BEFERENCE AT WELLINGTON SYNOD.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15014, 8 July 1914, Page 11

BEFERENCE AT WELLINGTON SYNOD.

DR. SPROTT'S VIEWS.

(SPECIAL TO "THE PRESS.") WELLINGTON, July 7. •_, "I believe that, despite all opposiiion, a Referendum Bill containing our question, and ours only, will bo passed this tesMon," declared Bishop Sprott, in opening the "Wellington Synod to-day. "If so, the question will be submitted to the people in December next. Between now ami then it hehovo.s ali members of the Church to bestir themselves, so that wHen the question is submitted it may receive J an overwhelming affirmative answer. '. The passing of the Referendum Bill,. remember, does not place the Bible in the schools: it merely sets the.people f/ee to deal with thnir own schools. 'That achieved, our true work begins— work of an educative character, ex--1 plaining and removing misapprehensions, and rousing a sense of responsi- • lility. etc. December next! What an "appeal there is in the very date of tho : centenary of the coming of. Christian .. civilisation to New Zealand." Tho speaker outlined how tho tnove- |'. ' ment had progressed beyond all es- .. " pectatioTis in twenty months, making that which, not so long ago, was the ' butt of, scoffs and jeers, the question of ■ the day, with which public men had got at onco seriously to reckon with. . He did not forget tho splendid leader-

ship of the organising secretary, who, be ifc always remembered, cam© to the country at the urgent request of tho ' ' combined churches. H.» himself would be the first to admit that without the noblo band of -women,- even he could ~ have achieved little. "Ono heirs'many-forecasts as to Parliament's probabjo ' action " continued Dr. Sprott. "Some, tho ni.sh . perhaps being father to tho thought, pre<lict that Parliament will pas*. 110 such Bill. I think that would be a , pity. Wo-have been most anxious, to ' keep tho movement out of tho turmoil of general politic*, still more* of party / politics. Our _ League, as. a League, ■ • knows nothing of party politics, . and does not desire to know "anything. That, indeed, is one of the 'reasons why -we decided to proceed by a referendum. Tho valuo'ofa referendum is* •just this—that it.euables'an eieete-rato in matters which ifc is desirable to keep ontsido of the party system to ex- *\ press its will, without disturbing tho ' ,gQ ner '|l political equilibrium. But, should Parliament fail to pass tho Bill • this session, 1 see no help for it. Into « -tho general -election tbis-movoroonfc will » be'>forced by Parliament itself." - > -He contended that the. League was .* tie only body which had fulfilled the -, 'conditions of a referendum by submitting a definite request. Its * numbers - were large, and its request definite, only ib question should bo '■-submitted, or no question at all. Par- ~ liament might conceivably be justified in refusing any referendum, but for to submit any other quos- - tion than the League's was to do a gratuitous aud expensive act for which nobody had asked. A modification of „ -the question was proposed, with a view to making, the passing-of the Bill more •/ palatable to its Opponents. .The^oppo- ■ /.nents wore tho Roman Catholic Church hf and the body knovcn ac the Defence L League. No mere modification of \ the B question would disarm the 'wrath of ?~ either'Of these parries. Both 'hafl I placed it on record that they objected L on principle to any referendum whatI being iaken on a religious quesh Ijon. < * _ . 4 ' " ' V "f Bishop Sprott declared that .the <re> £ 'ligious question could not bo excluded *'l from education.. The.Defence ( League-'8 . position was only tenable in 'a commuwholly consisting of. npn r religious /'j. creatures, such r as had never anywhere in tlie ■world.- or would -ever %. [exist. In such a community'a religious' |,3* would never arise, but the posi'jf/tion could not be logically or practiosustained in any in .'/•which there existed a single' religious who believed that' religion was essential part of education, for an t/*;snch a community the isSuo, religious' •g-'ijy- secnlar,- inevitably 'arose, arisen,"must be' decided as all* issues were- decided, by a tt-'.'Sste of the, people The framing of a claiiso rested vrith ■ '*. -f'Aent.' Their opponents' suggestion that L should apply not'to the minority, hut I? ?f<> the majority, indicated an odd con- »; option of its itenctioa: The very idea li,-" conscience clauses was to protect against oppressive action on -s-the.part of majorities.