BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVIII, Issue 12945, 13 October 1902, Page 2

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

<. ITS INTRODUCTION URGED. When laying the foundation-stone of the new St Saviour's Sunday School at Sydenham on Saturday afternoon, Sir John Hall said that Sunday schools were specially <se- . sirable and necessary in New Zealand. Although an excellent system of secular teaching, was provided it was, to his mind, a lamentable fact that the Word of God and the very name of God were not heard in the publio schools. Children passed through many years of teaching without having any of the fcruoor practical lessons Christianity brought before them. That was a ~ strong reason why the. people of New Zealand should support Sunday schools. He was glad to know that they were very largely supported. Dean Harper, who spoke later on, said that a movement was on foot to endeavour to have-'simple Bible-reading in the public schools, and the reoiting of the Lord's prayer at the commencement of the day's 1 work. It was impossible for him to say whether the movement would be successful or not. It was his earnest hope that success would be achieved, and that once more the' Bible would 'be read in the great and good State schools of the colony, while the Lord's Prayer was heard within their,walls. It went without saying that religious teaching in the day schools would not do away with the necessity for instruction in the Sunday sohools. People could look to only the latter for that distinctive -church-teach-ing which many of them had learnt to respect. Through their own parochial schools they could impart their own particular views of religion. The proposed change, it was clear, should in no way supersede the work in. the Sunday schools.