BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 9 March 1914, Page 6

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

{To the Editor.)

I Sir, —The earliest attempt to provide f a national system of education for NewZealand appears to have been made in f 1847, when one of its clauses enacted : "Religious teaching should form a necessary part of the system to be pursued in any school supported by the public funds." This is in strict accord ■with the spirit of all British legislation for hundreds of years 'back. And to its honour be it said that the youthful ► settlement of Nelson had forestalled this legislation by three years, when, in 1844, the "Nelson School Society" was founded by the late Mr Matthew Campbell. This was the earliest attempt to provide a public system of education in Nelson. And in all its schools "the Bible was" read as the opening lesson of each school day." It had schools at Nelson, Stoke,' Hope, Ranzau, River Terrace, and Upper "Wakefield—a pioneer, but brave attempt to in that early day a public system of education. There were a few other schools, private or denominational, but in all of these religious instruction was imparted. during school hours. _ In 1852 New 'Zealand received legislative independence, and was divided into six provinces, Nelson, being one of them; and at ithe second session of the Provincial Council it appointed a Commission "to inquire into a suitable system of education for the province." The late Dr. Greenwood was the chairman of that Commission, and it- reported "that it was equally the duty and the interest of the State* to promote secular, without discouraging religious teaching," adding that to prohibit religious teach- i ing altogether Would not only be oppos-; ed to tne feelings and conviction of great numbers, iperhaps a majority of the whole population, but would in reality be a State interference of the most arbitrary and illogical description." Before issuing their report the Commission took a referendum over, a limited area, and found, amid a diversity of opinion, that all were in favour of religious teaching being' imparted during school hours. An that in all the primary schools of that day (1855} such religious teaching was imparted during school hours. In consequence of this report, the Provincial Council, in its Education Act (1856) inserted .aclause (37) where "religious instruction of a. non-controversial character" was pro'vided for. In 1867 a second referendum over a limited area was taken— Riwaka—and ' every parent - in' the district pronounced in favour of the Bible being read, during school hours. - In 1873 another and' last attempt was made to delete the religious clause from the Nelson Provincial Education Act (1856) so as to make it, like the present one, a purely secular Act; but it met with an overwhelming defeat- at the hands of the parents—lloo c'f whom recorded their votes against it, whilst only 134 were found ill favour. After this last and crushing defeat the religious clause? of the Act was not- again interfered with until the present Education Act (1877') became the law of the land. And that Act, in its original form, provided for "The reading of the Bible' and the use of the Lord's Prayer at the opening of each school day." And in this foVm the Act passed the Lower House, in consequence of the numerous - petitions from every quarter of New-Zealand in'support of it, whilst only one petition was tabled against- it-. And it is' a significant fact which ought not to be lost sight of, ' that that petition was from the "Free Thought Society 'of Dunedin." 'This .reasonable provision for religious teach-, ing was, however, struck out from the Act in its passage through the Upper House, by a majority of ONE!!! One man against a nation! And thus, for the first time in the history of British or New Zealand, legislation, the Bible was'deposed, by law, from-its rightful place of authority in our public schools. I am, etc., , HEADER.