SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 14037, 19 April 1909, Page 6

SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

TO THE EDITOB. Sir, —In the majority of the day schools of the United States, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Switzerland, and South Africa the Bible is read daily, but New Zealand banished the Bible from the State schools some thirty-five years ago, with the result that there is a great percentage of young men, native-born, in our gaols, besides the effects seen in other directions. Parents who desire to see their children get the highest possible training during the short school life are urged to work for the restoration of the Bible to our schools by attending the annual meeting of householders on Monday, 26th inst., and only voting for candidates who are pledged to get the school committee to take a local referendum on Bible-reading. If a public hall has been engaged for the annual meeting, two blackboards should be provided, one for the list of candidates who are “ For Referendum on Bible-rcad-ing ” and the other for the list of those “ Against Referendum.” The referendum could be easily taken with the aid of the children, each parent to have supplied within thirty days a voting paper with the following questions thereon, to be signed and returned :—-jl) I agree to allow my child to take part in a daily Bible-reading at the State school. (21 I object to my child taking part in a daily Bible-reading at the State school. Voters to cross off the clause they object to. If the 2,000 school committees in the Dominion find parents are favorable, Parliament will bn approached this session.—l am, etc., S. Peassox. Wellington, April 15.