ISITT BIBLE IN SCHOOLS BILL

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 261, 4 August 1928, Page 11

ISITT BIBLE IN SCHOOLS BILL

Sir—As an ex-official of the Bible in State Schools League formed in 1912, I direct your attention to the fact that the rejected Isitt Bill in the hands of the member for Christchurch North was iir glaring antagonism to the objective of- the league in whose favour 150,000 electors signed petition cards and contributed about £lO,OOO to further its progress. The league of 1912 stood for the Bible in the syllabus and it stood for the rescinding of the secular clause after the mandate to rescind had come from the people by a referendum. This was done in Queensland by a Labour Government. It is to be deplored that the Isitt party refused to take the course of rescinding the secular clause, but they sought to foist ou the school an opening religious “performance,” but allowing what they call the “no-God system” to run through the whole syllabus. Such a scheme savours of trickery and amounts to doing evil that good may conic.

The Isitt league is shrouded in mystery, and the public is kept in ignorance of its constitution and executive. Its headquarters for a time was said to be Palmerston North ; next it existed in a post ollice box, Wellington; and now it is said to live in Hall Street, Masterton.

The worthless ' plebiscite of parents taken by the Isitt league was carried out in. a peculiar way. In Karori a plebiscite was taken, and an 85 per cent, majority claimed 1 The facts are that 250 voting papers were sent to Karori parents and 65 parents voted for and 13 against, while 150 ignored this absurd and nnti-democratie method of iinding out the will of the people. My voting paper was withheld froju me.

The Bill in itself was a menace to. true religion. It claims to set up a “performance” of religion in our schools, and the Bible is full of malediction against such a degradation ’of holy things. A paltry 40,000 is said to have voted for the Isitt Bill, as again the 150,000 that voted for an honest referendum. Now, after getting the alleged 40,000 votes for a version of the Bill, the Bill was revised and altered, and the alterations have really cancelled the votes. The Stout-Vogel Government in its day had this religious difficulty to face, and it appointed Dr. Laishley, of Auckland, to go to the Old Country and report on education. I possess a copy of. his informing report. The Stout-Vogel Government shirked considering. Dr. Laishley’s recommendations. The situation demands such a report to-day. Bishop Cleary has again and again demanded a round table conference of all pnrties to consider the question,-and the Minister of Education might call such- a conference but in view of an . approaching general election, he may find this impossible. I sincerely hope that members of Parliament will protest against this clerical .pestering about a “performance” of religion in schools, and take action before the session ends to have a round table conference or a -commission to report on how educational peace may come. ■ .- . , Archbishop Averill, in Ins recent fulmination, said in effect that the “secular” clause in our Act meant the’ ignoring of God and-Christ In 1877 the Bowen I’ible-in-schools clause was killed by denominational clericalism, and not by infidels.. The “secular” clause with/the connotation of atheism, was never carried out. -Sor Robert Stout, when he was Minister of Education, reported that it was not carried out, and (hat the lesson books were fiijl of religion. It was so then, and it is so to-day. Atheistic secularism exists in clerical ’ fulminations. but it docs not exist in our schools. It has been said that, inconsistency has saved our Empire, and inconsistency Ims saved onr schools ethically and religiously. Thousands of teachers read “secular.” as the late Hon. Mr. Massey did. as “unsectarian.” and they respect the spiritual side, and make very often their class rooms more Christian than not a few church courts. I trust we have heard the last of the Isitt Bill, .and hope that action will be taken on the lines suggested. Tn closing. I say that onr present system is belter than the Isitt Bill proposal. which, apart from the opening religions “performance.” would shut our teachers into n secular orison during the rest 6f tlie hours. — T am. etc., ROBERT WOOD. Knrori, August. 2.