BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

Evening Star, Issue 19891, 13 June 1928, Page 3

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

AK ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING INTRODUCTION OF BILL “The absence of Die Bible from the schools for the last fifty years is largely responsible for the wave of crime that has been sweeping over the country, the children not having been taught to love and fear God,” said Mr H. Holland, M.P. for Christchurch North, in the course of an address to a largelyattended meeting of the New Zealand Bible-in-schools League at First Church Hall yesterday afternoon. Mr J. J. Clark occupied the chair, and apologised for the absence of a number of prominent workers in the league. Dr Gibb regretted exceedingly his inability to be present, and Dr Lawson (president of the league in Dunedin) and Mr T. 11. Fleming (vice-president) were also unable to be present. fn introducing Mr Holland (who had fathered the Bible-in-schools Bill through t he House) to the meeting, the Chairman said that Mr Holland’s great work as Mayor of Christchurch during tho war years was known to everyone. Mr Clark referred to the strong effort last session to make the Bible in schools law, and said that, though this had not been accomplished, the reverse had made its supporters all the more determined to carry on until their work was accomplished. (Applause.) Mr Holland said he was a supporter oi the work because he thought that it was for tho moral and spiritual good of the children of the dominion. Ho knew that when the Bill next went through the House of Representatives Sir James Allen would take charge of it in the Legislative Council, and it could nob he in more capable hands. The present Education Act came into force in 1877, and in it there was a clause which stated that teaching should be secular throughout. No one seemed to know how that word “ secular ” had got. into the Act, and it was the opinion of a good many able men that it should have been “non-sec-tarian.” They all knew that the word “secular” was not acceptable to the people of to-day, or, for that matter, of the last fifty years, and they were trying to get it removed from the Act so that the Bible could take its proper place in the schools. He could not see that the beautiful lessons of the Bible or tho singing of a hymn could be harmful to the minds nr morals of the children.

Speaking of the strength of the Bible-in-schools’ movement, Mr Holland went on to point out that tho league numbered 41,000 signed-up members; and that it had conducted a plebiscite of parents throughout the dominion, as far as possible, the result being that an average of 81 per cent, wore in favour of the movement and only 19 per. cent, against.. The Bill provided that a provisional committee should be set up, representing the Christian community, to prepare a Bible manual and select certain hymns. On four days a week the children would be asked to repeat the Lord’s Prayer, to sing a hymn (acceptable to the united churches), and to repeat portions of Scripture. There were 2,600 State schools in New Zealand, 1,500 being scattered about all over the country districts, and it would he impossible to obtain voluntary workers to take Bihio lessons in all these schools. It was said that the ministers or clergy ought to take on tho work, hut there were only 1,340 of all denominations, including Roman Catholics, and many of them were superannuated ministers unable to do the work. Ho mentioned that a year ago Sir James Parr had declared that only 10,000 children in New Zealand out of 230,000 were benefiting by tho Nelson system, which meant that over 200,000 were receiving no religious instruction.

If I he Government was not prepared in take the movement up by making it a Government Bill, I be speaker continued, then a referendum should lie taken, and the league would be qin'te prepared to abide by the decision of the parents and electors of Now Zealand. It seemed deplorable and humiliating, however, that in a Christian community an Act of Parliament should bo necessary to introduce God’s Word into the State schools. The school, of all places, was just the place where the Bible should be read. (Applause.) Magistrates wero often complaining about a lack of home training. So, was it reasonable to expect that the parents, who were the subject of such criticism, would take an interest in the spiritual training of their children? The Bill had received more consideration than any other lie knew’ of—it was not a sudden impulse, for it had been under consideration for more than fifty years. He pointed out that the Church of England, representing 4B per cent, of the total population of Now Zealand, was unanimously and whole-heartedly behind the Bill, and only one bishop did not support if, and not because lie was opposed to it, but because he thought it did not go far enough. The Presbyterian Genera! Assemblies had passed unanimous resolutions in favour of the Bill, the Methodist and Baptist Churches, Salvation Army, Congregational Church, Brethren, and Church of Christ were nil supporters of the Bill, and many other little communities favoured it. The churches supporting it had 1,KM),000 adVronts, and though many of them were young in years lie thought that in church matters, as in law, parents should he allowed to speak for their children. Only two of nine education boards had refused the league permission to examine the school rolls, these being Nelson and Taranaki, so they could claim that the boards were not. opposed to the Bill. H was untrue to .say that the teachers wero opposed to the Bill, the number of teachers opposed to it having been grossly exaggerated. And if they were, was it not the children who should benefit from the money expended on education? When the division was taken in Parliament in 1927 not one Lnbour_ member voted for the Bill, and Mr Sidey was the only Nationalist to support the Bill. Mr Holland went on to explain why the Bill had been defeated, and said that his Bill had really been talked out of the House before it came on. It had taken twenty weeks for it to come on, and thanks were due to the Prime Minister for the assistance he had given in having it brought on after it had dropped down the order paper. They had the opinion now of the Director of Education that if Bible leaching was in its proper setting it would he impossible to exclude the Bible in the schools any more. (Applause.) the I’ev. Is. 0. Blamircs, one of the organising secretaries of the league, also addressed the meeting, and said that the gathering was one of a series that was being hold throughout the country to demonstrate that the citizens and parents desired a. reintroduction of the Bible in the school; and to express dissatisfaction with the Nelson system ns an adequate solution of the problem before them. Tin Nelson system was still the ‘‘ Bible out of schools,” for. under that system, the school buildings could only In granted to ministers who went in at such .hours when the buildings were not used for school purposes. The Nelson system reached the child only once a week for half an hour, while then '■system would reach the children at least four days a week. The speaker snoke of the enthusiastic meetings that had been held at Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, and Masterton, and the country would be well covered in an effort to indicate that the ,’veople were behind the movement. Speakers who assisted them included representatives of religion, education, and politics, and indications pointed to increased support for the Bible-in-Schools League this year by religions bodies. As the Director of Education thenght it advisable that there should be a sample of the book to be used as a Bible manual, certain principles had boon laid down in regard to it.

Firstly, the authorised version would be used, and the second principle was that no passage should ho inserted where there was any difference between the revised and Douay versions. Thirdly, there would be three divisions —junior (up to Standard II.), intermediate (Standards ill. and IV.), and senior (for children in Standards V. and VI.). The fourth principle was that in genera! arrangement the linos adopted by the Cambridge Education Committee should be followed. It was a wise thing, too, to make the manual on < in which illustrations should appear. The Bill would be reintroduced next session, and they were prepared for a long fight, through hopeful of a short one, with victory in sight. (Applause.) The; Rev. Tnlloch Ynillc moved the following resolution:—“That this meeting views as inadequate the present system of education because its entirely secular principle is a menace to moral and religious welfare, a danger to the State, and an injustice to the child, it, therefore, demands from Parliament the restoration of the Bible to the primary schools. While prepared to grant to committees the right to continue the Nelson system wherever it may be at present operating, it views as inadequate any system that does not place the Bible in the school curriculum, and can not be applied to all the primary schools of the ’oniinion.” Mrs Denton Leech seconded the reM'lution. which was carried unanimously.' a vote of thanks to the .icakcrs being moved by Mr .7. R. Wafers, and carried by acclamation.