THE Temuka Leader THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1922. EVER RECURRING PROBLEMS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 10362, 7 September 1922, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1922. EVER RECURRING PROBLEMS.

Like the poor, these arc ever in our midst. Dickens has immortalised the head of Charles the First, and the subject of Bible in Schools is likely to permeate our Dominion newspaper literature in a like fashion. Most people had thought that the question of our elementary public school system was definitely decided as free, secular, and compulsory. Many parents affirm that it is not free, many religious sectaries would wish to make it something nonsecular, and the magistrate is called upon regularly to prove that it is compulsory. A big effort is again on foot to introduce, not the Bible into schools, but bits of the Bible. These efforts on the part of reformers recur at stated triennial periods, regularly in front of every election for members of Parliament. Were the supporters of the breaking up of our school system more consistent and less spasmodic in their efforts, they would gain possibly more assistance from laymen than they do at present, for it is only a section of the clergy that persist in raising this question. Were it a people’s question in the sense that the liquor question is made, it would be settled in a very short time. But its very nature makes it for a very long time ahead a question that will receive short shrift from electors. Who can count the innumerable 4 varying colours in the western sky l of a summer sunset? Just as many are the opinions of adults on this contentious question. The ministers of Protestant churches are not agreed. A section of them haye approached the present Prime Minister and - the Minister of Education in the hope that they will try to induce Parliament to do something in the way of removing the blot of secularity, but we venture to say that these worthy gentlemen will do nothing of the kind. Election time is a bad time for more issues than are absolutely necessary. With all reverence we say that the. Bible should be reverently handled and its teachers and expounders should be those- who implicitly believe its doctrines. The very fact of the talk of a liberty clause for teachers or parents who may plead “conscience sake” contains the sum total of the argument against the attack on our present system of elementary education hi our public schools. When the advocates of Bible in Schools can remove that clause, the way will be easy, but, not till then.