BIBLE IN SCHOOLS MEETING AT KELBURNE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 117, 19 May 1914, Page 11

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS MEETING AT KELBURNE

Supporters of the Bible-in-Stat© "Schools League met in the Kolburne Presbyterian Church last evening for the purpose, of listening to an address by the Rev. G. S. Cook. The Rev. A. C. W. Standago presided over a small audience. The Rev. Mr. Cook, in his address, said that his object was to give personal experiences of the way the system was carried out in New South Wale*>, where he /had been educated. Personally, lie came under three teachors during his school career : One a Roma.n Catholic, one a 'Presbyterian, and one an Agnostic. In each case the Scripture lessons were given clearly and intelligently. There were 1100 Roman Catholic teachers in the schools of New South Wales, and, during his time, ho had never heard of an objection from a teacher. As to the "right of entry," Mr. Cook touched upon the remarks made about the strife that would be raised, and said that, in, the States where tlie system was in operation, no strife existed, and they heard nothing about the matter. The system worked smoothly in Australia, and it was Tecognieed that religion had a placo in the life of -the people. To ban the introduction of the Bible into the schools of NewZealand was an offence to the Christian conscience, and was not adopting a neutral position. Continuing, the speaker expressed surprise at the evidence "which had been produced by the oppotienta of tho ey.v tern, who would not face the success ofthe Australian States, where it had j been tried. They had heard a lot about the results in older countries, but in now countries the conditions were different, and it was the new conditions that had to be taken into consideration. In 1912 the Controller-General of Prisons for New South Wales had said that, from 1874 to 1911 the prison population I there had decreased from 221 per 100,000 to 71 per 100,000. According to Mr. Cook, that was a decreaso of crime which was abnormal, and could not be equalled in any other Australian State., During the same year Sir John Findlay visited New South Wales, in the interests of prison reform, and on hie return to New Zealand, in an interview, made a statement to the effect that, undoubtedly, statistics proved that there had been a great decrease in crime, due to the education of the people — and that ■education, concluded Mr. Cook, included Scripture lessons. MEETING OP WOMEN WORKERS A meeting of women workers of the Bible-in-Schools League w^s held yesterday afternoon at St. John's Schoolroom. Miss Greenwood alluded to the limitations of a State school-teacher who attempted to givo the best moral teaching to school children. The teacher must not mention the great truths and lessons of the Bible; must not instil into the child's mind the Christian virtues — forgiveness of thono who have injured us, love of our neighbour. Mrs. Menzics said that at the time tho Education Act was passed in 1877 efforts were made by prominent public men to have Bible lessons in school provided for by the Act. Numerous subsequent efforts had also been made to pass a Bill restoring the Bible to tho schools. Adjutant Maekay, of the Salvation Army, said that, while not desiring that religious instruction should be forced en any child against the wishes of il« parents, the Army felt it a matter of duty as regarded their own children to spare no cltort to get Bible-teaching in the schools as a part of the ordinary school curriculum, being a very necessary part of complete education, which had three sides — mental, moral, and spiritual. Mrs. Cook, of the Methodist Church, contended that the Nelson system was ineffective, and it would bo mot-it useless where most required, namely, in Rentered country districts. Addresses were delivered by a. number of Bpcakorc, ini'ludin" iUeydames Leighton. Marshall. Ocilfray. Coleridge, Miss Grant, and Sister Norah. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to these who had delivered auch helpful and encouraging addresses,