AMERICAN LAWS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8839, 16 May 1914, Page 5

AMERICAN LAWS.

To the''Editor "Guardian." ;Sir,-^-lw^i§ite& America two t years ago,, hiid-.■■nolVd*-£hat. the Bible in public SchQiOjssqiiestionr was a; y.ery live one ,fliea(»'!Viti:'t Ke;:.maibrity of the States sotiife provision is made for a simple reading from the Bible by.the school teacher. -Msftyear (1913) the State of Pennsylvania^, whose population ■numbers 6,000,00,0, passed'a law " requiring teachers ■in public schools to ■rcatt every morning 10 verses from the Bible' witho'u^i comment,?',, any teacher objecting: to be .dismissed. Catholic schools do .jiap, receive State aid. Tho following are . the States m America where the Bible is read in the public 'schools (the comments are supplied 1 by the superintendents of public instruction) : —Maine, ' "Bible daily read i-r ?>-h'ool for 270 years"; Now York, " Rend daily for 2-50 years"; New. E^m>sb!re, " Rer»<! daily since 1623"; Vermont, "We. encourage Bible-rendiug in schools"; District of Columbia, ' " Bible vread and Lord's Prayer repeated"; Kentucky, " Gener'allv rsR.d"V Tennessee, "The Bible is lour rock-of public safety"; Alabama. " Custom in our schools', neither enjoins nor forbids" : Illinois, ditto; Mississippi, " (£he BiMe is.not excluod, and is generally read"; Michigan, ditto; ■Arkansas ,'\ "Read in part of our schools''; .• Texas, ■ "Read in some schools":; .Oregon, ditto; -West Vir- i ginia,. ".No law. prohibiting Biblereading" ;* Florida, iditto; Delaware, "Bible-reading universal"; Pennsylvania, " The Scriptures must not be omitted";- New Jersey, "Head in nearly all schools"; Georgia, " The Bible cannot be excluded" ; Connecticut, "The Bible has always been read"; Massachusetts. "Bible has been read in schools for 278 years"; Maryland, " Read daily in our schools"; South Carolina 7. "Generally, read"; Rhode Island, " Universal custom to read the Scriptures"; Indiana,"The Bible shall not be excluded"; South Dakota, " May be read without sectarian comment" ; Virginia, "Read in nearly all schools"; Ohio, ' '■' We thoroughly believe in it, as it has a Kood influence upon our childrer"; Missouri, "Optional; chnracter-lraiM-ing is an important factor with us";

Nebraska, -" Encourage moral culture; generally read" ;•'Kansas, .''ltea-J in part of our schools"; Wyomjngj ."Left to local Boards to decide"; Colorado, "Read in some schools"; New York City,"Rule observed for nearly three centuries; in JSexv York all {schools are opened by reading the Bible." ■ . As .the Bible in public schools question us looming; large ia the political horizon, I thought the above would bo or interest to my, fellow-New Zea- ! landers. ; „■...• S. PEARSON, 253 Cuba Street, Wellington May .15, 1914. . . . ' .