RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10954, 2 May 1901, Page 6

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS.

- - _o— WHEN SHOULD IT BE GIVEN?

A TEACHER'S LETTER.

About a month ago the Education Board , decided to refer to their solicitors tho ques- * tion as to whether they had power to prer vtnt the interruption of the work of any school to allow of religious instruction baj ing imparted. The maiter arose out of th? fact flint at the. Kaiapoi Island "chool l " the children received instruction in biblical subjects between 11.30 and noori. and came } up tor diseussii.ii at ths meeting of the Board " yesferdiy. ' Unrlrr dite April 17th, the Board's soli- ' citor wrote to the secretary as follows: — "Referring to your memo of th? 12th r inst., and my conference with the chairman (Mr Weston) and yourself thereon. "Section 74 of the Ace says that, subject to the general super-vision of the •' Board, the ccinrr.ittee shall have the man--1 rigemenf- of educational matter,, within the I school district. 1 "Sec. ion 35 .says the Board shall exercise 1 ail the duties and functions imposed by the * Act. I j "I am of opinion that the Board has i 1 power to make and enforce general'orders ■ i requiring— (1) That a.il schools within its s | control shall be open during live days !j in each week, and for at least 'five hours * jon each d-y, of which three hours in the s I forenoon and two hours in the afternoon ■ shall b? c-ins.cutive, and be devoted to j teaching of an entirely secular diameter ; > and (2) that between the time of opening i a school in the forenoon ar.d the time of closing such school in the afternoon, no teaching other than of an entirely secular i.i.-irncttr shall !...? given in any of th. schools within its jurisdiction ; and (3) that, wji'h a „vicv,- to a more 'borough I ventilation of th? schools, and the refreshment and invigoratien of the :-cholars for ! the afternoon session, no teaching or instruction shrJl be given between The close of th? morning and the opening of the aitemo-i; s.ss.ions. "The: 8..i-!rd may. of course. .?,_ <-or.ie ob-je-jtioti to those rYders. or .v ; *W of them, or .some provision therein, whi* h h.s i>ot pr*'-ssnk-d itself to ms, oth**-rwi;-.e I shr.uM recommend th? adoption of Nos. 1 and 3. or No. 2. —Yours frith-oily. J. Bickerfon Fisher." Th. Chairman, whilst wishing it understood that he di'.J not. disapprove of religious ■nftruc.ion in s.-hooh*. said if tbe practice in force at Kaiapoi Island wer? allow-d. it would !>? an innovation which would lead to j all sorts of tr-iubl? in regard to the burning J questi<»n of religious teaching in schools. He I i'-H .ro-igh*. hrwsvev. that the Board j should not permit such instruction between the ripening and closing of a school. He tliougrtt it would b? well to frame a regulation in the terms of Nos. 1 and 2 suggestions in the letter. Several members pointed nut that it would ha impossible to make a regulation suitable for all schools as to the number of hours in the forenoon and afternoon in which secular instruction must be impirted. Mr Buddo was of opinion that the Board would be making itsei f altogether too aggres sive in the. matter if the chairman's suggestion were adopted. All that was necessary* was an instruction to teachers that no religious teaching must be given during school hours. Mr Adams thought the Board should see that there was no interference with the secular work. The Chairman conridered that some binding rule on the subject was necessary. Ultimately the solicitor's letter was referred to the Appointments Committee for consideration and report. The Board "received" the following letter dealing with tho general queMions of religious and moral teaching in schools: "Clarkville, Kaiapoi, April 11th,—I am in receipt of your circular, No. 2. of the 2nd inst., respecting kindness to animals. While iporfectly in sympathy with the ideas set forth in the circular, I vet cannot ' refrain from expressing some surprise that i the Board should d-eem it necessary to send forth such a circular. Kindness to animals is but one point of moral teaching , and if it is wotlbv of the special consideration of the Board and of teachers, why are not the points (for example) of purity, temperance, and obedience to parents, worthy of the same consideration? Surely, if direct religious teaching by the teachers is excluded from our schools, there is room for some general scheme of moral teaching that would include something more than the duty of kindness to animals? In regard to tbe one branch of temperanco it has struck mc for a long time past that much good might be done by appealing to teachers as a body to favour the cause of temperance. By temperance I do not moan total abstinence, or prohibition, or no license, but rational temperance reform on the liaes laid do»w*i by Professor Atwater. in "Harper's 'Monthly Magazine" for November, 1900. I am writing solely in the interests of tbe children, as I feel itwould be a blessing both to pupils and teachers if tbe Board would openly support th-e teachers by outlining a scheme of moral teaching. For my own part, I should strongly advocate a scheme of religious teaching, avoiding doctrinal points, for religion and morality seem to mc to be inseparable.—l remain, sir, yours obe- ( diently, W. H. Herbert.—P. S.—l would ' draw the attention of the Board to the fact that the purchase of sparrows' heads by road boards is a stronger influence on 1 children than that of the teachers with re- I gard to kindness to animals."