RESENTED.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1611, 30 November 1912, Page 6

RESENTED.

BIBLE LEAGUE'S STRICTURES, ON SCHOOL TEACHERS. ' The Bible-in-schools question was die cussed at a meeting of tho AVellington branch of the Eduoation Institute Held last evening, Mr. C. Watson presiding. The North Canterbury branoh of the Institute sent forward tho following remit: "That the N.Z.E.1., believing that the present secular system of education Is the only just system of national education, is opposed to tho Bible-in-sohoolb movement." Mr. Erskino considered that it would not be adviso.ble to discuss the matter that evening. He thought that tho management committee of the Wellington branch should call a meeting, and in. vite the members of tho Bible-in-schools League to be present, so . that the lattei might furnish reasons as to why Biblereading should be introduced into th* public schools. Ho moved: "That Canon, Garland be asked to. address meeting on the Bible-in-schools question." The chairman, speaking .in favour of the remit, quoted a paragraph, which had appeared in a pamphlet issued by the Bible-in-School6 League. The quotation read:—"The League regrets that statements tire being made to tho effect that the teachers of New Zealand cannot bo trusted to give those lessons, and that so many of the teachers are unbelievers that children, reading under their supervision, will become atheists, and also that there are 60 many teachers of uncertain cliaractot that the whole profession is not worthy of being trusted with the Scripture lesson." i t Mr. Foster considered that teachers should give an expression of opinion on the attitude whidi- the Bible-m-Schools League has taken up ( against school teachers. If the League ivent about making. such statements it was time that the. teachers did something. The literature which the league had .disseminated was in some instances an insult to the teachers, ihey might at least have had their oircular subedited" before they issued it. It bod been, said, continued Mr. Foster, that the status of the teachers of New Zealand was not as high as that of the teachers ot New South Wales. He (the speaker) dissented strongly from that statement. Mr. W. T. Grundy thought that an opportunity should be- given to all teachers to freely and frankly discuss this question with members of the league. The chairman was not in favour of Mr. Erskine's motion. He did not think that the branch would have anything to learn from such a meeting. He was of opinion that the best thing that could be done was to take a vote on the -remit on its merits as it stood. On the motion being put, the remit was oarried. . ' The question then arose as to how the delegates of the branches to the conference at New Plymouth should vote when the remit came up. • , . . > . v i. Mr. Gruiidy expressed the opinion that it was too important a matter to allow, the delegaies a free hand. Earlier in the discussion Mr. E. H. Ballachey. (a delegate) explained that he had once been against tne .. Bible-in-schools question, but he was now in favour, of it. Mr. Grundy presumed that tho rest of the branch's delegates would vote in the direction which tho branch had indicated by its vote: The chairman said that m the past the branch had never bound its delegates down; and lie did not consider it a proper thing to do so now.' Personally he was content to leave the matter efatirely in the hands of the delegates. He considered that they, would vote in the right direction, when they] considered .that the remit had been carried, by a majority. It was decided to give the delegates a free hand.