The Examiner Published MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY. FRIDAY, JULY 26

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXIII, Issue 4051, 26 July 1907, Page 2

The Examiner Published MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY. FRIDAY, JULY 26

We cannot agree with the School Committee in their bible decision to sancin tion the Bible best; iiools. ingread in schools. So that the position may be placed plainly before the householders, we republish the circular from the Citizens’ Bible-in-Schools Committee which is as follows The Wellington Citizens’ Bible-in-Schools Committee, being desirous that the Bible be read in the New Zealand State Schools after methods in vogue in the United States of America, Canada, and other countries, as detailed below, are taking a referendum of the 1800 School Committees in the Colony on this important educational question. They therefore would feel favoured it your Committee would express an opinion on the question submitted upon the returnable voting paper. The Committee advocate — 1. That the Bible be read as a classic.

2. No comments allowed, except geographical, grammatical, and historical.

3. The State School Teacher only to supervise the Bible reading. 4. Any Teacher or Scholar having conscientious objection may be excused from this Bible Lesson. It is proposed to get a strong deputation of parents to wait on the Premier during the Session to urge this reform ; t herefore, if your Committee approve of this movement kindly appoint one or two delegates —Committeemen or otherwise—to represent your district on this deputation, sending to the undersigned the names and addresses of the gentlemen so appointed. Any suggestions from your Committee will be welcomed. Some parents advocate the use of the Revised Bible, also the repetition of the Ten Commandments once a week, as in vogue in part of Canada. The movement would be furthered if your Committee would kindly advise the Education Board and the Member for your Electorate of its decision.' 1

As we said at the commencement, we do not our approve of the view'. idea of the Bible being introduced intojthe schoolsat all. Thehomeand the Sunday School are the places for’reading and the teaching of the Bible, and to make it part of the ordinary school curriculum can only result, to our mind, in the Book becoming despised by the children. Further, the Bible in use in the Protestant Churches will not be read by Roman Catholics, and so offence must be given to one section of the community. The movement is a direct interference with our free, secular system of education, and we regret that the Woodvillc Committee should have given its support to it. To introduce the Bible as a classic will place it on a level with the Plistory Book or Shakespeare, which the average child likes as much as he does castor oil or senna tea. It is a very nice practice, the reading of the Bibleevery day, but let it be in the house not in the school.