THE COMMANDMENTS AND SCHOOL BOARDS. [To THE EDITOB Or THE
"SPECTATOR."] Sin,—In last Saturday's Spectator, under the "News of the Week," there is the following statement:—" A member of the Croydon School Board the other day denounced a proposal for hanging up the Commandments in the school-rooms, on the ground that the Seventh was so improper and suggested such bad ideas." And you therefore proceed to hang up the member of the Croydon School Board as an example of the sort of man " too stupid to be worth notice."
I do not wish to argue the point of stupidity ; probably the more stupid a man is the more unconscious is he of his unfortunate case ; but I should like the story given accurately.
What I objected to was teaching the Commandments by heart, and without explanation, to the children under our School Board. I pointed out the enormous difficulty of teaching them the Fourth Commandment, as a direct divine command binding upon each hild, when it required explanation upon explanation to reconcile it to modern practice and modern belief. With regard to the Seventh Commandment, I asked whether it was desirable that children of three, five, and seven years of age should be taught to repeat it daily, and be thus led to inquire of other children as to its meaning; and I expressed a fear lest the Board, instead of promoting morality, might not be promoting undesirable know- ledge and demoralising talk among mere infants.
It was another member of the Board, Mr. Coldwells, who, in
supporting me, argued against hanging up the Commandments in school-rooms ; but he did this avowedly not upon the ground you mention, but because it would be impossible for any parent to withdraw his children from religious instruction thus placed con- stantly before their eyes. He contended that the proposal was therefore in direct contravention of the Act. No answer to Mr. Coldwells' point was attempted on the Board, and I believe it to be unanswerable.
I enclose a report of the discussion.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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