THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20536, 10 April 1930, Page 12

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

NEW CONDITIONS OPERATE.

INSTRUCTION OUT OF HOURS.

EDUCATION BOARD'S DECISION,

MINISTERS NOT SATISFIED.

New conditions introduced into the Nelson system of Biblo instruction in schools have led to difficulties which aro exercising the minds of school teachers, parents and clergy. -"The now conditions introduced into the Nelson system of Bihle instruction in schools mako it a farce and quito unworkable," said a minister when interviewed yesterday concerning the effect of the instructions recently issued by the Education Board that all Biblo instruction must be carried on out of school hours. "How can wo induce interest in the children being taught while the lower classes or those whose parents exempt them, aro playing football outside ? The children will soon realise, also, that they do not have to attend unless they want to. Even now, in many schools, the visiting ministers have to do the marshalling of children.

"Any system that depends on the free volition of tho children, as the new instructions seem to provide forj will be a failure. It appears to many of us that the conditions existing before i;ho Rationalists intimidated the Education Department with threats of illegality will have to bo reverted to, or tho ministers will have to give the training up as a bad job."

Move to Stop Lessons. The Association of Anglican Clergy discussed the matter on Tuesday and passed a resolution that it would be advisable to stop the lessons unless the former conditions were allowed by the Education Board. The meeting decided, however, that no definite action would be taken until the Council of Christian Congregations had met. It was stated that it was useless for one denomination to drop out before the others. The case would be only weakened. Previously, the arrangement was that in most cases Bible lessons, consisting of a reading and a brief and uncontroversial non-sectarian exposition, was given for half an hour one day or more a week. Children whose parents did not wish them to attend the classes could secure exemption by writing to the teachers, and special classes were formed to provide those exempted with work. The permission to cariy out instruction was given by the school committees, who took a plebiscite of parents' opinions on the matter. Following on the Rationalist Association's threat to take legal action against committees sanctioning instruction on those lines, the Education Board sent a circular to all headmasters stating that Bible lessons must be given before the school is assembled and before the roll is called. Children desiring to attend the lessons must bring a note from their parents.

Viewpoint ol Headmaster. "We claim that the board has taken the wrong view of the legal meaning of the section of the Act," said the Rev. W. W. Averiil, vicar of All Saints' Church, Ponsonby, whose opinions on the legal aspect of the question were published in Tuesday's issue of the Herald. Ho said it appeared likely that the only way to get a definite ruling on the point was to bring the question before the Supremo Court. "Teachers have no onus placed upon thqm to force the children to be present at the Bible instruction classes," said a headmaster who stated that his views represented those of a large number of teachers. "On the morning that Bible instruction is to take place, teachers need not go to school until half an hour later, and if the lesson is taken in the last- half hour of the morning, they can leave half an hour earlier. The very essence of the Nelson system is that tho lessons shall be out of school hours, and that they shall be voluntary for pupils and teachers. The clergy are trying to 'jockey' the teachers into placing a semi-compulsion on the children."

The headmaster stated that the section of the Act in question sot out that schools should b<> kept open for five days a week- for at least four hours a day, of which at loast two hours in the morning and at least two in the afternoon should be consecutive. Teaching should be entirely secular. The principle of the Nelson system was that instead of the schools being open for 25 hours a week, they were open for only 24£. During the half-hour subtracted from the school time-table, visiting ministers could use tho school buildings for the purposes of religious training. Such lessons were out of school hours and did not concern tho teachers.

System at Ponsonby

Schools in the Ponsonby district had at first given the lessons in tho afternoons. The headmaster said that was absolutely illegal because there were not two consecutive hours of training. Tho Biblq lesson period was then changed to the last half-hour of one morning of tho week when tho school closed one halfhour earlier than usual. Whether that system worked or not depqnded on the ministers, the parents and tho pupils. The special commission of tho Auckland Presbytery set up to inquire into tho question and take action to uphold thq previous rights enjoyed under tho Nelson system, met yesterday in committee. A meeting of tho representatives of the various denominations concomed in the Biblo lessons will be held this afternoon.