(t象 as it affords us a fund of valuable truths for our mental improvement and our guidance in this world. We may disapprove of it on the score of its incompleteness—for it cultivates only the intellectual powers and neglects our religious interests,'—and who would not like to see education tending to the development of the whole being 2 But still it must be consessed—and I would bear testimony from my own experience—that liberal education, though strictly secular, if kept within legitimate bounds must be beneficial, especially when it comprises the mental and moral sciences. Although however I am ready to support the principle of religious neutrality in Government school, I must declare my vigorous protest against undue advantage being taken of it by the tutors. If it is illipolitic and wrong to teach any particular **òðà i1i Goverwrnení school, it is morally zeprehensible to rush te the other extreme, amά by teaclamng materialism and seepticism sap the very foundations of morality and religion. All that the rule of neutrality of teachers is that they should simply abstain from sectarian teaching ; but it gives them beither privilege nor power to wantor:ly and recklessly destroy the very religious instincts and sentiments of their requires তত্ত্ববোধিনী পত্রিকা । কম্প, ১ ভাগ cates of Utilitarianism and Positivism, boastfully extol the philosophic beauty and grandeur of these systems and scoff at religioa as a congeries of idle fancies and childish whime. It is a pity they do not Gaderstand the dangerous position they occupy. For what are Utilitarianism, Positivism, Materialism, Fatalism, and all other isms of the Sensationalistic Sehool, but different spesies of philosophio worldliness : and who are their adherents but worldly-minded men who live for the šenses, seek only wordly interests,deny all the spiritual realities which are above and beyond the animal life, and who, with a view to attach the weight of philosophie sanction to these speculations and practices,take one or other of these big phiolo sophic naines. It is to be deeply regretted that our couutrymen should thus be led away by fulse philosophy to sacrifice their true spiritual interests, and casting off the restraint of moval obligations, expose themselves to all the temptations and perils of unbridled worldliness. There are some who do not take wordliness to be so dangerous as it really is, for they find it not necessarily incompatible with honesty and pupils by false philosophy and false logie. Not to teach any specific religion is one tbirg ; to teach irreligiou a:id scepticisma is quite a difierent thing : the former is negative scd it, a.youous; the latter is positivaly mischievous,-alike hostile to the liberal policy of the $tate and the isolai interests of the alumni, and repugnant to the feelings of all classes s}} community, of whatever religious persuasion they may be. It is impossible to inischief arising from the systeriatie and uureserved ineuleation of ratorialism 51 a Govornment college. And yet this has goite on year after year without a check or a protest. hts evil effects have aow assutaed such formidable proportions what further connivance is impossibla. Amongst the advanced students materialism has found many advocates a:d followers. They belong to no religious denomination, and when questioned as to their real views of theology and ethics, spowt forth the stereotyped phrases of thorough-going materialism. Not a few set themselves up as staunch advo the calculate the demoralizing in the extreme. even philanthropy and charity. A little refleetion will however show that the spirit of worldliness is antagonistie to the first principles of religion,and when iuvested with philosepiaiu importance is likely to prove pernicious and I in ust cousess that the evils I couplain of are not confined to our colleges, nor are they wholly attributable to the influence of the teachers. Materialistic and sceptical notions, in some shape or other, prevail largely, at the present day, amongst various fleetions of our community, here and in the mofussil, and some of our intelligent countrymen take active interest in encouraging and spreading the same, in the majority of cases such notions are merely the result of worldlymindedness, They are also specially fostered by the transition-state through which the country is passing, and which daily draws away hundreds from idolatry and superstition without giving them any positive faith in exchange, and thus * lands them iu aceptieism. All this bewever might be tolerated, as being to some extent inevitable. But when Government institutions offer a premium to materialism, and systems atically and with the weight of authority ins culcate it in youthful minds; when those to whom we naturally look up with high hopes for
