BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16567, 3 June 1914, Page 14

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

FAVOURED BY QUEENSLAND PREMIER, (FROM A CJOBUESrONDKNT.) AUCKLAND, June 2. WarM commendation of the Queensland system of Bible rending m State schools was oxpvessed by the Hon Digby Denham, Premier of Queensland, who was interviewed in Auckland on his arrival from America by the Niagara. "Personally I voted against the introduction of Bible _read--sng intoV State' schools,?' declared Mr Jwnhais. " I anl a Free Churchman, and inherently have an .objection to vhat'fs called State aid,' and-it seemed w> ma thai this-,.was an incipient form of Sta 4 aid, and on this account 1 opposed it. When the referendum had been taken I was -a- member _ot -the Administration that passed the Bill giving effect to the decision of the people:' Now, as a result of all I have seen and of inquiries I have made, 1 am prepared/to say that if the opportunity came to mo again I should vote for the introduction of Bible reading instead of opposing it, as I did on a former occasion.'.' Discussing a suggestion' that the entrance of ministers into the, schools would be productive, of, friction, Denham said thai, in Queensland the ministers so arranged in their districts that overlapping and contusion were avoided. The visits by clergymen were welcomed by the. teachers, and the system was in' every respect working sinoofhly., ,-, •■. 1 ..... ..,■,..■■: ■■: ~ [Pra Press Association.] DUNEDIN, June 2. nieVDunedin .•Presbytery toW earned the followng Hesolutidn- moved °v, professor Dkkie, of Kno^.College:-''This meeting pledges itself to support-the platfom of the Bible in State Schools League agreed- upon General Assemblies of ■ the Church, and requests that a referendum of the whole of the people of the .dominion be taken upon the question. This meeting expresses the •conViction-y that inasmuch as the referendum has been repeatedly requested by,,the, respective governing courts of four, denominations, representing \ ' 1o per •■• cent lof • the population, which request, has" been reiterated by the constituencies of iliese denominations and further endorsed by a request in writing; eighed "by upwards (A 140,000 individual electors, the Gov-' OTnment is more than ■ amply .justified jrr facilitating the wishes of such a large proportion,of the people. Moreover, as the'request is not asking the. Government to decide on the.merits of the League proposals, but to allow the people of the-dominion to come to a di&sion themselves- on the matter, this%eeting' ; would 'regret any -action on the part of the r T Qvernment which, bv letvMg the,.qiiestion standing over, Would ■ constitute' it a disturbing factor lit the next general'"election.

TO THB EWTOK. Sir.r-Some time ago the Rev J. R. Hewland,' endeavoured to find an endorsement of the New" South Wales systenV of religious.;' teaching in tho Royal' 'Cbmraissibn 'Report of New, South. Wales,'. 1904;. and he quoted the . following passage:—" Our own ktate (New South Wales) seems to have made the best attempt at solving the diihculty of religious instruction in schools by the facility .it. gives clergymen and accredited teachers- under Clause 1/ ot the Public Instruction' Act, and by the excellent' Scriptural., instruction contained-.™ -. the! Irish Rational, Scripture books which are still in daily iiseThis is the recommendation of the Commission to which',New South Wales gave itV endorsement; by leaving the : system of religious instruction untouchled," though much else was altered. | There-are'three serious errors in this • quotation, one of which the Rev J. R. Btewland hasisince.admitted, namely, tb/at"the last-sentence of the quotation i'is not to be found in the- report at all.. Secondly, the remainder down i to " still in daily use " is not a recommendation of the Commission. It is merely, a casual reference made by Mr Turner jn-a:report, on the French system of education covering some 650 lines. It is in nq, 6ense a recommendation, either by the Conimission or by Mr Turner. ,;''/ , £; 1 'J.'.''L i '•'■:■'■ '''■■'■ , The third serious error is seen' when it is stated that''the above quotation is introduced by the following sentence from,.. Mr Turner:—" One's personal views on the value of religious teaching to children of publip school age need not be intruded here." • Following the quotation we -find, ,the following :-r-" The moral and cml side of school instruction »in, France is,strongly emphasised. 1 The" teaching "given "in" the nanie of ?ivil societyy'-' says s the 1900 report, 'draws its principal strength from its essentially secular spirit, opposed to all sectarianism, and profoundly respectful of the rights of conscience.'" I would especially commend the last sentence to Mr Rowland's earnest attention. ■ **» ; *>£-"■ '

Will the Rev J. R,Hewland ,now turn to wilhfind under the heading.o%" Scheme of Ethical and .Religious .Instruction for New'.'South Wales,*.Section 13, the following:—"' A'scheme of ethical instructiott^%ery.'shnila"rii'des.to the French, whicpi ). is, at" ojiceT.noble,. and as; regards religious differ,eh<qie"s.. ,'neu.fcral, is much _to be desired/'.';*!' liirithis report, on which this'-recomrhendatiorisis based, we find the j following;:—'' Much';may be ; said for >the French", system, which aims at bringing about : the close, association •of all children during the period of primary education, so'that natural sympathy and respect shall tend to annihilate" sectarian'' bigotry^-"£ I hope Mr Hewland wilF'ag'aitf 4 respectfully'' consider those, last .Jew,, words.,.'.. Concerning the New' South.. Wales system, the report' states:— : "The present system is seriously-defective in regard to it** echeroe of influencing, the* ideals of childhood." v ' - Hd* can the-Rev J - B. Hewland justify his attempt to,construe a casual remark of -"She Commissioner.' ;prefaced by a ..disavowal of giving Ills personal opinions, as'if it''were "a recommendation by the Commission? ; In actual fact the Recommendation on Religious Instruction> ; ,the::whole of contained in forty-five lines on page-157, devotes thirty-seven lines to the recommendatioh;:o'f'the French'secular moral. instruction.-■••!"• the remaining eight; lines we find no recommendation whatever for the Scripture lessons given under compulsion by the State teachers. The, whole • eight lines show that .the clergy sadly neglect their opportunities under tho right of entry, and actually suggesV 'ihe'-tiecessity of a circular to clergymen calling attention to the provisions of the Act. ... Mr Hewland's futile attempt to secure even a few'lines of unbiased cominendivtion fmm a report containing6lß large pages, throws a striking light on the nature' of tho thirty-six pages of evidence flourished by the League, obtained from.less than one per cent of the teachera-iriAustralia.' -■■•■ . . As the' above defers to the original topic of discussion, namely, Australian flvidence. I defer mention to any sidetracks Mr Hewland'=w-ishcstO T raise till this point, is. settled. Then I. shall bo rery' pleased to tackle . him there.—l tm.vetc.,,.. C HtJRCHMAN.