THE CATHOLIC VIEW POINT.

Press, Volume L, Issue 15015, 9 July 1914, Page 8

THE CATHOLIC VIEW POINT.

BISHOP. GRIMES ON THE QUESTION.

At ©.social gathering held last night in the Art Gallery in connexion with tho Catholic Federation Conference, several references were made to the Bible-in-Schools question. The Very Rev. Dean Hills, who presided, read the following telegram from his Grace Archbishop O'Shca, Wellington:—"Wish your demonstration in cause of liberty and freedom of conscience every success." (Applause.) Dean-Hills then read the fol. lowing notes dictated, he said, by his Lordship Bishop Grimes from his sick bed:— BISHOP GRIMES'S VIEWS. "I had fully intended to be present to-night to welcome the delegates from the different parishes and to congratulate them on the work which they havo done throughout the diocese; but man proposes and God disposes. However, I havo been urged to dictate something and, although not.easy to do so from a sick bed, I havo tried. What I should like to say is: We Catholics have always shown the greatest love and veneration for the Bible. In our great assemblies, called the Councils of tho Church, ft has pride of place, surrounded I_y cardinals, patriarchs, and prelates. In solemn Mass, it is borne in procession, preceded by acolytes with lighted candles and incense. Afterwards, it is presented to the presiding prelate, or priest, to ho kissed. In the Missals, Breviaries, and other liturgical books, the psalms of David, the prophecies, epistles and gospels are most prominent. From the day he becomes sub-deacon the cleric is bound to repeat them seven times a day. In their colleges they uto taught to troasuro the Bible, and to recite every day, on bended knees, a part of the New Testament. In fact, do we not owe it to the Catholic Church that wo havo the Bible? (Hear,. hear.) Long centuries before the invention of printing the bishops, priests, and monks; made it one of the'principal' works of their lives to hand down to us volumes oi" tho Bible in the beautifully illuminated pages which, in the museums and libraries of Europe, are the admiration of ever? beholder. (Applause.) And yet. to their shame bo it said, a certain class would'have th© inspired word of God treated on a par with books of. geography, grammar and arithmetic and thrust uito the schools of tb© land. If they.wero to imitate Catholics and allow themselves to bo .penalised to the tune of £100,000 a year, even then it would not be logical to attempt to foist an emasculated or caricatured Bible, for such is the oho they wish to be introduced into tho schools. The Ministers of th© 'Crown'are to be invested with greater rights than those of bishops, . priests, or parsons, and make choice of the parts of : th© . Bible to be introduced. Teachers of every . or no religion are to giv© these parts out as a uaily portion of .the curriculum. . .''Then, they say, there is to.be a conscience clause for those who naturally object to such an incongruous doling out of the Word of God. But will there be a conscience clause to' prevent us, .and others, who object with ,__s,,te-pay the-additional penalty necessary to compensate for teaching -which satisfies tho comparatively few who insist "upon such teaching ? Will there bo ■ a conscience oTauseifor themany" teach-| ers who naturally;, object to teach such garbled accounts of the Word of God ? If the Stat© can do this, could not the Government, at the command of ono or two denominations forming a majority,, set up with equal, justice auy uniform scheme, with. State or. Church ? Every child must attend the Bible lessons unless ", he has a written . exemption from I;his; parents; but every teacher must ! give the • lessons without any.'. exemption, or submit' to dismissal from th© Service. Surely the teacher,has a con.science as well as the parent. -Those who are advocates of this system infer that those who. would, claim exemption therefrom are opposed to tho Bible teaching. On the contrary, it is our deep religious convictions that move-us to object to snch a'diluted form of religious instruction. .'." (Hear^, hear, and applause.) According to the system the. conscience clause gives only the liberty to go without tho form of religious instruction. Why should they go without?' Should not the State meet their desires also? The State must provide acceptably for all or for none. (Hear, hoar.) It is sectarianism, not secularwhich makes it impossible to provide justly for all.' (Hear, hear.) Hence, on these or other grounds, which I cannot enter into, we vehemently protest against such a,gross injustice.., It, is otirlove of the Bible which prompts tis; to treat it :.with due respect and reverence." (Applause.) ADDRESS BYi MB H. H. LOUGH- •■;._-.■ .;NANY ;/,,. ; Mr H. H. Loughnan,- who was" received with applause, said there wero one' or two- points connected", with th© question he wished to deal;with.' The Bible-in-Schools League had discovered certain defects in th© national system-of education. Something like forty years agothe Catholics "of the Dominion had refused to have anything to .do with the "secular, free and compulsory" education which tho Government offered. They had showed in the most convincing manner possible that their objections to the system were founded on deeply-rooted religious considerations, sincerely "held., They had proved, the sincerity of their objections to-the system. (Applause.) The Bible-in-Schools League had discovered what the Catholics discovered forty years ago. • Mr Loughnan quoted several remarks mado by the League and its accredited supporters criticising the present education system. These were pretty strong expressions, h© said, and on© would; thihlc that "the League would be devising'some strong, resolute aoid vigorous measures to- remedy the defects referred to. There were many ways they could do so. . Liko.the.Catholics, they might establish schools of their own, and keep them going and pay for them. (Applause.) But they heard nothing of that sort. They might make their voices heard in Parliament, where their representatives were. If they had joined with' the Catholics forty, years ago—as they oould have done logically —(hear, hear) —they would not be in tho position they were. (Applause.) He described the remedies proposed by the League, and referred to the difficulties that would be experienced in selecting portions of th© Bible and in the teacher explaining them.in'a non-sectarian manner, to classes mado up of children of different denominations. As to th© proparsed .referendum, Mr Loughnan said that every proposal and all legislation which encroached upon tho freedom of conscience were unlawful. (Applause.) To submit such a proposal to the deci__on..of the ordinary majority and ordinary ©lector* was most unreasanabl© and illogical and wholly indefensible. (Applause.) The question b© decided, really, was: "At© w© to interfere by legislation with th© consciehtious objections held .by a large number •*. thepeopl© in this country ?" That was the" question that ought to be put; th© question that, was to be put was: " "Ar© yon—John Smith—in favour of reading the Bible in schools?'' Which ;©f the,, electore would consider that

question in its bearing on other people? They were not asked to do. so in the voting paper." Unless they looked at it from its bearing on other people, they had no right to vote at all. (Hear, iiear.) He submitted that it was a most unlawful and most iniquitous proposal. It seemed that it was the last straw, and that if the camel's back coukl be broken this was tie straw that would break it. But he was glad to think tnat.their backs were not going to be broken. (Applause.) For forty years they had suffered persecution in this matter for conscience sake, and if forty years more of suffering and persecution were before them they would, suffer it. (Applause.) Mr W. Angland (Timaru) spoke with reference to tho work done by the .Catholics in establishing their own schools. He moved:—'"That this mass meeting of Catholics, under the auspices of the Chri'tchurch Diocesan Council of the New Zealand Catholic Federation, representing the Catholic of Canterbury nnd AVestland, in common with the 80,000 Catholic voters of the Dominion, while thoroughly appreciating the efforts of non-Catholics to provide moral teaching based upon religious principles in tho schools, emphatically protests against "the introduction of IJihle-readiug into the State schools, and against the proposed referendum on tho' question as a violation of tho rights of conscience or a largo section of citizens, an injustice to teachers, and an iniquitous proposal to tax all the people to nay for the iea.ching of a religion acceptable to certain denominations only and utterly opposed to the beliefs of others; that copies of this resolution bo forwarded to the Primo Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and members representing tho. districts." Mr YV. Hayward, junr., seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously amidst applause.