THE REV R. R. M. SUTHERLAND AND THE BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS REFERENDUM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13268, 27 April 1905, Page 10

THE REV R. R. M. SUTHERLAND AND THE BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS REFERENDUM.

TO THE EDITOR. Slit,—May. respectfully ask 'the Rev. Mr Sutherland to step down a little? There is just a touch bf ,professional hauteur about his letter; which'he lias not boon altogether successful'm concealing. The few " elementary" questions lie. asks are " elementary ." indeed-so elementary, that at this stage of the . Bible-in-schopls' discussion they have bsoome absolutely stale ;■ and to me especially fio, as they wero mostly all dealt with in letter he has done, me the honour ,to notice. ""I shall' be. quite willing, however, to go over ..the, ground again. providing the Rev. Mr Sutherland will bo good enough to define some, of the .terms lie uses./ What, for -instance,. (locs lie mean - by' tlio words " the people," so frcqnent.lv used in his short letter? Will lie stato distinctly whether by that expression ho means the \vholo of the people, young and old, residing in the colony, or only such portion of them as may vote for tlio introduction of the Bible into the State schools in the-event of a referendum vote being taken?: Again, what does lie mein by the "morality of tlio Bible"? Will ho also state how tlio "morality" .of tho Bible differs in kind' from other .moral teaobing, and, if it does, how this differentiated morality is to lie-distinguished from tho religion of the Bible? ' But "really these questions raised by the reverend gentleman are puerile and wearisome. Tho question at issue, as the Rov. Mr Sutherland' must know, is 0110 which involves the religious convictions of a great number ot "the-people," .and to fence in this frivolous fashion around it is apt to compromise both his dignity and liis sincerity. Whatever the clementaries of the matter may bo, this is a fundamental aspect, and being a fundamental the Rev. Mr Sutherland should know something about it,—l am, etc., I . V . AY. M. Bolt.