BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS

Evening Star, Issue 19612, 19 July 1927, Page 1

BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS

COMPILATION OF LESSONS HEW CLAUSE IN BILL [Bi Ode Pakliamentaei Eipoeteb.L WELLINGTON, July 18. An important addition has been made .to the Religious Exercises in Schools Bill, as introduced by Mr Holland (Christchurch North). The opening clauses follow the lines of the Bill introduced in the Council last session, but the clause prescribing the duration of daily religious exercise has been amended to provide for a definite period of fifteen minutes, instead of the former provision “ not exceeding twenty minutes.” An endeavor is made in the new Bill to provide means, whereby Christian congregations'can secure agreement on the nature of the Bible lesson to : be prescribed. The Bill, if passed, comes into operation on January 1 nest, and a new clause appears directing a meeting of representatives of the Christian churches in November, 1927, convened by the Minister of Education, to compile a manual of Bible lessons. This conference, according to clause 3, would be constituted as follows: “Every church claiming to be a Christian church, and having not less than 2.000 adherents, according to the census taken in 1921, shall be entitled tn send one delegate to the said meeting and to send an additional delegate for every 100,000 of its adherents, as shown by the said clauses, and a further additional delegate for any number of adherents not less than 50,000 in ■ excess of any complete number of 100,000.”