CANADIAN LAWS AND BIBLEREADING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS,

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2164, 1 June 1914, Page 4

CANADIAN LAWS AND BIBLEREADING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS,

f Sir.—l walked ; into-. a pnblie sclotol in Vancouver City, 0,-G., end asked the teacher if an.v religious. instruction was ■riven: his reply was: that the school was always opened- li,y a ropetitieii of the-.Lord's Prayer. .As V 6 Net? KeaJamlers are sppkiue for jttformatim) mi this question of religlotiS-Uistr-iKtion in i State Schools t'he foilewiiig C.vnadkin . laws on tho subject ax© worthy o! note: —_ . Ontario Provinco (populfttfon 2,51.9)9(32; in 1911): '"The Scriptures-shall be read daily and systematically; the pprtrfin used may bo taken from the Rook of Scripture selections adopted by the Department for that purpose, or from the •Bible* as the trustees By resolution may direct. The • Ten are repeated onco a week." . Quebec Province (peprfaiioii 2,00!),©)? in 1911): "There are Roman Catholic State Schools and ..Fro-tes-tttiit-. State Schools, each supported crat. of . taxation oil tlieir own respective properties M(i Government grants. The Riblc is read rompulsorily in I'retcsta.ut State Schools." ' New Brunswick (population 351,813 ii>. 1911): "It shall be the privilege <jf every teacher to open aii-d : clq.Se the daily-exercises of the school iby reading a portion of Scripture (out of the Con"mon or Douay Version, as. be may prefor), and by offering tlie Lord's Prayer. Isut no teacher shall compel any pupil to bo present at these cxMcjse-s against tlie wish of his parent or iiuardian, expressed in writina tfl tho Board of (school) Trustees."

Sask-atehe'wan Province • (popnlatio-n 453,500 in 1911): "Thts locsil boards may permit religious instruction i»i schools.'" Manitoba Provinco ('Ropuiatio-u iSl>69l in 1911): "Religious esereiste in ]>üblic schools shall bo condiwted necordi:;;; to t'he regulations of -tke A.dyisory Board . . . Such religi/jt'ts shall take place just before (ise closing hour in tlio afternoon. If tin- pa.reir-t or guardian of any pupil notifies tie teacher that he does net nisli such pupil te attend'such exetc-ises, then such pupil shall bo. dismissed before sueli exercises take place. Sueb .religious teaching sball take placo . . rtTi.'i siiatl bo conducted .by any Christian dergyman . . . or by any person duiv authorised by such clwgymnn, <st- by a teacher when so au-t-borked. . Where the schoolroom accommodation at the disposal of tho (school) tmte.es permits, instead of allotting different days of tlio week to different tions for tlio purpose of reltgwus teaeb•ng, tho pupils may be separated wlw-n tlio iiour »or rolicious tG<ichiiigand placed in diflterenfc rooms." ' , A-t tho Scripture readim; there is 110 instiuction given, jnst a s-im-plo io;uii;>r »vithout comment.—l atii, ete S, PEARSON.