THE BIBLE IN THE SCHOOL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 279, 6 September 1878, Page 11

THE BIBLE IN THE SCHOOL.

t xt r, (From the Melbourne Advocate.) in New Zealand a class of people who cordially assisted in introducing the secular system feel shocked at its thoroughly godless character" ai ?i X Ore tbe iesults to which ifc must lead. They are dissatisfied with their own share in the business, and dreadfully angry with Catholics as being the cause of the exclusion of the Bible from the" II £-Ui In thls , col ony there is also a growing desire for the use of the Bible as a class-book, and we may say, on our own authority, that there would be no objection to such a change if the few Catholics in the btate schools were exempt from its teachings, and the Catholic body were allowed in their schools to substitute the catechism for the Bible, m which, as a regenerator in the hands of pupil or school teacher, they have no faith. Though believing the record inspired, they do not believe that it inspires the reader ; the mere reading of it without inspiration or the knowledge of the inspired interpretation they consider profitless in most cases, and altogether so in the schoolroom. What they set value on is that inspired interpretation to which we refer, and young and old have this in one form or another to suit their capacity. For these reasons Catholics do not want the Bible— not even their authorised version of it— in the schools • but if they are treated fairly in the matter of subsidy and allowed to go their own way with regard to religious instruction, the Protestant body can have as much of the Bible as they wish for in their particular schools. But under existing circumstances Catholics should for special and general reasons, object to the introduction of the Bible into the Government school. The London School Board have tried cx ?^\ ment) and ifc has failed - In IS71 > tQ e Board decreed that Ihe Bible shall be read, and there shall be given such explanations and such instruction therefrom in the principles of morality and religion as are suited to the capacity of children." Teachers were forbidden to attempt to attach the children to any particular form of faith, and there was a clause in the regulations permitting exemption from the Bible class. The teachers sought to carry out their instructions conscientiously, and the consequence was that they had to confine themselves to history and the grammatical construction of the sentences. Under these restrictions they were unable to produce the slightest good m a moral or religious sense, and a committee of the Board, upon visiting the schools, found that " the moral tone in them was painfully and shamefully low." They heard the boys " indulge m swearing and profane language "in the play-grounds, and even in the schools themselves. Their conclusions were most unsatisfactory, for whilst the " moral tone " of the pupils was low, of religion they had not acquired a single idea from the use of the Bible as a classbook. To a remonstrance the teachers replied :: — '■ You have forbidden us to attach children to any particular denomination. Now, there is a particular denomination which does not believe in hell • if we^tell him it is true, we attach him to some of the orthodox denominations. We cannot even explain the first verse of Genesis without teaching dogma in an orthodox or heretical manner ; and so we say nothing, and the children must get their religious education elsewhere.' But on such grounds as these the Bible was not to be given up— the teachers were told that they had adhered too strictly to their instructions in the use of it. At this the Secularists flared up, and just now a very hot war is raging between the two parties. Need we draw the moral ? It is that our good Protestant friends who want religious instruction in the State schools here had better make up their minds that no half measure will meet the requirements of the case ; that religious instruction, to be of any value, must be genuine or dogmatic, and that no change but one securing Catholics against the unauthorised use of the Bible, and giving them liberty to teach their own religion in their own way, will satisfy them.