to all thoughtful laymen as containing the very root of the matter, by urging the nation not to suspect the teachers. For ourselves, we can only say that we regard the maintenance of Cowper-Temple instruction in State schools as absolutely vital to the welfare of the nation. Through the Cowper-Temple compromise, as we have said again and again, we are saved not only from the supreme injury of secularised schools, but we also avoid the evil of secularised teachers.
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