THE RISK OF PAGANISM.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13673, 11 April 1908, Page 7

THE RISK OF PAGANISM.

IN NEW ZEALAND BACKBLOCKS.

BISHOP NELIGAN' S REMARKS ENDORSED.

In a sermon preached in London last| February, Dr. Neligan, Bishop of Auckland, made the statement that as a result of secular education in the State schools the country settlers in New Zealand were in danger of relapsing into paganism. This statement has been challenged in some quarters, but some of the letters from correspondents published in the Auckland Herald show that the bishop does not stand alone in the opinion he expressed. The RftVw W. Gray Dixon, pastor of St. David's Presbyterian Church writes : — * 'Anyone who is at all well-informed as to .the religious condition of out; back-blocks must know that the, bishop is. absolutely correct in his statement. A few months ago, .when addressing the general assembly, of the church-* in Edinburgh, I used, almost the same words. I gave two illustrations ; for one of these I was indebted to a retired officer of the Indperial Army, liviug in a remote township of the, Auckland peninsula. This officer was distressed at the neglected condition of the children of the neighbourhood in respect to religion, so he gathered ten of them in a class. , He began by asking them if they knew what it was to pray. Eight of the ten had notvthe slightest idea; only one was in the habit of praying. The other illustration was given me by the home missionary of our church in the. district referred to. Within 12 miles of the corridor express passing on its way to Rotorua, a lady formed a Sunday school class of 30 children. She found that only two out, of the 30 had ever heard the' name of Jesus' Christ. A third illustration came to my knowledge Only this week. The minister of one of our, parishes in the north recently went on a preaching excursion into the backblocKs. Meeting a smart -looking boy on the road he asked him in the course of conversatjop if he knew' about Jesus. "No, who is he?" the boy answered, and when the minister began to tell him something of the wonderful life he was startled by a rude laugh. "You don't oxpect me to believe a yarn liko that?" cried the boy. v.