RELIGION IN SCHOOLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 185, 8 August 1927, Page 10

RELIGION IN SCHOOLS.

VIEWS OF CANON JAMES. ! •CANNOT SACRIFICE PRINCIPLE.'' j j j ! Canon Percival James, in the course of j I his sermon at St. Mary's Anglican!; [Cathedral yesterday, combatted the!] argument that the provisions of theh Religious Exercises in Schools Bill wouia i inflict injustice upon Roman Catholics, ! who, it was stated, would be compelled ,- to contribute toward the cost of relig-ji I ious exercises to which they con=oien- i J tiously objected. Apart from the j absurdity of saying that Roman! Catholics could entertain genuine con-: scieutious objections to the saying of: the Lord's Prayer, the singing of ai: hymn and the reading of a pas.sage: from the Bible in the schools by childi ren of other denominations, while their own children were exempt, the plain j fact was that the religious exercises j would cost the taxpayer not one addi-j tional penny. i^ Canon James said: —"Our national'; system of education cannot continue asan anti-religious system. The Bible 1 in Schools League is the only true State, J Education Defence League. We desire I to preserve that system, but the Roman' I Catholic Church is the implacable foe 1 lof that system. Parliament is taking' I the one sure way to destroy that system, by surrendering its friends again and' again to its foes. For 40 years we have asked for a referendum on the; Bible in Schools issue. Leading states-j men, Mr. Seddon, Mr. Massey, Sir l I Joseph Ward and others, have declared' j that this referendum ought to be J granted. We are willing and anxious ! for it now. But now the opponents of, I the bill are blocking even its discussion', iin Parliament. The long-enduring. j patience of the majority is worn out.; J Justice must be given us, and that '> ; soon. The dread alternative is relig-i j ious strife, which will distract and em-' j bitter the life of the community, imperil : j our national system of education, and. ias history shows, leave behind it: wounds that will not quickly be healed. : We have done what we could to avert; ; this disaster of fratricidal strife. We: ; can do no more. We cannot sacrifice' ' principle. We must harken unto God ; rather than unto men."