THE BIBLE IN THE SCHOOLS.

Evening Star, Issue 4955, 20 January 1879, Page 1

THE BIBLE IN THE SCHOOLS.

vVii have a great and well-founded~objett£io)a to pass the tureshold of religious controTfiJfsy, or descend into the, theological arena as 'champions-' of any 'particular principle a dogma. So long as they confine' thihnselves strictly within the; liipit. of their 1 functions no person could jpqslibly' object to ministers and .elders lighting battles and declaring what views they may please with regard to the polity, and practice of the body ovei.‘ which tney preside. . When they g* outside their Own boundaries, so to say, and assume to interfere, with the general policy of’the State, we conceive ! that tbhii speech and action ar e and are open to criticism by the cosmopolitan Press, The. Dunedin Presbytery has iifitiatod, the Synod has taken up, and a meeting almost exclusively ‘ Presbyterian endorsed, a movement to disturb the* existing system of education in the public‘schools with the purpose of introducing religions instruction as an element in the ordinary course of teaching. This design -is to some extent veiled under the spec ions'pretext—it can be considered nothing less—of •* reading the Bible in schools” ; but a glahce at the reports of the proceedings, ot the Presbytery, the Synod, and the meeting on Friday last is absolutely convincing, that “ religious- instruction” is what is aimed at, and, moreover, religious instruction in accordance with the tenets of the Presbyterian Church. T>r Copiakd, in moving the overture with the many “ whereases 11 which seemed to afford so much amusement to tub Attorney ■iGeneiaJ, distinctly asserted, although it was certainly dragged out of him by a question from the Moderator, that he would, have the Bible read and instruction given from it as from any book of history, which instruction of necessity must vary in iter-character according to the religious bias of tbefeacber; and, we have good authority fpr the belief that the Devil , himself can *- quote Scripture in support of his peculiar * vieWa upon matters, of faith aud morality, the field opened would appear to be a wide one. In the Synod, when Dr Copland’s over-ture-was under discussion, we find thht the members clerical and lay who warxnlj’ supported it gave no uncertain voice in Die matter. For example, when the liev. Mr Bannbrman stated that lie “ should like to know.what -part of "the overture explained that it sought to - establish religious' instruction,” the Rev. Mr Will replied : "It does not state those specific words.. It does mat state any more than ,the reading of she Bible,. But the meaning of the overture is for religious instruction, though it may not be expressed in these words.” The Moderator signified his agreement with the interpretation, <»nd Mr. A.-- C, BeGg, who speaks “ with "authority and not as the senhe*,* confirmed this in most unmiatakeable terms, saying that “the Biblb,wbhld;be toadc a textbook of, and the children 'would be asked questions upon it as they would in any ordinary book.” Such questions', no doubt, • would be, if Mr Begg and his friend* bad their way, in the exact form as they •appear in the Shorter Catechism. At the meetings again, tiie Rev. Lindsay Macule moved the .first resolution in the. following terms? “ That inasmuch as any system of education which does not provide, for rtligious Jn«<rwe-' lion is in the opinion of this meeting defective, it is desirable that' the daily reading of the Bible be established by law,” and the whole tenor of his speech in support of this'was to the effect that the educational system of the Colony should be religious instead of secular. They were met,” he said, “ simply, to contend that the national system should!be religious. They held that a religious System was preferable to a secular or Mttieaiarian system.” This little word “uneectarian ” slipping in furnishes the key to what Mr Mackxe and those who think with him mean by “religious education,” namely, as we have before intimated, education- in the tenets of the Presbyterian Church, But, lest there should be any room for 'misapprehension, Mr Mackes, towards/ the close of his speech, ia thus reported to have expressed himself:—.“lt wan said that the parents and the. Church should see to religious instruction; but both had a right to turn round and insiot on the State, since it had,undertaken the.’duty of educating ■> the young, making that instruction complete.” .

• Taking into consideration .the points -ire have alleged, there can be ho possible doubt that the agitation now originated is in favor not of Bible reading in the schools as proposed in the original draft of the Education. Bill as brought down by the Atriksdw Ministry, but of instruction in the principles' of faith and morality, the Bible being simply used as a text-book. The two systems are essentially different, although thelfirst is not open to the many grave objections which present themselves against thesecond. It must be. admitted, however, thatT.th© Presbyterian body- take up-a logical position in the views they advocate,; whilst , those who contend for the mere readme of a chapter once or twice a day have ho ground to stand upon. The practice certainly has never been found to inculcate religion - nor in the method and manner in which the reading must necessarily be done is'it'-at all likely to serve any useful purpose, either as a moral, historical, or rhetorical lessoh.' -ylt is idle to dilate, in the ears of men of- tfh-y culture or education, upon the pdetjt,. Jiterary, and moral excellencies of. the ,ha6kfcbf hooka. Apart from the., question inspiration, which invests it in .the,.eyes of many millions with a “.beauty-of holmes ” derived from no earthly- source" ~6r ‘«j»cumstance, and leads the “pod.- frail • creatures of a day ” to look into its cages for strength, comfort, and consideration in all the varied accidents of life, the Bible stands alone as the perfect idea*, of Sublimity in ethics, of grandeur and simplicity in poetic conception, and as a g<?dc of philosophy not founded on the dogmas of schools, hut resting upon a marvellous knowledge of the inmost workings of the human heart. Tiie translations ordinarily in use, although by no* means perfect as representing the complete sense of the original, are models of library style. The English language, embalmed in the living words of genius through many generations, finds expression nowhere in such force and beauty as in the authorised version of the Book of Jon and the propact Isaiah, nowhere charms with such sweet pathos as in the Psalms of David. Xone but fools or drivellers would exclude the youth of the ‘Colony from the perusal and study of such a book, and it is a gross misrepresentation to stigmatise those who approve of the secular system as being opposed to the reading or teaching of the Bible. . Phis is indeed nothing- but .a mere cry got up for the purpose of carry ingjnlterior ends—of establishing, under this very plausible pretext, deuominatioUalism of the most narrow sectarian character. What did Mr E. B. Cargill say, addressing the meeting on Friday?—“lf they looked bock to the early settlement of Otago they would find that one of the original and great inducements held out tp them in leaving the %T tr y ,y as they would enjoy in ?. P°^D T “11 the blessings of civil and rohgmus liberty which their forefathers had conferred. l This liberty .depended mainly ob the free possession' of the Bible.”. This- is surely plain enough for “ those who run ” to “read.” The teaching of the Free Chnrek of Scotland is to be confirmed and perpetuated in the public schools of the Prormcial District of Otago J It is manifestly impossible within the limits of an article to dispose even of one phase of the question, now, ire think, with great want ■of judgment, raised by a section of thi Presbyterian body. Ob this ooca-

sion, we h?,ve only sought to put fairly before," the public the real point at issue, namely; Is religious education to be undertaken by the State or left to those who are naturally and properly charged with the duty.-fthe parents of children and the ministers of the Churches? The present agitation, if it has any practical result, can only tend to strengthen the hands of the denominationalists. The arguments of the Rev. Dr Copland, Rev. Mr Will, Mr A. C. ! BkGO, Mr E. B. Cargill, and others. directly favor the acknowledgment of the . principles of that system, which has been everywhere condemned as inapplicable to ; national education under institutions absolutely free and in the absence of a State Church, Earnest-minded men must be pre- , pared to face the consequences which are imminent upon their no doubt conscientious endeavors to leaven the secular teaching of the Otago schools with what they consider sound , precepts of religious faith and prac- < fice. They may set the ball rolling; where will it be stopped ?