PARENTS AND THE ELECTION.

Thames Star, Volume LIX, Issue 16628, 27 October 1925, Page 5

PARENTS AND THE ELECTION.

(To the Editor). Sir, — Parents should consider well the following before they record their votes at the general election next month: The position is/ that in,- the high! schools and colleges tin New Zealand (which are attended mainly.-'by children of the -prosperous classes) the Bible is read daily, without causing strife; but the present Liberal and Labour candidates for Parliament are dead against the children of the pub-,* lie schools being allowed ,to read the Bible in the schools; iin fact, so bitter are the members of the Labour andy ? Liberal (now National) Parties against the Bible lessons that they sat up all night in the House once last session and defeated a Bill (by 6 votes only), which would have allowed parts of the Bible to be read in schools without! comment, except the meaning of difficult words to be explained. It seems a disgrace to us, a British colony, to allow the English Bible, one of the heritages of the British race,;: the fount of pure English, and which fixes the standard of our conduct, toS. be banned from the schools. The chief leaders in Parliament! against the Bible in the workers'! schools are men from abroad and not New Zealanders; and the Labour Party have the audacity to say that they, would not allow a vote on the question, yet other countries have taken votes on the question of Bible in; schools with success. It is a hardship on the workers as they cannot afford: to send their children to private schools where Bible reading prevails. The workers want the Bible, as votes taken in the workers’ suburbs show that 75 per cent, favour the Bibl&F'in. schools. This shows how out of date and unpopular is the “secular” platform of the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party which prevents the use of the Bible in our schools. J&v-'! I. am amazed at the apathy of the bulk of the clergy on this, their question. • Trusting all parents will vote only for candidates who favour the children being allowed to receive some knowledge of the Bible during their ’school life, and that they will turn down “secularist” candidates,—l am; et;c., A NEW ZEALANDER. =========== === - l:i