SCHOOLS DEFENCE LEAGUE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 119, 21 May 1914, Page 4

SCHOOLS DEFENCE LEAGUE

»w MEETING OF THE EXECUTIVE THE SUGGESTED UEFERENDUM. The executive of the New Zealand National Schools League met last night, Professor Hunter in the chair. The committee presented the following rpport : — "The committee is glad to be able to inform the general executive that tho Rev. T. A. Williams, of Christchurch, has accepted the position of organiser for the Defence Lrogue, and will enter on his duties *■«♦ . nth. The Rev. Mr, Williams needs no introduction to those who wish to keep our national schools free from sectarian influence and bitterness, and it is confidently expected that, as soon as he begins his work, friends of the people's cause in the different centres will rally to his aid in his endeavour to lay faithfully before the people the objective of the Bible-in-Schools League, and the real issues involved. ,and will contribute liberally to the cost of the campaign. Our opponents liave behind them some wealthy church organisations that are free from taxation ;_ we can but rely for support on the righteousness of our cause, and ' we confidently expect it. The National Schools Defence League exists to oppose :—(1): — (1) The submission of a religious issue to a« referendum j (2) the right of entry for the clergy into our schools, with the sectarian issues and conflicts that must result ; (3) the attempt to force teachers to give general religious teach' ing irrespective of their religious convictions ; (4) the proposal that the State should, out of the taxes of all, pay to promulgate the religious opinions of some. "The league again affirms that it will offer no objection to a purely voluntary system that does not* involve the State in the impossible task of taking sides in matters of religious belief. This attitude is not anti-Bible, not non-Christian, nob anti-national, and not anti-British. If such attributes describe our present primary system of education, they must also describe other departments of State effort, e.g., old-age pensions and hospital and charitable aid work. Are these non-Christian and antiBritish ? The Defence League cards are being freely signed. When our organiser gets into the field, there is little doubt that we 1 shall soon top the score of the other aide. Our canvassers get many signatures of those who have already 'signed for the '13ibl« in schools under a complete misapprehension. Others would sign our card, but feel that, though misled, they nave pledged themselves to the other side. We regret that our proposal to Canon Garland that both leagues should publicly announce that signatures should not be held binding on those who, for any reason, had changed- <-lheif minds, Was treated so discourteously. . (The correspondence has been published.) The cause of the defence of our national schools is flourish ingj there are obvious signs that the' independent thinkers among^ the Nonconformist churches of the ' combine ' are refusing to be led into a denial of dissenting opinion by the Church party. In the Dunedin Presbytery the Rev. j Mr. Chisholm mo*-ed a strong motion against the Bible in schools unfair proposals ; the motion was promptly closured, but ' truth crushed to earth shall rise again.' The Tablet, too, has published a Very strong' condemnation of the ' right of entry ' from the - pen of the Rev. Dr. Grbb. It was written some time &go'j the rev. gentleman has apparently changed his mind, but his objections to the system that he now supports, are as strong as ever- ,1n seconding a motion expressing sympathy with the Free Churches of England in connection with the passing of tho Balfour Education Bill, Dr. Gibb said : 'He had pleasure in seconding tho motion. He was the more eager to do so because his name was so prominently associated with . the movement for the restoration of the Bible to the schools of the colony. For that he would fight, strenuously, and to the very end — but he would ' not fight more earnestly for that than he would against any proposal to introduce the priest into the schools of New Zealand. If ever the time came when an attempt should' be made to tise the schools 'of this colony as - the English Education Act would t use the " schools at Horne — for the purpose 'of proselytism, for the propagation of the tenets of any sect — ■ he would, be found standing in the van of those who would resist that to the uttermost. He had tho ' very deepest sympathy with the motion and witji the Nonconformists of England in the stand, they were taking against ft measure that would strike a deadly blow at the liberty in religion which their fathers won at so great a price. That measure was V designed to foist Catholicism on the p(-oj:>le of England. It was designed "by its promoters to enable the Anglican body to indoctrinate the yoUth of England with tenets that they (the Nonconformists) held in detestation— tenets that they believed were contrary to the plainest teachings of the Word of God. Tho Nonconformists did well to give battle to this insidious thing. He trusted that their efforts would be completely successful. Bible in schools, he reiterated, was one thing ; priest in schools was another and a very different thing. They were equally united in. their determination tct obtain the ono and to resist the other with all their power.' Comment is unnecessary ! "The one thing that ,the agents of the ' Bible in Schools party seem to buoy themselves up with is the alleged success in Australia of the New South Wales system of Bible in schools. A pamphlet of thirty -six pages has been circulated broadcast. It contains ninetyeiglit 'opinions' of State school teachers, etc. 1 (in} New South Wales, Queensland, ■West Australia, and Tasmania) — ninetyeight out of a. possible 10,163 — not 1 per cent. ! Out of these ninety-eight testimonials, only twenty-two refer to any moral improvement refe-ulting ( fiom the system, and of these twenty-two, eight say, ' I am of opinion,' or ' I think,' etc., some moral benefit has accrued, so that only fourteen confidently assert that real moral benefit has accrued from the' system i Such is the ' overwhelming testimony ' that we hear so much about as to tho efficacy of *,he New South 'Wales system of Bible in schools ! . The very fact that the socalled 'testimonials' were obtained from Civil servants, who are not allowed to criticise the conditions under which they work, enables us to appraise such 4 testimonials ' at their real value. The Bible-in-Schools League's proposed system, of Bible in schools is unjust, and no referendum can make it just. The proposal to settle a question involving religious issues by referendum is the final mockery of justice. The Bible-in-Schools League naively asks Parliament (whoso primary consideration should be the safeguarding of the rights of minorities) to ignore the question of the justice or injustice of the league's proposals, and to allow tho 'combine' of religious denominations (claiming to be in a majority) to voto itself the privileges it desires. The combine wishes to discharge tho double function of judge and jury. "Wo can scarcely conceive it possible that the Government of this Dominion is going to divest itself of a [ sense of respon&iuility and to shirk its duty to the extent ' of conceding the demand of the sectarian combine to determine such an isaue by referendum. As for ;tho boast that 74 per cent, of

the Dominion are .supporters of the Bible-in-Schools League, this seems to us a grave reflection on the eneigy and sincerity of the clergy, who, according to their s own bliowing, have obviously failed to fulfil their heaven-appointed obligations to tihe 74 per cent, of the people who constitute their flock." The report was unanimously adopted, and arrangements made for a vigorous campaign.