Pastoral Letter On Religion In Schools

Northern Advocate, 9 May 1938, Page 10

Pastoral Letter On Religion In Schools

, ISpecinl To "Northern Advocate ”J i AUCKLAND, This Day. ; A pastoral letter from Archbishop Averill, as Bishop of Auckland, cail- ; ing attention to the proposed abolition lof the daily voluntai’y religious exeri cises in , schools, was read in all ! Anglican Churches of the diocese yes- | terday. j The letter stated that, at the present 'time, such observances were being ! conducted in over 400 schools of the j Dominion, of which 140 were in the j Auckland Province, with the permisIsion of the various education boards, i the consent of the school committees, j and the approval of the parents, i Voluntary System. I The system was perfectly voluntary • for both children and teachers, and ' school committees were quite within i their rights in granting the use of the I schools for such a purpose, outside I school hours, as the Education Act, 11914. gave to school committees the right to grant “as it deemed fit, the use of school buildings for the purpose of moral and religious instruction” outside school hours, “upon such terms as the committee may from time to time prescribe.” Rights Must Not be Curtailed. “I would earnestly appeal to individuals and congregations to place before the Education Committee of the House of Representatives an urgent request that the present rights of Christian parents and children in connection with our national system of education should be neither curtailed nor removed,” the pastoral concluded. ! The Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta, the Hon. J. C. Bowen, who has refused to leave Government House, which the Social Credit Government wishes to close, has agreed to sign the necessary Order-in-Council and vacate the residence on Thursday. j * ♦ * • j An answer to a question asked in I the House of Commons shows that British exports of aircraft in the year ended March 31 included 89 machines to Australia and 60 to New Zealand.