BIBLE-READING IN SCHOOLS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 257, 30 October 1890, Page 5

BIBLE-READING IN SCHOOLS.

An animated discussion ensued at the meeting of the Synod yesterday afternoon upon the following motion, which was moved by bhe Rev. Frank Gould:—"1. Thab this Synod is of opinion thab ib is very desirable thab the reading of a portion of Holy Scripbure, without comment, daily, to bhe children in our Governmenb schools, with time-table and conscience clause, be provided. 2. That a committee be appointed bo draw up a petition to the House of Representatives, praying thab tbe Education Act be amended in this direction. 3. Thab the Committee consist of Yen. Archdeacon Maunsell, Rev. F. Larkins, Messrs Pierce, Clayton and the mover." Mr Gould spoke at some length in support of the resolution. He wished to do away with the disgrace bhab had attached to "bheir public school system tor bhe lasb 13 years. Mr G. P. Pierce seconded the metion. He thought ib would be bhe thin end of the wedge towards getting the Bible introduced into their public schools. Tho Rev. Mr Larkins considered that the course suggested iv the motion was probably the only one that was likely to be adopted. He considered that they ought to have more faith in the Holy Scripture than in any comment thereon.

Mr Crispe supported the motion heartily. He considered ib a mistake to exclude the Bible from the public schools.

Mr Gordon pointed out that the State did not prevent the clergy from giving religious instruction after school hours.

Archdeacon Maunsell- thought they should go to the Government to ask that some arrangemenb should be made wibh a view to having the Biblo read in the public schools. The moment they tied themselves to lay down a definite scheme they split upon a rock. He moved as an amendment, " Thab some arrangemenb be made by which the children in our Government schools may be instructed in the Holy Scriptures during the school hours."

The Rev. Mr Babes seconded bhe amendmenb.

Mr G. P. Pierce said thab the present public school system was a Godless one. He believed that this question of introducing the Bible in the publicschoolswould be one of the test questions pub to candidates ab the coming elections in the South.

Tho Biehop said that he was ab times astonished to see what portions of the Bible were read in private houses. Ib would never do for the Bible to be read wibhoub commenb.

Archdeacon Govebb suggested that the New Testament alone should be read in the schools.

The Rev. Mr Sprott spoke in favour of the amendment. He objected to the Bible being read wibhoub comment in the public schools. The Bible was not, in his opinion, the self-interpreting book that so many persons thoughb ib bo be. Reading the Bible without commenb would be futile with children.

Mr W. J. Speight said ib was useless to ask the Synod to stay its hand because the suggestions could not be carried out. The day when the Church gave all the education to the people had passed away, and he was glad ib was so. The Church musb abbend to the building up of the spiritual nature of its flock. He would like to ask the clergy if they believed the laity of their own diocese would support them in this movement. He would suggest thab they should take a poll of their own laity on this As it was, Parliament simply took no notice of these fulminations. His own belief was that they would never get what they were asking. If they could realise that the genius of bhe age was agaiusb them, ib would facilitate matters. His own opinion was thab the main religious education should be obtained in the home., He : thoughb bhab consbanb reference to the Bible, as a text-book tended towards that familiarity which bred contempt. He would like to ask them as citizens to think whether it was the duty of the State to care for the religious education of the people. They beard a good deal about the "Godless" system of education, bub be believed thab no person who read the criminal statistics would say that the nativeborn New Zealanders, bred under the secular system of education, were superior in crime to those who had received religious instruction. On the contrary, the young New Zealander appeared to have rather an exemption from crime. He did not think thab Dr. Maunseli's amendment would be any improvemonb on thab of Mr Gould. Tho only thing was that ib was even less likely to be carried into effect. He held thab it was nob their duty to rail at the Stabe for nob giving to their children the care which they themselves neglected to do. They should buckle to and teach their children themselves. He believed that if the laity of this country was polled to-morrow it would be found thab they would nob entrust the education of their children to the clergy. He also felt thab bhe clergy did nob bake? full advanbage of the concessions bhab had been granbed to them. There was a desire on the parb of some people to force on the State the whole work of educating their children. He would vote againsb both motion and amendment. Mr Luke, opposed the motion of the Rev. Mr Gould, The teaching of the Scriptures without comment in the schools would be worse than useless. Teachers did nob receive theological training, and he must confess that he had had to unlearn much religious instruction imparted to him in youth. He objecbed bo bheir presenb school system being called a Godless one. He oould testify that the children from the public schools were amongst their best scholars at the Sunday-schools. He should vote againsb both motion and amendment. Mr Upton conababed the idea that bhe presenb system was a Godless one. He would like to chaperone Mr Pierce through the public schools. Thoy might talk about giving religious instruction in the schools, bub the people wero determined to uphold the present secular system of education. He would always vote against any interference in the present school hours for the purpose of religious instruction. If they wanted really to have religiousinstruction in the schools, then they must prepare a manual of religious insbrucbion upon a basis bhab bhe whole religious church—not the Church of England alone —bub bhe whole of the Christian Church could agree upon, and then the Parliament would of course adopt that which was the wish of the people. He knew that at presenb thab was hopeless, but until the Christian Church could agree in itself, how could they expect the Governmenb to do anything ? He felt that ib was possible bo prepare a manual upon which all might agree, and one that would be gladly accepted by the people of the colony. The Rev. Mr Beatty said that he believed it was true that the people of this colony had determined to educate their children so that they might geb on in life. So long as thab was the case, all their efforts to squeeze in religious instruction would be of libtleavail. Therefore thoy werefacetoface with the fact that they must call upon the people to turn from things temporal to things eternal. They would not solve this question until they had Bottled the question of a State church. They were broughb face bo face wibh bhe woful divisions of Christendom. Until Christians recognised that they were all one in the Church, until they felt the national life, bhe patriotism, and applied ib to religious life, they would never solve this or other questions that were pressing upon bhem. The Rev. Mr Tebbs said that one of the highest police officers in this colony had informed him that the large increase of juvenile crin-e was - due to., the lack of religious insbrucbion in bhe public schools. The Rev, Mr-Fox said he would hot ask for the introduction of the Bible in the

schools, bub he wanted a public recognition of God ; that was all. The Rev. Mr Farley considered it would be quite possible to introduce a religious text-book similar to thab in use in the national schools in Ireland. There was something wrong in tho presenb system, and it should be remedied.

Captain Clayton said thab ho had been teaching in bhe Sunday School for the lasb seventeen years, and he noticed that the children were steadily getting worse. He hoped the Bible would be recognised by the State. The British nation appeared to him to be bhe custodian of the Bible, and now they were trying to put ib aside. The amendmenb was then pub to the Synod and negatived. The original motion was then pub and a division called for, when ib was losb on bhe vobes of bhe clergy.