BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13386, 12 September 1905, Page 2

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

DECISION or THE ALBAW SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

The rcplnr mailing 0 f tho Albany Stmt school Committee was hold lost evening, there being present-Messrs J. 11. Wiltiiison ( m th" chair) J. Nugent, A. Aitken,

Tho.following fetter from tlio Rev. I. K. Mlntyro on the subject of Biblo-ieading ill schools was submitted to tho meeting:- ■ ttA, a ,P"^ lic » eo « n e hold in St. Stephen's Hall, Howe street, on Thursday evening, -4th August, tho. following resolution was carried unanimously:-"That this mcotiw most heartily approves of tho proposal of ministers of religion in Leith Ward that, as m Nelson and other ptacss, facilities offered by tho Education Act should bo taken advantage of to; tho extent of utilising one-half hour onco a week {or Bible lessons, the committees .arranging that on tile Bible lesson i! 'o the schools shall open half an hour later than on Hio other four days of the week, andthis meeting appoale to the committees conoomed to grant tho permission that has already be?n : asked, for. , that this proposal may. bo carried into effeot." L.beg leavo to pass on this resolutionyour committee, in the earnest .hopo-that;..you may see your way to reconsider the position and grant the permission asked fo;. I -would assure your committee thati notwithstanding all that has been insinuated; in; the newspapers to the contrary, only one motive prompts our application—tho good of the children attending the school. It i 3 matter, for satisfaction that tho ground has been considerably cleared; of difficulties Binco our first application. • All are now agreed that the Lducation Act '.leaves the, committee a fres-hand.'t in regard to Mr Duncan Wright, there blight never to havo been any difficulty. Our movement was not calculated to interfere with'his classes in tho very least; and tho fact that .in the three schools in question, on the most liberal calculation, only SK) attend classes,Vwliile>l3oo do ndt, makesit impossible to/.afQrmthqtJlr Wright.is; doing.

oil that, needs to be done..'. Moreover,'; we ;are quito willing that Mr Wright should take part; with us in tho work of teaching, if ho is so dispo&Sd. As to thi syllabus difficulty, tho testimony of, head /misters- in schools where ; the lesson is givon is fitted to reassure the committee on this point. Lot mo point out to the committco also that a canvass of 'tho ( parents, 60 fa# as it has been taken, reveals the fact that over 90J per cent, have expressed themselves in favour of our request being grunted. The committco will pardon me if M. suggest that it . will incur a very, serious responsibility if it again declines to grant tho permission sought for. , Tho Chairman said as they woro aware this was the third occasion on w{iich this matter of the Bible in schools had been brought under tho notice' of tho committee. Ho did not know that anything. fresh had transpired since they fifot considered the' matter, except that a meeting had boon held in the Howe Street Hall to discuss tho question, and a. resolution was passed, which had now boon passed on to tho committee , for consideration. As they were aware, he *fas a membor of the City Mission Committee as well as of the School Committee, and while he hail refrained from emphasising tho fact formally, still, when they saw ■ theso frequent references to Air Wright's work—references that ho did not think wero altogether made in a commendable or graceful spirit,—ho thought thai-■ worl; should bo recognised. At the present timo tho enfchusiastio advocates for tho.Biblo in schools should have been the first to bestow a meed of praise upon Mr Wright for tho splendid work ho had carried out in this direotion for a minibor of years. Howover, no such praise had been bestowed, upon him, and thoy.-found from tho letter that " we aro quito willing that Mr Wright should tako part with 113 in (ho work <<I teaching, if he is so disposed." Ho thought thoro had been a huge blunder in this work of reform,' and that Mr Wright should havo been tho first to bo consulted in the matter. It might then havo been pa=siblo to havo arranged' some plan' whereby the desiro of all could havo been attained. However, that was wit done, and the references had boon somewhat disparaging in character, and calculated to lesson interest in tho matter. He tool: very groat exception to tho last sentcrico in tho letter, which was, "Tlio committee will pardon 1110 if I suggest that it will incur a very serious responsibility if it again declines to grant tho permission sought for." While they admired the persistency with which Mr M'lntyro had advomed, this )0form, and gave Jiim all credit for Ins convictions, the members of a commit t<M v/cro also entitled to havo their convictions. He thought a Bpirit of toleration should Le displayed. -They, as a school committee, woro as much interested in tho spiritual well-being of tho. children as tho writer of this letter, and ho thought the Icrtcr ivas calculated to arouse antagonism rather than awaken interest in thi3 matter. Tho chairman (Mr Dempster) was absent from town, but thought tho committco must Abide by tho decision formerly arrived at when thoy had this matter under consideration Mr Nugent: That clause about tho 90£ per cent. How docs he got his authority for that?

Mr Mitchell: They a r i suppM'id to have canvassed. Tho Chairman: Let mo point out that a ci"n<tss of parents was made, and So£ per cjnt. were in. favour of tho movement. Mr Nugent: It is rather a vague suggestion. Tt does not represent our district. , Mr Mitchell paid thero had been a great want of courtesy in tho way this matter had boon gono about. Thoy had ignored Mr Wright, who had said ho had not been consulted. Ho moved that the ccmmitteo adheres to its former resolution. • Tho Chairman: And declines tho request... Mr Brooko seconded tho motion, which was carried unanimously.

THE MORNINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE. At the ordinary meeting of tho Mornington School Committee, held last evening, Iho following oorrespondoneo dealing with the subject of Bible-reading on schools was read:—"Otago Education Board Office, August 16, 1805. Tho Secretary of Mornington School Committee. Sir,—By direction of tho Education Board I have to forward for your committee's information the enclosed copy of a letter received from the National Education Defence League, alleging that your committeo has infringed tho Education Act in that it has permitted religious instruction to bo given during school hours. Tho /board will be glad to have sfrom your committee , any remarks upon this communication which it feels disposed to make.—l am, ote., S. M. Park, Acting Secretary." Tlio enclosure accompanying tho board'i communication was as follows:—"Dunodin,. 2nd August, .1905. The Secretary Otago Education Board. Sir,—At a .neeting of the executive of the National Education Defenco League held on .luly 21, 1805, tho following resolution was passed, and I was instructed to forward tho samo to you with a request that yon kindly placo it under tho notice of your board— I 'That tho attontion of the Otago Education Eoard bo called to tho infringement of tho Education Act by the Mornington School Committeo in permitting religious instruction during school hours.'—(Sfigned) John .Tout, jon., lion. see. National Education Defence League." Tho reading of the letters provoked no discussion, and it was. resolved to reply to the hoard's communication that the committee was not aware that it had infringed the Education Act.