Our Trust

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 12, 1 September 1900, Page 951

Our Trust

By A. B. R. Fookes.

L-fci present time seems a fitting one for reconsidering the question of the introduction of Bible, or Scriptural History reading in our State Schools. We have only to look at the early history of the Israelites for most telling object lessons of National success and National disaster : the one secured by a faithful adherence to God, and obedience to His just laws, the other brought about by all manner of Avickedness, infidelity and idolatry.

I cannot in this article refer particularly to these instances, hut the account may, of course, be found in the Book of Judges. Let us consider our own position. Here we have an exceptionally fine country — a land literally flowing with milk and honey. We have a splendid climate, with a bountiful supply of the earlier and the latter rains. We have an abundance of herds and flocks and plenty of feed for them. Our food is, compared with some older countries, cheap as well as good. We have free education, or as nearly free as it is possible for us to get it. We have quite a wonderful variety of sects and denominations of professing Christians, with no restriction as to our form or mode of divine worship, while scattered about, each rubbing ell>ows -with the others, are infidels, atheists, heathens and Agnostics. But, above all, we have a Sacred Trust, which, seeing eye to eye with lny fellow creatures in various walks of life, I have no hesitation in saying we are neglecting, and worse, ao long as we set our faces against Vol. I.— No. 12.— «?.

the reading in our schools of that which is the root, branch and very life of all history, i.e., Scriptural History of both the Old and the New Testaments. How can we set about faithfully to prepare children for tho lifo that is to be theirs without first instructing them in, or putting them in the way of becoming acquainted with the greatest and most important of all laws, that is to say, the perfect law of liberty, which is after all and before all the open secret that teaches tho way to a good and useful life in this world, with an earnest of a perfected state horeafter ? This, then, is the main condition of that Sacred Trust which it is our absolute duty to fulfil, or cause to be fulfilled. And why should we not fulfil it, or rather I should say, why do we not fulfil it ? Is it because wo are unfaithful? 1h it because we ourselves are wavering? Is it? Or is it because we who really wish to sco it faithfully fulfilled are not strong enough to insist upon having our Trust carried out as it should bo ? If this is so, why are we not strong enough? Surely if we feel that wo "go in the strength of the Lord," wo can overcome ail obstacles in the way of the attainment of our desire. We want " the long pull, the strong pull, and the pull together," perhaps, to secure its accomplishment, but if that is all we want, surely we need not want long. If there is something else wanted what is it ? Is it earnestness ? If it is, we may pull long and pull strong, yes, and even pull together, but unless we are really in earnest

and determined to keep on pulling, and pulling without letting go when it comes hard upon us, we shall not succeed. With earnestness and faith in our ultimate success, we must succeed. But why should there be opposition? Wherein does it lie ? The Education Act, 1877, provides (clause 8): " Every Public School shall be conducted "in accordance with the following regulations (a copy of which regulations shall be "conspicuously put up in every such school) "namely : (1) The subjects of instruction shall be as follows : —Reading, writing", arithmetic, English grammar, and composition, geography, history, elementary science and drawing, object lessons, vocal music, and (in the case of girls) sewing and needlework and the principle.* of domestic economy. But no child shall be compelled to be present at the teaching of history whose parents or guardians objected thereto. (2) The school shall be kept open five days in each week for at least four hours, two of which in the forenoon and two in the afternoon shall be consecutive, and the teaching shall be entirely of a secular character. (4) The class books used in the school shall be such only as shall be approved by the Governor in Council." That is all there is against it there, and that could easily be set aside by a short Amendment Act. Is it, then, that our legislators won't have it? No, we canuot, I think, saddle our legislators with the responsibility. We are the people: they our representatives in Parliament. Some persons may say, "We are a minority, and our case is hopeless." But are we sure that this is so ? We should make sure about this before we say it. Even granted that we are a minority, minorities sometimes grow into large

majorities, and who knows what might be accomplished by that long pull, before alluded to, not forgetting the earnestness and faith— earnestness in our purpose and faith in its ultimate achievement ? But I fear there is opposition in another quarter, although perhaps not distinctly visible, and this because the perfect law of liberty does not teach the principles which many professing Christians would like to see propagated among our young people, principles which, whatever may be said either for or against them, are certainly not gospel doctrine. Let him wear it whom the cap fits. It has been often said of late that the influence of the Church is waning. Now, while I am not prepared to admit that this is so, I am prepared to admit that there appear to be many persons who would be well content to see it wane. As a matter of fact, I believe Grod's Church on earth is essentially lively just now, and, moreover, that there is a church esoteric and a church exoteric, and that both branches or portions of G-od's Church are full of life, hope and faith. It does not follow because a man does not, or thousands of men do not, attend the services conducted in church edifices, that they are not members of the true Church of Christ, neither does it follow because a man is standing, or thousands of men are standing, outside the edifice that they are outside the Church, or that they are throwing stones or mud at the Church. The Church of Christ is something more than a stone or wooden building. Let us turn our attention for one moment to those words of our Saviour, spoken so many years ago to the woman of Samaria: — " The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what; we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth ; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

This, then, is the ideal worship — the true worship—the worship that is acceptable to the Father. I have heard it objected : " We have our Sunday Schools. "What do we want to introduce Bible-reading in our State schools for?" Sunday Schools are good, very good, but they are only veryyoung children who attend them as a rule, and not all young children attend them. But suppose Sunday School teaching reached all children, is it enough ? No, surely. It is merely a preparation for the reception of higher truths ; it sets the young minds (some of them) wondering, wondering, wondering. It is incomplete. It must be so, for it is only a beginning — a beginning without continuation or end. Now, in our schools, if faithfully carried out, there is an almost perfect system of continuity— the pupil passing through all the intermediate stages (or standards) before he attains the highest. Is it to be expected then that boys or girls— boys more particularly—having left Sunday School, having entered their " teens " it may be, shall of themselves, by virtue of their Sunday School training, go on through the several stages of spiritual continuity unaided until they reach the ideal stage, attaining that breadth and depth of inner spirituality in the grown man or woman, which is acceptable to the Father ? Some may. Then there are Bible-classes and so forth ; all very useful in their way, doubtless, but

scarcely supplying tho parts that aro deficient in the machinery of education. "But," I fancy I hear somo one objecting, " what about the churches and tho clorgy ? What are they doing all the time ?" Ah ! that is just the point. If you talco a walk on a Sunday morning, or evening, during the hour of divine service, you will see many of those who once wero Sunday School pupils hanging about the streets, or wharves, it may be, sometimes, especially in the evening, close to tho church gates, talking about anything and everything but that which would tend to spiritualize thorn and each other. How can tho voice of tho minister reach them there ? Moreover, not all the work of tho Church should be left to the clergy. It is, of course, altogether too much to expect that the mere fact of reading scriptural history in our State schools will insure a correct spiritual state in the pupil, but then that applies to all branches of education. You may din grammar into some boys for years, yet they may not bo able to write a grammatical speech— while others certainly will. This is to bo oxpected. But at any. rate it would bo a continuation of a beginning, or for those children who do not go, or have never been, to Sunday School, a beginning perhaps itsolf, and it may fairly be expected that a least some of the layers from the old stock would take root and flourish.