INTERVIEW WITH DR. CHAPMAN.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14621, 24 March 1913, Page 10

INTERVIEW WITH DR. CHAPMAN.

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS QUESTION

After three weeks of strenuous work, the members of tho Chapman-Alex-ander Mission leave Christchurch this evening for Wellington, where they will stay and conduct a campaign of similar duration. ;In an interview with a "Press" reporter on Saturday Dr. Chapman' said that he had been very gratified indeed with the success that had attended tho work of tho party in- the Cathedral city. They had Deen here three weeks, and he had held altogether forty-three meetings, at each of which he had delivered a sermon or address. There had been eighteen night services hold in the big tent, when at least 54,000 persons had been in the audiences, and almost as many more outside, so ho could safely say that over 100,000 persons had joined in' tho mission services. This he considered very satisfactory when the population of the city was taken into consideration. They had suffered a good deal from tho lack of room availablo in the big tent, andsomo of the later audiences were, no doubt, chiefly composed of church people, and though these of course wero welcomed, it was tho non-churchgoers which was. the class that he wanted to reach particularly. Ho had been pleased with the success of those meetings specially held at midday for business men, and though these were small as compared with somo other large cities, yet tho attendances were good, and tho services apparently much appreciated. The whole mission party had much enjoyed their stay in '■ Christchurch; they liked tho peonlc, I they liked the ministers, and they liked , the town. "In fact," said Dr. Chap- { man, "I think we havo enjoyed our- \ selves as much, or more, here in Christ- , church as we have in any other town at i which we have stayed—and they number about fivo hundred."

Touching upon the question of the Ti. Bible-in-Schools controversy, Dr. Chapman said that wherever he had come (•— across States where it was in vogue,' 1" particularly in Queensland, ho had been & stiuck with tho effect for good it had. f| Apart entirely from the great truths p that the Bible contained, he considered S that as literature, pure and simple, it l<g could not bo beaten, and he was con-i Aj viuced that benefits would undoubtedly k accrue by tho use of the Book by the; pj children. He thought the Old Testa-,i hi ment was quite as suitable as the New' % for reading in schools if somo discro- ! | tion weiro used. Personally, ho pre-1 h ferred tho Old Testament to the New <• k as tho most interesting part of the.' P, Bible, and it would havo been noticed U that ho took most of the texts for his p discourses from the earlier portion .if. V the Bible. j | In many respects the educational svs-! | tern of the United States differed from : P that pursued.in New (Zealand, and the* [-; reading of tho Scriptures in tho pri- | mnry schools was optional, but it was | fr.irly generally practised, and anyone"; P. who knew of the results could not"doubt I but that it had ■ a groat effect in ; I strengthening the rharacter and in | turning out men who were of value to ' 5 the nation. I