RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27911, 7 March 1956, Page 11

RELIGION IN SCHOOLS

SUPPORT FOR NELSON SYSTEM ADDRESS TO DELEGATES FROM COMMITTEES The Dominion president of the New Zealand School Committee’s Federation (Mr A. Greenwood, Christchurch), it the annua conference in Christchurch jesterday, affirmed his opposition to State aid for private schools and support for the expansion of the Nelson tystem of religious instruction. “It would seem that the trend is to pring to State control,” said Mr Greenwood. “It is pleasing to see that &e Government of this country has r-ot departed from its stand on free, compulsory and secular education, in pite of the pressure brought to bear upon it# “On spiritual education.” said Mr keen wood. “I quote from a statenent by Mr W. H. Fortune, in Sep-

tember, 1939, to delegates of this federation: ‘The spiritual welfare of our children is of paramount importance, and when I say spiritual, I mean it in its deepest sense. It is gratifying to r.ote the extension of the Nelson and kindred systems of Bible instruction in our schools. The Bible lavs the principles of correct living and no-one can take honest exception to the fundamental conceptions therein contained. I commend this thought to your most serious consideration, for with the increase of leisure time, never was a firm foundation more necessary.’ “After 17 years, this statement is of equal truth and importance today. Ev the expansion of the Nelson system it is evident that school committees realise this.” said Mr Greenwood. “The New Zealand Council of Christian Education is doing great work among the children through its workers in the Nelson system. A recent innovation is that training college students are, in a voluntary capacity, attending classes conducted by representatives of the Bible-in-Schools Movement. “In spite of reports on child delinquency, I still think that taken all' in all, the children of today are just as good, if not better, than those of any other period, and the present day methods of teaching will make them citizens who will be able to take control |of the country when the time comes for them to do so,” said MiGreenwood.