BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19759, 14 December 1935, Page 9

BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

(To the Editor.)

Sir —-in my last letter I '•attempted to nail Pastor Salisbury down to two points. He has, as usual, wandered; but we have an answer to one point, anyhow. Let us examine it. Dr. Parker, whom your correspondent apparently now accepts as an authority, said,’ inter alia, in 189-i. (1) That a complete education (i.e., including religion) was no part of the business of the Stale, and (2) that the support of religion through the State was to vex its essential spirit. This is a statement of general principle, and 1 say that the general principle applies against the Blhle-in-Schools to-day as it did in 1894. My contention may he met, absolutely obviously, only by applying principle to the conditions of 1935 and showing fundamental differences which make the application false. ?. Now Pastor Salisbury’s reply-is that the conditions are different, and these differences are of this kind—l summarise the first two —(1) in 1894 the Church of England had the stranglehold; (2) the schools in England were denominational and the lessons compulsory. Do these in any way affect the principle or its application? Let us give Pastor Salisbury another specimen Of his reasoning; 2000 years ago One said: “Give unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s.” This does not apply to-day in New Zealand, because the saying is 2000 years old, because Caesar is dead, because the Roman system of taxation is different from ours, and so on. Of course there are differences. Possibly it is unnecessary for me to say that such differences only result in a reductio ad absurdum.

The other point to which I wanted to nail my adversary was that of •Catholic subsidies, but that is apparently impossible. We are simply told that adequate opinion has been expressed. One may well agree. We certainly lcnow the opinions of Mr Blamires and Pastor Salisbui'y, but, unhappily, we do not yet lxnow the reasons. I stated the argument and an answer has not even been attempted. The explanation is simple. There is no answer. —I am, etc., F. A. DB LA MARE. Hamilton, Docember 13.