BIBLE IN STATE SCHOOLS LEAGUE OF N.Z.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15748, 26 April 1913, Page 5

BIBLE IN STATE SCHOOLS LEAGUE OF N.Z.

[Published nr Abbangemot.]

OPINIONS OF EDUCATIONAL EXPERTS ON THE WORKING OF THE AUSTRALIAN SYSTEM OF RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN STATE. SCHOOLS.,, I.—NEW SOUTH WALES. THE HON. J. S. T. MacGOWEN, PREMIER OF NEW SOOTH WALES, ON BIBLE IN STATE SCHOOLS. During his visit to England, 1911, the Hon. James MacCowen, Labour Premier of Now South Wales, explained his views in tho Treasury, an illustrated magazine published by G. J. Palmer and Son, London. Asked to tell something about the education system of New South Wales, ho says: " It, is rather a long story about the working of tho education system if we begin at tho beginning, and it really began in the sixties, wnen tho watchwords of tho party popular education wero 'Free, compulsory, and secular.' They wero not irreligious nor hostilo to religion when they said 'seoular,' but they had not found an answer to the argument of tlioso who said it was not tho business of the State to teach any particular form of religion. But they held strongly that it was the duty of tho Stato to mako tho most of its citizens, that oducation wa6 a valuable national asset, and ignorance a national danger. It was the iaeas oi tho old Chartists that perhaps inspired our early leaders in education mattea's. All our schools aro free. It was not so at first; we charged a fee of'3d, allowing exemptions to those parents who were unablo to afford it. But this method ultimately had to give way to sounder policy, and in our elementary schools free education is the law. And every child has the right be taught the religion of his parents, if the religious body to which the parent belongs wall claim that right. And it works. Teachers of religion in our schools need .not always be clergymen; jf they are accredited' by their Church that is enough for us. When their day comes round the particular children ; whom they have to teadharc taken to classrooms by themselves. If tho teacher does not turn up at the time expected, then the child goes on with the ordinary secular teaching, whatever that may be, So you seo, if the children do not get religious teaching you oannot blame the State: you must blame the churches; tilicy are frco to come in,and give it." And do they como in and givo it? asked tho interviewer. "Yes, they do. They do their best to deal with tho difficulties which you hero may find :t hard to understand. There are groat districts in New South Wales that are very sparsely populated. Why, wo havo one parish, called Wont worth, that is nearly as large as England. Consider tho physical difficulties in a case like that. In the towns it is .naturally much easier for tho religious bodies to do their work;. it is not so _ easy in tho districts where tho people live miles apart. It is really pretty to seo, as .you may sometimes in tho summer, parties of children going on ponies five or six milo journeys to school; but if you will realise that picture, you will realise also somo of our difficulties. But the Stato must do its duty by its citizens; if it does, then it lias a claim on them for duties in return." The Hon. J. S. MacGowen, writing from Parliament House' Sydney, on July '20, 1909, stated that ' I am a firm believer in our present public. school 6ystem. Permission is grunted to all sections of religion to attend on certain days in the week and impart religious instruction to tho children who aro of their faith. I believe this opportunity is 'availed of by most of the ministers. I believo that this is ,a better and more successful method than expecting tho teachers to do it."

The Hon. J. A. Hogue, Minister of Education for Now South Wales, writes under dato 3rd September, 1912" With regard to 'our education system, I was responsible during four years of my political career for the administration of our Public Instruction Act, one of the wiscit measures passed by the lato Sir Henry Parkes. Our'6y3tcin of free, non-sectarian, and compulsory education has worked well ever sinco its adoption; and gave finest universal satisfaction. It is not a purely secular system, since provision is made, in addition to tho carefully compiled Scripture lessons, for the imparting of religious instruction by the clergy oi every denomination who choose to avail themselves of the provisions of the Act." Tho. Hon... F. B. Suttor, Minister of Public Instruction for many years in New South Wales, expresses a decided opinion that no; friction arises, that tho clerical religious instruction produces highly beneficial results, and that on no account should , tho present Act be altered. Tho Hon. J. 11. Carruthers, Minister for Public',lnstruction, New South .Wales, in a speech, August 6, 1891, said that this clause in tho Act had received the approval of Parliament and the people. Ho could bear testimony that t'hc work done was a good work for the country at large, and he believed in connecting State education to somo extent, with religion. He looked with dread to a purely seoular system of oducation. Mr A. Lobban, Senior Inspector of 'Schools, N.S.W., 45 years' experience as teacher and inspector in the department, writes:—"l can assure tho teachers and people of Queensland that the experience of tho teachers in New South Wales has been that no sectarian trouble has ever arisen in connection with the reading, of tho Scripture lessons in the schools, or the visits of the clergymen during school hours to give special religious instruction. Indeed, our teachers gladly acknowledge that the special religious teachers' aid has been of solid assistance to them in their efforts to train their pupils to become moral and upright citizens. All teachers are required to give the selected Scripture lessons, and in no case has any refusal to do so taken place, nor has any complaint ever been made to the department that the lessons havo been ridiculed or made light of. In all my experience, I have never found teachers dissatisfied with the working of tho Act in regard to religious instruction in New South Wales. As a rule tho teachers find the clergymen's influence most helpful, and gladly assist in aiding them in their good work. It is .to tho teachers' advantage, too, to meet tho cultivated men like tho clergymen, who prove to bo co-workers with . them in the the lesson. I know nothing that has done so much to remove sectarian bitterness and religious misunderstandings between members of the various churclics than the possession of this inescimablo privilege in the public schools of this State. The teachers are selected without rcfcrencc to their religious denomination, and hence members of different denominations work togccher on the same staff, and learn to respect each other as friends and co-workers, and never interfere with each other's religious belief. Children of various denominations arc ranged side by side in tho classes and read tho Scrip euro lessons together; but no referenco to churches is allowed—the child's religion is held sacred. When they separate to go for special religious instruction to their pastors, no moro notice is taken of the fact by pupils than if the class had been broken into sections for special instruction in secular work,"

[No. 2 in this series will appear in next Saturday's Daily Times.]