BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 36, 24 June 1892, Page 17

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

HE advocates of Bible-reading in public schools f held a meeting in one of the public halls of this ' city last Monday evening. The newspapers tell us there were about two hundred ladies and j gentlemen present, presided over by the Hon D. Stewart. The Rev Dr Stuart opened the proceedings by proposing the first resolution, which was seconded by Mr Ramsay, and the second resolution was proposed by the Anglican Bishop, Dr Nevill. There was nothing very remarkable in any of the speeches delivered further than an unanimous approval of the present system ef education, except in one point. Were the Bible permitted to be read during school hours, and some elementary religious instruction given, the system of education would, in the estimation of the various speakers, be simply all that could be desired. It is in their opinion a most excellent system of education — that is, the system of education paid for by all citizens, but which, nevertheless, really excludes Catholics from participation in it, has only one blot — viz., the exclusion of the Bible. It mattered noft in the estimation of these gentlemen that the improvement they suggested would not only not open these schools to Catholics, but render their exclusion still more rigid. Iheir object is to render them still more exclusive so far as Catholics are concerned, and, this done, they are of opinion they should be simply perfect. Well, there is no accounting for taste, and men blindly pursuing a hobby are incapable of seeing the contradictions and injnstice which they are endeavouring to perpetrate. The introduction of Bible-reading into the public schools would necessarily exclude all Catholic teachers and all Catholic pupils. A conscience clause would be a snare and a sham. Our experience of the conscience clause under the old Otago system proves this to demonstration to us, at all events, and then in addition to- compelling Catholics to pay for the teaching of historical, bigoted falsehood, this renovated system would compel us to pay for the teaching of a version of Scripture, which we know is not a truthful representation of the original Scriptures. It appears that all denominations of Protestants are agreed in accepting, it they get the chance, Bil le-reading and elemetary religious instruction on a common basis, and in accepting these as satisfactory amendments, enabling them to rest satisfied with the present system. This being so it astonishes us to learn that they are not prepared to establish schools of their own on this basis, and then join Catholics in asking Parliament to aid such schools. Did they do this, ' which we fancy might be easily done, Parliament, we should say, would have little difficulty in acceding to their request. The Government could inspect and refuse aid wherever the secular teaching should not happen to be satisfactory. Such an arrangement would remove all difficulty and establish the reign of justice and peace. Our only surprise is that this idea, under the circumstances, was not ventilated at this meeting. Nothing, we think, could be easier than the establishment of Protestant schools on the common basis of Bible-reading and common elementary religious instruction upon which all are agreed. In this way,

too, their consciences and their pockets would be reconciled a matter of great importance. If Catholics got their share of the edncation grant, they would raise no objection to such a conciliatory and wise arrangement. Perhaps something might come of this suggestion, which, if adopted, wonld put an end to such disreputable tactics as were lately witnessed at Bruce, and to the necessity of holding such meetings as that held on Monday evening.

Last year the nitrate beds that Chili captured from Peru yielded 1,000,000 toDs valued at about 30,000,000 dols. No wonder that Chili keeps a watchful eye on the property and would not willingly do any thing to jeopardise it. The nitrate provinces could be captured and held without much difficulty and would form an excellent bank acsount for any nation to draw on that happened to be proßecuting a war with their present possessors.