PASTORAL LETTER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 19 March 1913, Page 5

PASTORAL LETTER

BY THE BISHOP OF NELSON. W.C.T.U. AND BIBLE IN SCHOOLS. The Bishop of Nelson has issued the following letter to the clergy of the Dio'cese : Bishopdale. Nelson. March 19th, 1913. To the Clergy, The Diocese of Nelson. N.Z. Aly Dear Brethren.—The two great topics of Temperance Reform and the Bible in State Schools are at the present time agitating the public mind, and there appears to be imminetn danger of imperilling both, owing to the thoughtless course of action adopted by some of the advocates of the former. I therefore desire to call your attention to. acid to make some comments on, the following resolution passed at the recent Convention of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, held in Nelson, viz. : "That this Convention express its disapproval of the Bible in State Schools' League platform." (1) The action of,this Convention has involved every branch of the W.C.T.U. in this disapproval. (2) The Convention has been astutely misled into passing a. resolution which brings the Union into direct conflict with the studied policy of religious education adopted by the highest, courts of the Anglican, Presbyterian, and Methodist Churches, and of the Salvation Army. These religious bodies embrace over 74 per cent, of the electors of the Dominion. (3) All temperance reformers, including the W.C.T.U..relying upon the assistance and moral force of these churches, are at the present time endeavouring to persuade the electors to vote for the reduction of the majority now required by law in order to carry Prohibition. * They demand that the question shall be decided by a majority on the political principle that the majority shall rule. (4f This right which the W.C.T.U. is demanding {for -the . Temperance platform it denies to the platform of the Bible in Schools' League. It says to the Churches associated in this latter movement: We depend on you to vote for the principle that the majority shall rule in temperance reform ; but to the Bible in State Schools' platform which you are advocating, we have decided that you shall not have this right; the majority must not rule in your case! While I' leave it to your common sense, and to the common sense of yoiir people; to make any further comments you "may think desirable, I feel the responsibility of asking you to see to it that our 'Christian women, who are members -of the W.C.T.U.. are not cajoled into selling the principles of God, home, and humanity at the dictation of misleading leadership. I venture to suggest that it may even be the dutv of our Christian women to withdraw from the Union unless the branches to which they belong immediately repudiate the resolution carried at the' Convention. and express their regret that the Convention was so misled as to pass a resolution which brings the Union into conflict with the principles of reli'ffioua education adopted by the majority of the Christian electors in the Dominion, and 'which is calculated to be the destruction of the principles which all temperance reformers are now endeavouring to place before the public.