BIBLE=IN=SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 183, 28 April 1908, Page 8

BIBLE=IN=SCHOOLS

DISCUSSED BY SCHOOL COMMITTEES. A BURNING QUESTION. The Bible-in-Schools question cropped up I at several of the annual meetings of school committees held last evening, chiefly as the result of the circular recently issue'd to nicm- ' hers of committees by the Bible-in-Schools League. CLYDE QUAY. At the Clydo Quay School the question was referred to by tho Chairman (Mr. D. Robertson), who said tho matter had worried him a good deal. Ho did not want to bring it up, hut thought that tho party might think they wore afraid to face tho question. vHe called on the secretary (Mr. Clater) to read a minute from the meeting of .1905, which, was to the effect that tho committee would brook no interference' with the present system of education, but outside of that they freely invited interested persons to conduct optional lessons in Biblo reading. The Chairman said this offer had never been accepted, not even at tho instance of the Salvation Army, which had been moving in tho matter. -Anyhow, they could do nothing, and until tho Government moved to introduce Biblo reading in tho schools i tho Committee was bound by tho law. On being called to express his view, the headmaster (Air. TV. T. Grundy) said that he was prepared to take up a very definite position with regard to Bible reading in schools. He held strongly to the view that they could only conform to the system as defined by Act of Parliament, and ho could not:pernfit tho question to take shape or form until the present Act'of Parliament was repealed. What- the chango would incur if the Act were repealed they need not go into. He was,' thirty years ago, headmaster of a denominational school in England, and ho wn-s quite' prepared' to .vouch that the moral character of the schools of New Zealand: ■ would compare favourably with that of the denominational school of thirty years ago, and from what lie had seen when recently at Home our children would not suffer now by such a comparison. He did not want to hurt anyonoY susceptibilities, but lie would strongly resent his religious convictions being interfered with. No ono had the right to interfere with such convictions, even thoso of ono man;' Ho had been told it was proposed to introduce the Bible as a classic, hut who' was going to be content to accept it as a classic? As a citizen, he would resist any .'attetapt to interfere with the freo secular system of education in New Zealand, and, in tho meantirao, he would conduct his school within the four corners of tho Act, leaving the matter of religious instruction open. for experiment outside school hours. - KARORI. At Karori all the successful candidates declared themselves against the introduction of Bible-in-Schools. . BERHAMPORE. There was no discussion on tho subjcct of tho Biblo in schools at Borhamporo last night. Thirteen gentlemen wero nominated for tho committee, three. of whom favoured the introduction of tho Bible. All the others opposed it.' Thoso elected were all against tho Bible iu the school. . ; ~ MOUNT COOK DISTRICT. There was an air of' suppressed' excitement about the 300 odd householders 1 who filled the big room at tho Mount' Cook School last evening, and overflowed into the passages and out to tho yard. ' They wero thoro ostensibly to hold an election, but the elements of a really fractious meeting wero there, and only awaited a suitable opportunity. to manifest themselves. Signs of tlicir purpose showed.out when the secretary, reading the annual.report;■ said: "I now come to a matter which has excited considerable discussion in tho past—tho Bible-in-schools —and upon which tlio committee'has taken'a . doeided stand. It is confident that the community is behind it- in this matter." Contentious voice: We'll'see about that." Derisive ditto: "Hawl Haw!" Chorus: "Turn the.clonkoy'out." _ Continuing, the secretary said that during tho year a' communication was received from the Wellington Citizens' Bible-in-State Schools Committee, asking for a ,voto of the committee in fa.vo'ur of having the Bible read in the schools. The committee. gave the matter due' consideration; and decided that I they had no' power, to grant tho request. • The -committee -also replied that they wero I in favour of maintaining the present system of free, secular, and compulsory education. The members of the committee wero thou i •ireojariscd' individually by the Bible-in-Schools Committeo, and a threat was conveyed that if they did not comply with tho request of the Bible-in-Schools -Committee they would bo unseated at the ■ forthcoming election. ■ Tlio committee decided that as they had already' given a definite reply they could not' see their' way to alter their- determination.: ■ Since ' then threats, . had been, received by members: .of ; the , committee, no., doubt with the object of converting tho committee to tho Bible-in-Schools party's principles on • the' matter. ,■ 1 Nominations: wero ' then 'taken. Some dissension was threatened with, regard to tho definition by tho secretary of the, school districtl, boundaries, but'- tho 'disputants were ruled out of order. It. was moved' and 'seconded that. candidates for election be requested to say, straight out, whether they were in favour of the Bible being intrcducocl into the schools. This was carricd, and a list of tho nominees was inscribed 'on a blackboard, the League's Candidates being indicated by the'letter .-"B," and'the secularists by. the letter "S." The nominations were as follow: — ■ ■ • For the Bible-in-Schools—Messrs. Burbridge, M'Gann, Lambert, Chishqlm, Hewitt, Paradise, Besant, Buchanan, Rumgay,.'and Smith—lo. Against—Messrs. Murphy, ■ Lodgo, Martin,. o!Brieai, .Hyland, Rekl, Hogg,. Hanton, TJridge, Biggs, Nolan, and Purdfcy—l2. One candidate, Mr. Dickenson,-'was absent from, tho meeting.' ' ;■ The result of the ballot.was a pronounced victory: for. the secularists. ■ . TEARO.; ; The Bible-in-Schools question was the main issue of tho election of the To Aro School Committee. Tho retiring committeo declared unanimously for secularism, while the following camo forward on the "Leaguo ticket" :— Dr., F. W.' Mackenzie, Messrs. 0. >T. Leo,' J. Slater, W. Miller, 'J„ J. K. Powell, and E. C. Jack. The old committeo was elected by a majority, in the total votes cast, of 162.' The Leaguo's advocates secured. 115 votes, as against 277 recorded-'for. the.committee'. ' AT THE HUTT. . - At the Lower ,Hutt meeting, questions were asked by tho householders as to the several candidates' views on the Education Act, and also their views on the Bible-in-Schools. Tho general tone of tho candidates was against tho Bible-in-Schools, though a number qualified their opinions, by stating that linden a different Act or system allowing the study of the Bible as a classic they might support it. ■>