Tao Hwei) a United Church of Canada in Sze-the teachings exclusively to those of one religion. Furthermore, religion cannot be taught by out ward forms and practices. Ifyou conduct courses on religion and havesworship limited to one religion. only, this is in fact mere outward formality and from the educational. point of view is not essential in the training for life.
2.—{n the regulations governing the establishment of private schools, the restrictions on religious educa: tion are not limited to one particular religion. If we allow any one religion to incaleate exclusively its own principles in ron-w junior middle school low, this will preempt thei and deprive them later on when ched years of maturity, to exercise freedom in the igion. This is really the plac of shackles upon their liberty of thought.
3.—Since the principal purpose of your churches in establishing schools is to make education widely available and. is not: intended to employ education to entice or compel students to become churzh_members, therefore the restrictions agaist the propagation of religion do not run counter to the prime purpose of the churches in conduct With regard to the idea that all! the children of the 200,000 Christians must be enrolled' in church schools, this stems to us to be on the same plane as the attempt to the world from your own door etep and such an idea should not continue to be cherished.
'4.—If you propose to experiment in education, basing your experiment on projects related te science end social conditions, this is some: thing which the Government un: questionably approves and permits. Religion, however, is one type shsteact' intangible imagination and 4s outside the category of educa-ona} theories and there is therefore no reason for the Government to permit religion in schools for the purpose of experimentation.
To sum up: There is not only one religion. If we allow each ligion in the name of education. to vie one with the other to pro-religion, the natural bbe to create divisions Toe Ministry of Educntion, in order.to guard against such 3 possible future calamity, obliged to impose these restrictions which do not apply only to Chrisnity but to the other religions well.
'Hence to have elective religious courses in junior middle schools and to have the privilege of worship in Kulmazy' schools embody obstacles chuen (Mei Tao Hwei)
Two Solutions At present it appears that there are two ablutions to the question which will determine whether oF not religion shall be included in the education of Chinese children. The, first is that all missions close their schools and that the Christian Church withdraw from educational work as a protest. Bishop White, of the Canadian "Anglican Mission in Hotian, has already wade thie gesture, not only ordering all schools to be closed Lat iso ordering buildings to be torn down that they might not be used by the! Chinese for their wu p.rrposes. The question arises as to whether or not that is rot just exactly what the Chinese Government wants done, The alternative is for the Chineze Charches, under whose control the Mission schools are perfectly willing to ie, to inform the Government of their sympathy with the constructive education of the Christian school und to express their feeling that Government policy is a mistaken policy, running counter to their deepest convictions, The movement to eliminate the Christian religion from schools bes. been grewing for a year. The first indication came when it Was announced that the mission schools! Wad to register. That edict seemed harmless enough and many of the schools did not mind doing so. However, the first provision in registration stated that no compulsory chapel services or, Bible} studies would be allowed. The next step followed closely with an order that even voluntary Bible study be eliminated in the primary and) junior-middle schools. In the Drimary schools worship was likewise forbidden. This order implied] that if the missionaries wanted to teach children in their formative] years they would have to do it outside school hours and in a, separate building.
'When the restrictions of the Government had reached this stage' a petition was drafted to modity them. Since that petition still further restrictions have been made! known and mission schools are now not allowed religious books, magazines, or pictures in their The National Education Association recently recommended to the! Government that no crewsization which is not wholly Chinese be permitted to conduct primary, schools or kindergartens, and that no foreigner should be howed to teach or hold responsible positions. The matter has gone no farther than a recommendation but the Government usually accepts tne:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.