BIBLE TEACHING.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 48, 27 February 1911, Page 2

BIBLE TEACHING.

ADDRESS BY ARCHDEACON HARPER. At yesterday afternoon's meeting of the Men's Brotherhood, Archdeacon Harper gave* an address on the New South Wales system of Bible instruction. Parents generally, he said, desired .their children to receive Bible instruction. There was trouble with the denominational schools in England and there was trouble in New Zealand also. Ministers could now teach after or before school hours, but the scholars toooften considered it as a sort of punishment. Although it was provided in the New South Wales system that objecting parents could withdraw their children, statistics showed that practically none had done so. The teachers were obliged to aive simple Bible lessons. He (Archdeacon Harper) was convinced that there was less likely, to be religious bias from a lesson on the Good Samaritan than on the life and times of King Henry VIII., or any other period, for history could not be taught without reference to the part th© Church of the time played. After explaining the system in practice- in. New South Wales, previously described in The Post, the speaker said that the only hope of peace in New Zealand was to adopt a system which had produced tho best results in New South Wales, and, at least, had never caused sectarian warfare. Under a time-table- allowing ministers) to enter the schools, 42,481 such vkils wore paid in 1906. It was objected that sectariau strife would be created between the children, and that trouble would bs caused with the teachers. These statements were open to argument, and, as a matter of fact, he had dozens, of Letters from teachers and other educational experts, in which they said no trouble had arisen. Those who stated! that trouble had been caused were challenged to produce signed statements to that effect by the teachers,' and th© only statement made was by an anonymous writer. The Roman Catholics of NewSouth Wales preferred to leave their 30,000 children in ; the hands of tho teachers. Replying to questions, he stated that the text book in us© in New South Wales, was, he understood, antiquated. The speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his able address.