THE GENERAL ELECTION AND BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 259, 5 December 1914, Page 3

THE GENERAL ELECTION AND BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

A great number of ministers of religion have signed a declaration that " they will not vote for any Parliamentary candidate who would deny the people the right of deciding for themselves the question submitted by the Bible-in-State-Sehools League. They invite all members of the League to follow their example. Amongst the names are those of the Anglican Bishops, and of the Rev. 8. «T. Serpell, president of the Methodist Conference; the. Bev, 0. H. Laws, secretary of the Methodist Conference; the Bev. C. 11. Garland, principal of the Methodist Theological College; Pastor 11. M. Ities, president of the Lutheran Synod; the Bevs. Dr Gi gg, Isaac Jolly, Alexander Doull, Graham H. Balfour, J". J. Lewis, George Bond, W. GrayDixon, G. S. Cook, F. Christensen(Lutheran Church), David Neild (the Church of God), W. A,. Keay, A. E. Hodge, George Heigh way, and W. M. Grant (Congregational Church), and many others. The chief secretary and the officers of the Salvation Army have signed an ' appeal expressing their earnest desire that the people may have the opportunity of deciding the question for themselves in accordance with the proposal made by the Salvation ■; Army through the Bible-iii-Sehools League. Amongst the signatures are those of Lieutenant-Colonel Albert C. Powley (chief secretary) and Brigadier Vinee. The signatures of ministers of religion and of officers of the Salvation Army total nearly five hundred.

The Bishops of the Church of England appeal to its members to remember the injunction of Christ to put first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and earnestly s andunhesitatingly exhort thdm to make the religious interests of the country the first question, by voting only for members of Parliament who will pledge themselves : to vote for the' Religious Instruction Referendum Bill. The President of the Methodist Conference, the Bev. S. J. Serpell, in a pastoral letter to Methodists, writes:— "By its-vote the Conference reaffirmed its support of the Bible-in-' Schools 'policy. The Bible is the heritage of every British child, a right it is born to; not conferred as a v boon by any Government, but "a right secured by the toil, blood, arid death of ~ our fathers We are guilty of a crime .against the life of the children of our country by withholding from them the' 'Word of God;' I commend to your prayerful, practical sympathy and sirpport the policy of the Bible-ih-Schools League. . . . Refuse to vote for a man who refuses to 'trust the parents to say what their children shall or shall not read in bur public schools.':';' .• ■ '" :•' : ■''■'[■'■■ l

The Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, held November 21, a vote ofi;il to 14, passed the following resolution with reference to the l'ft port of; the Bible-in-State-Schdola Committee 1 :-^

'' That the Assembly reaffirms their

approval of the system, of Bible in State Schools promoted by the Bible-, in-State-Schools League, and continues to co-operate with the League in the effort to get that system into the State Schools of the Dominion;

That, on'; Sunday, December 6, :minis i '

te*"s be recpiested to bring this.matter before tljeir congregations. That the Assembly urges ail our people to, realise the critical stage of the mbyor ment, and recommends them ever possible to give the. Issue due

prominence ; at the poll." The Rev* Dr Gibb, of St. John's Church (Presbyterian), Wellington/ said*— ; f;.'.-- "•■

■ "Let*"it be known that at least you will abstain from voting for any, man, be his party what it may, who will not clearly and definitely pro-

mise that he will support the Refer? outhe Bible in Schools issue;"

The "Outlook," ,the . organ, of the Presbyterian Church,, in an editorial article, Writes: r — :

"A very large number of electors are now prepared to put Bible in Schools before party politics. Unquestionably, in our judgment; this is the position every Christian elector should take tip; they should regard the coming elections as a test as to whether tilings eternal shall have supremacy over things temporal, whether principles shall not come before political interests. They should make up their ihindsthat a comparatively small section: of the comnuuiity shall 'no longer keep out of .the schools the teaching of that, righteousness which alone exaltetk a iiation."

The "Methodist Times," the organ of the/Methodist Church, writes:—

4 ' THE COMING POLL. "SHALE FIRST THINGS BE FIRST? "We arc almost face to face with another poll, and the question we'are bound to answer as in the sight of God is, 'What are we going to put first?' No /Christian man or woman can afford ''to divorce 'political action from religious duty. The watertight compartment arrangement by which religion is confined to one sphere, and political action to another, is one of the devil's suggestions for ruling religion out of life altogether. In God's plan of life for his people . there is only one compartment, and in that every purpose must be made to harmonise with supremedevotion to Himself. How much of the recognition of God is there to be in the vote we cast at the coming poll? .... A vote that has only a regard for the material interests of Now Zealand is a vote to reproduce in

New Zealand the conditions that have made Germany a byword of contempt and indignation throughout the world. By all 'means let due

regard be paid to matters affecting defence, education, land tenure, etc., but let it be most solemnly remembered that such things do not rank among the things that are first. The building up of the moral character of its-people is of infinitely greater consequence to a country than the attainment of its highest educational ideas or the development of its' richest commercial and industrial resources, and it is that fact that supreme regard must be paid to in the vote cast at the coming poll by those who profess concern for the best welfare of the State. It is not so much the triumph of Masseyism, or Wardism, or any other partyisin, as the triumph of those great principles of morality and righteousness by which alone a nation can be exalted." (Published by Arrangement.)