42 I'UBLIC INSTITUTIONS FOK SECONDAKY EDUCATION, 



"other communions, aid from anj^ interested in the intel- 

 "lectual, moral, and religions training of their children 

 "would not be rejected." 



Thisi j^osition was recognised in the Colcnv, and was 

 the occasion of much bitter controversy. Bishop Nixon s 

 attempt to claim for the Church, the responsibility and 

 position akin to that of an established Church had been 

 warmly resented by Members of the Presbyterian Church, 

 and the battle of the Kirk against the Ckurch was then 

 raging in its full fury. This scheme, therefore, appealed 

 to different Members of the Community in very ditrerent 

 lights. Cell's appeal was looked upon as a new challenge, 

 and, as such, was taken up by T]>e Ciilduial Ti/)ie.< and 

 Tl/e Ldunrexfou Era miner, representing the anti-clerical 

 party, while Tlu-' ('our in-, then the leading newspaper, 

 stood a staunch champion to Episcopal orthodoxv. The 

 Anti-Clerical "Colonial Times" criticised the Abstract of 

 Statutes in the following terms : — "The Proclamation wliich 

 "Dr. Nixon issued on his departuie, relative to the estab- 

 "lishment of his College, Convent, Seminary, or bv what- 

 "ever appellation it may be known .... announces that 

 "the Lord Bishop of Tasmania has permitted the use of cer- 

 "tain premises belonging to his see, with power reserved 

 "to himself to select tlie site, to a Collegiate bodv. of which 

 "he appoints hinn-elf the 'Visitor,' which he explains to 

 "mean that he is to have the most absolute and despotic 

 "control over evei~\'thing temporal, as well a? spirittial, 

 "connected therewith. . . . Dr. Nixon has certainly placed 

 "himself fairly before the public. He has not shrunk from 

 "the public exposition of the system for the foundation of a 

 "Collegiate establishment, for which establishment large 

 "sums have been subscribed in England, and are in the 

 "course of being considerably added to here, the ntost 

 "arbitrary, the most despotic, the most self-aggrandising, 

 "and generalb/ the most unfit, to be ever proposed to a free 

 "community, displaying a degree of ardour for the personal 

 "possession of power, which has ever been evinced by any 

 "clergvman since Wolsev.'' ("Colonial Times," 2Sth Julv, 

 1846^ 



The orthodox "Covirier," on the other hand, in calling 

 atientirn to this "Abstract" en its first appearance, be- 

 lieved it would "do much to dissipate tlie preiudice> of 

 "some, and to kindlp the zeal of others." It claimed 

 "that the projected Collegiate institution, though neces- 

 "sinb- identified with the Church of England, i« con- 

 "ceived in a spirit of enlightened charitv. . . that it will 

 "injure the interests of no communion, while it is eal- 

 "culated to confer benefits on all." ("Courier," May 2, 

 1846.) 



