BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2128, 21 April 1914, Page 5

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

AN ADPKESS

OPPONENTS' lODIC CRITICISED. At.. £h$ regular monthly; mceline of tho Women's keaguo, botfjii St, Jplyrs classroom yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Ooleridgp spoke at somo length , en the report of tho Nations] Schools Defence , league's. Ejceuutivo, which ■appeared in flta BojtKfwv on April 13.. ■' . The first- .poittt touched upon JJy Mi*. voloridgo was tho iramo by which th<* opposition leoguo called '■ themselves, iiamely.j the Kivtio.naj Sojhobh Bsjfenea League. She wondered if that \yaa correct. Supposing that they iron the ■ fight,, that tfe> Bib!e-inrgchoo.le toague'V .proposals were defeated* wh;ats would happeii? Would s not all tho church people., all the- religious pfioplo, fiso up and say, "We aW going to have OUf •own Church .schools"? WouW it ivot mean the setting Uμ of a grost nuailcf of dahorninational sclioolSj and woald not tho national .eystcis of eslntcation ha broken 40*11 altog.ethd.rp fho great <!.nemy of the natibnal Bystcm vas the Homan Clnsroh, It wss the Homan " pliurch that Was supporting jblie Opposition Iveagu©. Were not tho Soma)! Clwrch mid the Opposition Leagu? Sghtiiig for tho same efld? They njighii : not bo undor tltfe game leader, but tjboy were' engaged in the same batfl.e. fh<J speaker thought that if tho Opposition ' Lcaguo readly "had Way thoro would ' not be very much JWtfonaf eysteni loft, so that, a mere oorrecfc iiSino for the apposition 'Jbcaguo tfouid- b.6 not the Natitfniil Schools Defenee Loaguo, but. tho National Schools Destruction' 1 League.

The Clear Issue; . l%e speaker-emphasised tho fact fh&t. tie Opposition Leagiio. olaunod tliiit ' Mr. Massoy was in 'their favour., and , pttfhaps the womenfolk thought that ■ ■was «hj titty did not do mucß wgi?|i. TOy said Mr. Masßcy.; w.irs their {fiend. But Mr. Xinssey oojjid not serve t-wa '• masters. Ho wotdd have to find out which, master lie was .going bo serve. Would hij eorvo tho people., tfho asko<l that they should go to the ballot-box,. tiiid calmly, caMfflliy, and tcasohably, vote on this question, and In secfat ;re*' cord their decision whether tho B.ibta Should- atill bo kept olit o'Hho .• ■tho qixo State .Department .it was kept s out of~-«>r w4s Mr. Masfeey going to--6b<<s the Oppositkii. Leaguty. and ; 'say, "Tho people .shjll fldt sayVjiothOT fliey ■ Tfant o.r do hot ivaiit the piblfc in the BGhogls' ,, —to gag tlio .pooplo.and fefuss to altaw them id settle 'this question for themselves? It sfiemod to the -speaker that suoh po'lioy wa.snuttmg tho clock' back ;t -loflfe fray, Mr. Magsey must * cbooso whiGii waitfir, h<? was -going to obey, Thq point rras perfectly* clears to deeitle whether the Bible *k to : geii f back to tlio schools at to .ssy that It-; ehould continue to bo kept to ' Say -clearly »nd distinctly wh'ifeh policy '' $hpij-ld : bo ■followed.

She Opposition. League -?ii«d6 snothof big etetonttSp-t wiiite'h the spea-kpr was at a loss .to -understand... -They claittod that t-hs Bible-in-Schools iieaguo. m$ trying, to get the .sympathy o.f the Prohibitionists.. Members of tne leaga*» knew thilfc 'th&y frei-e not t.ryfeg to joiu ft'ift wjy ttther orgaivisition:, and eonio of tha leading ftohiibiticiiiists were also |ho lea-diiig oßieers of. tho .Opppsitioa tiSsg-uo. To U5& n phrase-- of their o*ii eeiiiage abfint the Ribto-iii'Sohoo.te-fcaguoj "Their, advise, must still lio tin. diWfaead to their own cviuncils."

! The Lqgfp of Oppanents. TJ).o OpUQSjtioti Deagiio had 6.- grclfi ■ atenvbdr oLJo.^.r i jigd Ar p , sJip|<> on its biectl-. •five. It h'a-s , "liro&sSorS; loaciiers', nn-df iiispcoiors of schools. - But tho speaker : thought that t'hey. coulcl Itot Im> ..tising. thoir leirniug much., becaUso-thefWeJ;?. Eofii little illQgiesl.■-. fliey eaiaV: "\\'pi caiiftot -have tho.State recojimsing refe giau. It will Merer do for the State to tecfigufeo religion, Tho Stats eaii rccog-* hise »lig.io.fi m tho schools after school ■hpixre, butiii school iwiUrs it wetili neyof do." Did. riot t'hut nican etniply t'lim: Tha,t they teteixdt willing, for the States to teficlt religion thoroughiy and Bysteiiiatically, buf they, wore willing ■llist the State should teach teiigiou badly and. inads.quaitoly? jho Kolsaii frytitoin, after 'school lioursj was itvodoi quote a? fa,r' it weiit, the Ejstenj in. schojal hoursj *t tlto bognmuiKi' when, tbo childreji fcfo frosjt and ready 'to lenrni Was fa* wore' thorough and adoiiuatO; It was pe-rfpetrt )y .clear that no cliild liogd go liincss his parent? wished it. -and jt was por-fectly" open to .all denominations glifeo. jSvon. tho O.ppositjoil Lfeagtio's Sujjjxjrtefs and the Roman CMirch had an equally fair right of entry, into fiho- schoote to tcacbtheir own cliiltreus .

I Woman's Attltiitio and Obligation. I : Sneakjn£ from the wQinpn's paint of [vietf> Blw. Goleridgo torched .an the fact that the Mathers! , . Tfniqii. S'U j throjt.iii.i tho cqitntxyj with it* me.ujbcl - - I ship of noarij foiir thousand, was S\'ha]ij« ■ heatft&Hjr with., the Jc.agiio. 'Tho publto saw how tjio Women's Ghristiffit Teni* psriiivsjfe Union,, the .great tto'nieiv'S o'igaiiisation, was irojv wholeieartedfy with tho league, aiift Mrs* Harrison to Otroic stated at tlj.& oonVciititfir that nearly 60 out of 87 'piiidlii branches had: definitely declared in favour. of tho league's proposals. They Itn.ew they hadi tho -vVcriipn With tlwsni, Thqy woio always, being told tii'tit tho Now- -Zealand Women ' wore so iniliffercnt, tlinfc they did iiofc i appreciate their vote btscattßO they did not have t<3 fight for it, a,nd biifu dtmm chtirclios and public buildings iri;6rdoi? to gel it. I'hon egnin, others socici (Wi celucrsted w<>iiicft .got too much,,, and tli6? stould go back to the tovi.rsor.y, wlticn was thoir propor sphere. But fras th.lt }«>t limiting tlio spliefo :too- : jmicl.i mak» ing it tw iittfproWP .Lgt thcj» soneider ■tiiijso ivomsn wlaoin tho tord had Mossed with children. Aftir all the years that they sponi in TKifing thoss : childreit and. lesMng sfter thtm p:nl.y a ■smttU .pfiriiio.H,o»t of ihoir live?? And when tlioso cJiila.rcn frere .gr.owii Vitt, they to sit dovftt \vitih fcildcij haiuls «nd Sity that their ivork Was tidnb? Was it not .a higher work that thoy ah&.utd liso that Bdiicatipn that thej lax}, n.nd the brains tlrat that cduisatibn had dfl* ViOlopcd; that fey ■should \ts» tho'polw ifcal rights that tlviij and jii that way is'ork for tlio feodd of dip cliilii* Tciij and try to bring, taete tho tho KSlioofs? Bid i\o% tlioy thbils that; hi doing that thoy were truly ■mlising '■their fel-givcn task «f doving for the children?