BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20292, 28 December 1927, Page 2

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

DOMINION LEAGUE'S ACTIVITIES. At a Christmas night service held at Knox Church the Rev. E. 0. Blamires, Dominion organising secretary of the Bible-in-scliools League, stated that a retrospective glance over the past years activities showed that, despite inability to secure an alteration in the Education Act in Parliament, very valuable progress had been made. He claimed that it had been demonstrated that a system of education that allowed no reference to Biblical material was unpopular. No adequate explanation of Christmas could be given in the primary schools, although to the people in New Zealand the life of Jesus was the central fact of history. There was nothing more unpopular in New Zealand to-day than the entire secularity of the primary schools system. Roman Catholics and Protestants alike denounced During the year a widespread effort bad been made to discover the attitude of parents. In all the principal centres parents were requested to vote for or against Bible-in-schools. Between 32,000 and 33,000 votes had been recorded, each vote representing one family. Otago had been very thoroughly worked, e\ r ery school in the area having been listed, and 86 per cent, of the votes were favourable. In Canterbury, a larger area, more than double the number of votes were recorded. Auckland area returned about the same as Canterbury, and in Canterbury, Auckland,' Southland, and Wellington over 80 per cent, of the votes were favourable. Even in the least favourable produce (Taranaki) 72 per cent, were favourable, so that it could be stated without a shadow of doubt that the parents were desirous of seeing the Bible in the schools. Throughout the Dominion to date 25,478 family votes had been received in favour and only 5995 against. So much was said these days about the rights of minorities that it had become necessary to contend that majorities also bad rights. It was passing strange that the valuable material found in the Bible could not be used in any way in the primary schools. The league was more determined than over to carry one, in the assurance that its policy was educationally sound.