Instructing Them In'the Things of God': the Response of the Bishop And
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Faculty of Education and Social Work Instructing them in ‘the things of God’: The response of the Bishop and the Synod of the Church of England in the Diocese of Sydney to the Public Instruction Act 1880 (NSW) regarding religious education for its children and young people, 1880-1889 Riley Noel Warren AM BEd (Canberra) A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Research) 2014 Faculty of Education and Social Work Office of Doctoral Studies AUTHOR’S DECLARATION This is to certify that: I. this thesis comprises only my original work towards the Master of Education (Research) Degree II. due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used III. the thesis does not exceed the word length for this degree. IV. no part of this work has been used for the award of another degree. V. this thesis meets the University of Sydney’s Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) requirements for the conduct of research. Signature: …………………………………………………………………………………………… Name: Riley Noel WARREN Date: …………………………………………………………………………………………… ii Preface and Acknowledgements Undertaking this research has allowed me to combine three of my interests; history, education and the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. History was the major concentration of my first degree. I retired in 2008, after twenty years, from the Headmastership of Macarthur Anglican School, Cobbitty, NSW. I have served for a similar time on the Synod of Sydney and its Standing Committee as well as some time on Provincial and General Synods. I have an abiding interest in the affairs of the Diocese of Sydney generally and particularly in educational matters. I acknowledge Professor Geoffrey Sherington who first encouraged me to undertake research in the field of Education History and was my associate supervisor. Dr. Robert Tong AM has encouraged me throughout the research process and I thank him for his most apposite and helpful comments. I also express my appreciation to my colleagues Dr. David Nockles and Dr. Allan Beavis and to my Godson, the Reverend Peter Tong, for their valued assistance. I acknowledge the cheerful and helpful assistance of Ms. Philippa Crosbie of the University of Sydney’s Fisher Library, whose skills in finding articles that I could not, was greatly appreciated. I also acknowledge the assistance of library staff of Moore Theological College, Sydney. Most especially I express my thanks and great appreciation to my supervisor, Dr. Helen Proctor, whose full encouragement, support and wisdom not only made it possible for me to continue and complete the research but showed genuine interest in it and in so doing made the whole process so enjoyable. Finally my heartfelt and loving thanks go to my wife Pam, whose enthusiasm, endless support and patience, at no little personal sacrifice, as well as her word processing skills, combined to allow me to bury myself in my study to complete the thesis. iii Abstract The role of the Church of England as an education provider in the colony of New South Wales prior to the Public Instruction Act 1880 (NSW) is well documented by education historians. Very little is written about of its role after 1880. There is an assumption generally held by education historians that following the promulgation of the various secular education acts in Australia’s colonies in the latter decades of the Nineteenth Century, the Church of England 'gave up' its schools. As a consequence it neglected the religious educational and spiritual care of the majority of its children and young people, concentrating its efforts on establishing a small number of elite grammar schools for the children of the wealthy. The thesis endeavours to test this assumption insofar as the evangelical Diocese of Sydney is concerned by researching the official documents - the Proceedings of Synod - to ascertain the Church's response to the 1880 Act during the decade of the 1880s. The role of the leaders of the Diocese and their influence on the Church's response is also examined. The research reveals that the Diocese of Sydney did not simply 'give up' its schools and concentrate on a few elite schools. Instead it undertook a concerted effort to reach as many of its children as possible with instruction in the faith, be they in Public schools, Church Schools, Grammar Schools or in Sunday Schools. The research shows that Bishop Barry focused his educational efforts in areas quite different to those of Bishop Barker and Dean Cowper. iv Contents AUTHOR’S DECLARATION ............................................................................................................... II PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................... III ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ IV INDEX OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................ VI INDEX OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................. VI 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................ 8 2.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 SECULARISM AND CHRISTIANITY .......................................................................................................... 10 2.3 THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND EDUCATION PRIOR TO 1880 ...................................................... 13 2.4 DEAN WILLIAM COWPER AND BISHOP ALFRED BARRY .................................................................. 16 2.5 RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AFTER 1880 .......................................................... 18 2.6 SUNDAY SCHOOLS .................................................................................................................................... 19 2.7 CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS ........................................................................................................... 22 2.8 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................. 26 3. PUBLIC SCHOOLS ...................................................................................................................... 28 3.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 28 3.2 ESTABLISHING THE RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMMITTEE OF SYNOD .... 29 3.3 RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS 1880 - 1885 ........................................................ 32 3.4 BISHOP ALFRED BARRY ......................................................................................................................... 42 3.5 RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS 1886-1889 .......................................................... 43 3.6 GENERAL RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION ..................................................................................................... 46 3.7 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................. 47 4. SUNDAY SCHOOLS .................................................................................................................... 49 4.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 49 4.2 SUNDAY SCHOOL REFORM ..................................................................................................................... 49 4.3 SERVICES FOR CHILDREN ....................................................................................................................... 58 4.4 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................. 59 5. CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS ......................................................................................... 61 5.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 61 5.2 CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOLS PRIOR TO 1880 .............................................................................. 61 5.3 DAY SCHOOLS ........................................................................................................................................... 63 5.4 GRAMMAR SCHOOLS ............................................................................................................................... 68 5.5 SYNOD APPOINTED SCHOOL COUNCILS ............................................................................................... 74 5.6 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................. 74 6. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 76 APPENDIX 1 .......................................................................................................................................