RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10952, 22 April 1907, Page 1

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION.

• <m> BIBLE-READING IN SCHOOLS. AN INTERESTING STATEMENT: Mr S. Pearson, the secretary of the Wellington Bible-in-schools League, has recently been m communication with similar societies m various parts of the world, and has received replies from America and other lands, wliich are collated as under, the figure, m parenthesis standing lor the population ill the various States and counties, and the comments being supplied by the Superintendents of Public Instruction : — America: Maine (230,000), "Bible daily read m school for 270 years ' ; New York (8,000,000), "Read daily for 250 years" ; New Hampshire (432, U0U), "Read daily since 1623" • Vermont (370,000), "We encourage Bible-reading m schools" ; District ot Columbia (330,000), "Bible read arid Lord's Prayer repeated"; Kentucky (2,385,000), "Generally read"; Tennessee (2,220,000), "The Bible is our rock of public safety" ; Alabama (2,250,000), "Custom m our schools neither enjoins nor forbids" ; Illinois (5,350,000), ditto ; Mississippi (1.750,000), "'llic Bible is not excluded, and is generally read" ; Michigan (2,655,000), ditto ; Arkansas (125,000), '•Read m part of the schools" ; Texas (3,600,000). "Road hi some schools" ; Ore-gon-(550,000), ditto; West Virginia ■.i.150,000), "No law prohibiting Biblereading"; Florida (650,u00), ditto; Delaware (195,000), "Bible-reading universal" ; Pennsylvania (6,900,000), "Tne Scriptures must not be omitted" ; 2s'e\v Jersey (2,196,---000), "Read m nearly all schools"; Georgia (2,600,000), "The Bible cannot be-ex-cluded"; Connecticut (1,000,000), "The Bible has always been read" ; Massachusetts (3,096,000), "Bible has been read m schools for 27. years" ; Maryland (1,500,000), "Read daily m our schools" ; South Carolina (1,400,000), "Generally read; Rhode Island (_.0,000), "Universal custom to read the Scriptures"; Indiana (2,778,000), "The Bible shall not be excluded"; South Dakota, "May be read without sectarian comment"; Virginia (1,930,000), "Read m nearly all schools" ; Ohio (4,500,000), "We thoroughly believe m it, as it has a good influence upon our children"; Missouri (3,896,000), "Optional ; character-building is an important factor with us"; Nebraska (1,225,000), "Encourage moral culture; .. generally read" ; Kansas (1,675,000), "Read m part of our schools"; Wyoming (1,200,000), "Left to local Boards' to decide"; Colorado (700,000), "Read iv some schools"; New York City, "Rules observed for nearly three centuries; and all schools are opened by reading the Bible.'' In England the Bible is read ; m Ireland either Doiiay or . authorised version read, and each school furnished with a "Ten Commandments Tablet to be hung on the wall ; m Edinburgh and Glasgow the Bible is read daily. In Canada, at Ontario, the Bible is read daily, the Ten Commandments to be repeated once a week ; at Saskatchewan, the Board may permit religious instruction m schools ; m New Brunswick the Bible is read m schools. In Cape Colony tlie Bible is read daily ; iv Orange River Colony, Bible history is taught. In Austria, two hours per week are devoted to religious instruction ; m Belgium, two hours are given to moral instruction per week; m Prussia, four hours per week; Berlin, ditto; and Hamburg, two hours per week. (Germany banished the Bible from her schools, but has now restored it.) Moral instruction is given m France for three hours per week. In Egypt the Koran is read daily, and scholars are taught the necessity of religion to man. In Japan, morals and industry aa c 1 taught. In New South Wales the Irish National Board Scripture lesson books are used. In Tasmania instruction m Sacred , History is imparted. lii Western Aus-