REPLY TO A SERIOUS CHARGE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 25, 29 July 1914, Page 2

REPLY TO A SERIOUS CHARGE

TO TAB EDITOR. Sir,— Kindly allow me to deal with a characteristic example of the way the chief exponent of the so-called "Bible-in-Schools" League conveys false inferences. Under the heading "Baptist and Congregational Ministers Throw Over tho AntiBible League" a most serious charge is made — nothing loss than a. charge of false pretences. In insolent fashion we are accused of claiming the names of persons as vice-president* who "have not the" slightest sympathy with the 'No Bible' in the syllabus programme of tho National School* Defence League, arid, further, that instead of objecting to the referendum, they are in favour of tho referendum." The names given, are the Revs. Ashford and Wallaco (Congregationalists) and tho Reve. Dallaston and Jones (Baptists). What are the plain facts ? (a) We have documents from all those ministers accepting the office of vice-president of the National Schools Defence League, (b) Within the last day or two tho Revs. Dallaston and Jones have signed a petition of clergy against tho Referendum Bill on thia grouhd among four others : "That is proposes to decide a religius matter involving acute differences of be-lie-f by a majority vote, irrespective of justice." Tl\us, by indisputable evidence the charge is false ; and we demand that the person responsible for the charge should frankly apologise. And what was tho presumed basis for tho serious charge ? Simply a declaration of the same men in favour of the Nelson system. Is Canon Garland really ignorant of the attitude of our League toward the Nelson system ? Does ho not know that we have officially declared our approval of that system again and again? Still more wonderful, we are told that those Dunedin ministers, by their espousal of tho Nelson system, "go threefourths of the way to the Bible-in-Schools League platform." If the Nelson system is "three-fourths of the way," whore is justification for the deliberate and persistent attempts of Canon Garland's League to stamp the National Schools Defence League a-s "anti-Bible"? And how came it that in a second manifesto, which went the round of tho press, the Bibk!-in-Schools League devoted nearly half of it to an attack upon this Nelson system ? Then, when they characterise pur League as "antiBible" and "no-Bible," as is done in the article with which this letter deals, we say the charge is aa stupidly ludi* crous as it is false.-— I am, etc., A. T. WILLIAMS. National Organiser, National Schools Defence Lca.RUC. 28th July, 1914.