CANON GARLAND ON THE NELSON SYSTEM.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 143, 19 June 1913, Page 2

CANON GARLAND ON THE NELSON SYSTEM.

The- members of the Wellington "Women's League met on Monday to « discuss* certain matters in connection 'with the Bible-in-Schools movement (reports the Post). Canon Garland, who was present, referred to a telegram reporting the late proceedings of the Nelson Presbytery, in which it was stated that the Assembly of the Presbyterian Church had not consulted the Presbyteries. Canon Garland said that he had received a communication from the Rev. R. E. Davies. of Knox Church, liunedin, the convener of the' Bible in State Schools Committee of the Assembly, which stated that the Assembly' of 1911 had directed every Presbytery to be consulted, and this had been done; every reply which had been received from the Presbyteries was in the affirmative, and three Presbyteries only had not reph'ed, but none haid been in the negative. . It was clear, therefore, that there was some mistake in the resolution of the Nelson Presbytery. The Nelson system asked only for right of entry, added the speaker, while the League asked that every child in the Dominion should, with-out-compulsion,- have the opportunity of reading the Bible lessons. The League's system would bring the Bible within the knowledge of every child, and place Bible lessons on the shelves of the schools—the Nelson system did nothing of the sort. Contrary to the latter's idea, the League claimed that religion should find a plaice in school as part of a child's education. The Nelson system had no legal status, providing only W undenominational grouping of children. On the other hand, the League's principle preserved denominational rights for those who preferred them, and yet gladly allowed in its working undenominational lessons yhere ministers and parents agreed in grouping the children. Thus the League's scheme made a greater number of people satisfied than any proposal Avhich had been put forward. The fact that the churches constituting the League had advocated the Australian system as their platform was proof that they had found the Nelson scheme defective.