THE SYNOD.

Evening Star, Issue 4953, 17 January 1879, Page 4

THE SYNOD.

Thursday, January 16. At sitting,;,; ,v- ' ~,,".. Jfte TtepJQx the debate, on the' University; he moving the' following 4 amendment:—"fiescirid' the' Interim ■' Act with a view of conferring with the Univeasify Council,; 1 as <W th;e/,^lfteatioa ; q(;the;BU,bjeetef presently .allocated of -.moral, philosophy -arid ..tnglish literature'*' ' ' ,' -." . " • , * :.-/ Thtfßev. Jir RyleV said that a : letter had been received' from'Professor'Macgregor saying that he was quite prepared to vacate hisjpresent chair and take up a chair of psychology. " ,, . • ? :w-■?>• >, ; '-.'■•'• * ! :•'» The" Rev. Mr Ryley : December 21, 1877. The Rey,Mr„Wu-ii < said.it^jvasnotialr.to-bringiTlpva ; letter of that'descripfiottafter-sucha long interval. The latteriraa Aot presented. Th&jteKvDr SiUAiix.JiadJjstened with extreme regret introductory part-of wWclOW^llK^i^le^lte^o^cvfa^ißW^hewiihj T7ftrofeitso#asTOis fitetiiflialjf the viand to require parents there—and he was one of : thenwwho bad sons atten(lmrthe-University,-and.it«eeined to him.tbat Jt (fcjortijhpsldr teacfimg gross materialism. £*}

lUsn Mr Rtlby : lam But I appe*l.te this House to say if I made the statement that materialism was taught in the University. ~,.:.. Dr.J Stuart had only to say that that was the imprcsssion he gathered from Mr Rylev's speech, and hj was glad to hear that it was wrong.- Whilst he did not approved! the actionlof Mr Stout, he deeply regretted that politics had been introduced into that , debate. And he had listened to Mr Begu- in his criti- ' cism Jlr Stout with curious feelings. -Whjtdid not Mrßeggjwhowaa at the meeting he had spoken'of, stand] up and protest against the vote ofconfidence which was paswKhin Mr Stout ?;r He (Mr Begg) told Jhemi that at thafcraeoting(tbe'meoting of Friday last) Ij h i ? r , e f b y t « r 'an had been misrepresented anH.held up to- ridicule, -and tifjat-he'saw a professor applaud some of Mr Stout's remarks? and yet he (Mr Ml* *» «*«Hy dumb.-(Applause). Hao. he (the BD6aker),been present; as he had intended to be, he ..would not.have allowed that vote of confidence to be passed unanimously. | On khe question : befog put' there voted :"Tor the , amendments of Mr Ktrkland, 21; Mr'Bannerman's, Si Mr .BannormanV thou became. the substantive motion,; and ..being -put as against Mr Will's amendttent,; former 26, and for the latter ■s*. JJr w ill's was "accordirigl v dropped. Messrs Ban"erman s and Ryley's were .afterwards put. For Mr fifteen did not record their votes on this. Mr Ryley's m 2^ < jU va ? tne rg?°re declared, carried amid applause. < ?, h j«R e /- y M rwaL laid the following protest oh the table?-" We, the undersigned, dissent from and-prt-test against the motion now carried, instituting a second professorship in the University of Otago, to'bo designated the chair of moral philosophy and politic. 1 economy, f..ir the following reasons i—(1) Because the' Synod has;already made provision, for tne teaching of mental and moralscience in the University of Otago; (2) Because'the' trustees, whoso concurrence is required by Act of l»arliamenty are unanimous in their approval of a chair of English language and literature; and further, that the University Council also unanimous) v recommended a chair of English language and ,' (3) Because we arc convinced that the ''chafr;of English languago and literature would; be most'; in accordance with the purpose for which the fund was originally intended, and .would benefit the largost.numbcr. We, the undersigned, protest against the motion'carried, and reltero ourselves of all responsibility in'the ; matter!— Signed Will, D. M. Stuart, Wm. Johnstone; A: Michael Watt, J. M. Sutherland, W. S. Fitzgerald, W. Thomson,-J. "Ruhcinian, J. Steven, David Borrie, J. M'Ara, and Robert Ewen." On| the overture,.from the Dunedin. Presbytery re Bible; reading in- schools, the Rev. Mr WiLl said that the present system hail been given a fair trial, and the Syuod were afraid that Unless some v6icer-<uid a loud one, raised against .that system, many of our young would grow, up utterly ignorant of the Bibleaye, with a positive dislike to it . They did not come forward : to advocate deiiominatiohalism—they were strongly-opposed to that ' What they wanted was ; a national unsectartan system, providing that the Bible Vshouid be read in schools at certain hcurs, but with •'•a conscience clause that the children of those parents who.objected need not attend. The Rev. L. Mackib seconded, saying this was the time for them to speak out their minds and take action. .','.'■:'.'. ","; '•' ;