THE SCRIPTURE LESSON BOOKS.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9290, 16 December 1895, Page 3

THE SCRIPTURE LESSON BOOKS.

SERMONS ON THE SUBJECT.

At St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church yesterday morning the Rev. Gordon Webster preached a sermon on the subject of religious education in tbe public schools. He emphasised two points, namely, that ths public schools embraced approximately all the children, consequently these schools had the recognised methods of education, and they also had the meaus at their command to give religious instruction in accordance with the methods which were recognised as efficient in other subjects. If religious education was the important thing most people believed it to be, it mnst be desirable that all the children should have the opportunity of obtaining it efficiently and thoroughly. He recognised the good work done in Sunday schools and by parents, but pointed out that uuder the present arrangement the children of church people suffered least, while the case and needs of those who were neglected and allowed to grow up in almost total ignorance of the truth of Scripture, were overlooked. It was pretty generally admitted that the public schools must be open and available for the purpose of imparting religious instruction by ministers, but he pointed out how preposterous and out of the question that arrangement was. He would rather that the schools should remain as they were than that they should be made the battle-ground of the seats. He had the greatest sympathy with the teachers in the publio schools, who were a hardworking class, but at the same time he thought that room could be made here, as in England and elsewhere, for the new subject by the exercise of a little practical administrative talent and statesmanship, without interfering with the efficiency of the secular education. He pointed out that the secularists would continue to get ths protection of a conscience clause, and no educational disadvantage to their children. The Catholics would be to a large extent deprived of the one plea in justification of their present position that they could not acquiesce in a godless system of education, and it would be difficult to find another that would have the same weight in the Christian minds of the country. The grand truths of the Scriptures would have a place and influence in our national education which they did nob and could not have under the present arrangement, and he did not understand how any sincere, devout, and patriotic Roman Catholio could regard the proposed change as any other than beneficial, and be gratified with the success of the movement.

In the evening the Rev. Mr Webster gave an address upon the text books of scripture) lessons, whioh it was proposed to introduce into the pnblic schools. Ho pointed out that tho books - contained selected portions of Scripture, suoh for instanoe ai the Gospel according to Luke and the Aots of the Apostles, which were given verbatim. He said if that the whole Bible were placed in the hand- of teachers, lessons might be selected from certain parts only, and the children might never hear the name of the Founder of Christianity in the publio schools. It might also be that one teacher would take tbe aacrainentarian construction of Christianity, which was the essence of Romanism; another might favour tha Evangelical construction, which was the essence of Protestantism; while a third, who might be a sceptic, would take a* delight in pouring ridicule on tho sacred passages. Under the Text Books that would be impossible, and they were so arranged as to make the process of teaching and learning as simple aa possible. The selections of Scripture in them were admirably suited for imparting religious instruction in an undenominational form. He admitted that the Text Books had failed to solve in Ireland the difficulty which they were originally designed to meet, but it would be as unreasonable to use that as an argument against the introduction of the books aa it would to say that because Christianity had failed in the land of its birth, and was disE laced by Mahommedauism in the Holy and, it therefore was discredited as a religion, and ought to be set aside. There waa a great off-set to tho failure in Ireland in the case of New South where ".hebest results were obtained, and where the books had practically solved the question of religious education in the publio schools. In Victoria they were in pretty much the same position as New Zealand, though there was a great movement there in favour of the introduction of the Text Books and a probability that the religious education would be solved there as in New South Waleß. There were large congregations on eaoh occasion. At the St. Albans Weßleyan Churoh yesterday morning the Rev. J. A. Luxford took for his text, John xxi. 15, " Feed my lambs." After some most appropriate local references to St. Albans Sunday School, its present prosperous state, and the loving enthusiasm of the teachers and staff, ha sketched the history of Sunday Sohools, showing that in their origin they aimed at the instruction of negleoted children, and that though moral truths were thrown in the first object was to instruct in the arts of reading and writing. He showed that if the people are to be prosperous and happy the moral training of children must not do neglected. In condemning our present secular State system, he quoted from a pamphlet by Professor Haslam, which was published some years ago as a supplement to the New Zealand Schoolmaster. Quoting from that pamphlet, he stated that in oar State schools " morality ia praised but is left out in the cold." He (Mr Luxford) thought the references to religion in the Royal Reader cannot be understood by the children, because some) perhapi many of them, did not read or hear read the sacred Scriptures. . The reverend gentleman then referred to the class of home some of the children came from, and thought that we might at least give them a chance of knowing what the Bible was, so that when they came to years they could say for themselves whether they would discard it or not. ■ ' \