THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19442, 30 October 1925, Page 5

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

(To the Editor). Sir, —Your correspondents, "S. J. Sullivan,” and "A New Zealander,” have put the views of their party upon the above much vexed question before your readers, but these are not the views that are shared by great numbers of people in this Dominion today, and in the interests of the welfare of the whole of the people, they would do well to remain silent. "A New Zealander” says: “The chief leaders in Parliament against the Bible in the workers’ schools are men from abroad.” In the first case this is an absurd statement, as the Premier can hardly be included in the “men from abroad,” and he is opposed to this mischievous movement. Then your correspondent styles the public schools of the Dominion " workers’ schools.” This is another absurdity—or worse, unless we take the term “worker” to have that wider meaning in this lafid which it should carry in all truly civilised lands in these days. "A New Zealander” says "the workers want the Bible,” and Mr Sullivan repeats all the old palaver about Britain’s greatness being due to her belief in the Bible, etc. There is no evidence for either claim. Any worker who wishes may give his children all the Bible, by instalments, and supplement this by sending them to the Sunday school and Bible classes in their churches. And if it is found that Britain has ceased to be the 11 workshop of the world,” and has to be content with being only one amongst many workshops, and with fewer goods of hers 'being in demand, finds herself on a down grade, spending more on food imports, and raw materials, than she can earn on her exports, will this show in proportion to her belief in God, and the Bible, according to Mr Sullivan? Really, Sir, some people do voice such absurdities as one would never expect to hear, or see, outside of certain institutions for the mentally afflicted.

Now there is another side to this question, and that to prove the wisdom of our law-givers in the past in giving us a free, secular, and compulsory system of education in our State schools, and those more recent legislators who have safeguarded this invaluable privilege against the fanatics who would upset it. Any form of religious instruction in our State schools would be an infringement upon liberty of conscience. The elements of our population are now so diverse that no system of religion can be taught which would not contain that which would become objectionable to some. Just as every individual has the right to decide for himself what his religion or religious observances shall be, so has he the same right to decide for his children. If there is one fine thing about a secular system it is that the children of parents of every shade of opinion, in religion, may grow up together at the schools and form friendships that may last throughout life, friendships that might never be cemented had the differences of religious belief been projected upon their young lives in the school.

The State schools are paid for by the whole community, not by a certain religious section of that community, and even supposing -the whole of that; section, Biblically inclined, outnumbered those not so inclined, it would be a violation on the part of the first section to force their religious teaching into the schools. For a secular school is not opposed to religion any more than a workshop. It is the business of the State to train children, and make them useful citizens, and this can be done by the methods now in vogue, and those which have prevailed in our schools for many years. If your correspondents don’t agree wtih this contention let them study the statistics in this and other countries. Let them think for a moment of the character our boys earned when they went out, in numbers, into the world, during the Great War. Prior to the war Germany had had the very fullest system of Biblical instruction in her schools. Did our boys compare favourably, or otherwise, with those trained on Biblical standards? In any case the Bible in schools party have no just right to utilise the State schools, and the Statepaid teachers, to do work which btr longs to the clergy, and the parents of those who desire it. —I am, etc., SECULARIST.