BIBLE READING IN SCHOOLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 113, 16 May 1927, Page 5

BIBLE READING IN SCHOOLS.

PARENTS' REFERENDUM SUGGESTED. OANON JAMES' VIEWS. In the course of his sermon at St. Mary's Cathedral last evening, Canon Percival James characterised as partisan the attitude adopted by the New Zealand TSducational Institute and the Wellington School Committee Association on the proposed referendum of parents on the Religious Exercises in Schools Bill. The speaker said they were evidently determined to resist to the uttermost every attempt to give parents of children attending State schools an opportunity to vote on that proposal. The same attitude had been taken up a wee.k ago by#the Secular Defence League, but that was frankly a partisan body. To him, personally, the action of the two public education bodies seemed amazing. The measure was supported by nine out of eleven Cabinet Ministers, including the Minister of Education. A considerable majority of the members of the House of Representatives had declared in favour of the bill, and a majority was also disclosed in its favour in many divisions in the Legislative Council. The vehement opposition of the minority had, however, succeeded in defeating the bill at its third reading by tactics which he considered were not creditable to the Upper House. The Bible in Schools League was now endeavouring to secure throughout the Dominion a full vote of parents on the bill. A voting paper had been prepared, which was approved by the Minister of Education, as setting forth fairly, and without comment, the main provisions of the bill. The father, mother, or guardian of children attending a State school would be simply asked to answer "Yes or No" on the question whether or not they were in favour of the bill and there would be only one vote to each family. The voting paper would be posted by the League to every household which sent a child to the district school. The League had asked the various Education Boards to allow accredited representatives to obstain from masters the names and addresses. Most, if not all, of the boards had granted that request, and now the Educational Institute and other bodies were urging that the concession should be withdrawn. One objector had declared that only those in favour of the Bible in Schools would be asked to vote, but that was not the case, for voting papers would be sent to every parent or guardian without asking if he was friend or foe. Canon James contended that the Religious Exercises in Schools Bill was an important question of educational policy, and the duty was on the Government to face the matter and decide in accordance with the wishes of the people. Such a question should not be settled by the Secularist League, the Educational Institute, or the Catholic hierarchy, with only five per cent of the children attending State schools Catholics. All the Bible in Schools League asked was ordinary fair play, to ascertain the wishes of the people by means of this referendum.