A Retrograde Movement

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 22, 28 May 1903, Page 2

A Retrograde Movement

Dr. Creighton once said of the English sihoolboy that ' the only means to make him learn is at the point of the bayonet ' The agitation of the Bible-m-schools people reminds us that there aio inanv good lo)k among us to whom it is almost equally diflicult to teach some of the plain lessons of histoiv If theie is any tact that the past thiee centimes ol British history teaches more clearly and emphatically than another, it is the hopeless, complete, and admitted failure ol vwvy attempt by the State to make a creed and dictate it to

its subjects. And the story of the failure is told in volumes that arc writ in blood. In the days of the eighth Henry and of Elizabeth, the idea was equally unworkable. And a never-ceasing protest against it wont on until it was finally abandoned in 1829. Nobody nowadays contends that the State has competence or ability to intrude upon tho domain of religious teaching. This is not and never can be a function of civil government Tt is tho duty of parents nnd the Church. And yet the recent Biblu-in-schools conference in Wellington piosenleU to angels and men the following extraordinary spectacle : (1) A number of grave and reverend segniore, representatives of half a dozen Christian denominations, proclaimed their willingness — nay, their eagerness — to abdicate the right of imparting religious instruction to the young, and to hand it over to the State. (2) They put forward the lamentable assumption that religion ia not a divine and connected system or body of truth, but a mere heterogeneous bundle of independent doctrines and precepts, and that they were free to select from among these — as they would select cravats and gloves at a bargain-counter — those that happened to suit their passing fancy or the needs of the moment. (3) The system that found favor in their sight happened to be a form of Unitananism. And now, despite the lessons of the past, they coolly ask the Government to gi\e its legislative imprimatur to the newly-devised creed and force it on the public schools of the Colony, with a worthless double-barrelled ' conscience clause ' which would turn Jewish and Catholic children into little pariahs and lead to the imposition of a religious test in tho appointment of teachers ! This is, in good sooth, bringing us perilously near a system of religious persecution.

The view of the teachers regarding this proposed return to the bad old-time principle of State-made creeds is sure to be an important factor in the coming agitation The members of the Tapanui branch of the Otago Educational Institute have spoken out upon the subject In the following resolution, and the voice of other teachers is likely to be heard to some purpose on the subject at an early date ' —

" That this branch of the Otago Educational Institute is of opinion that the introduction of the Bible into the State schools would be opposed to the best interests of education, of the State, and of icligion itself, and for the following leasons: (1) That the syllabus is already overloaded (2) It would lead committees to reject 'cachets who, lor conscientious reasons, were not prepared to take chaige of the Bible lessons The institute holds that religious beliefs should be no liar to State employment (.'s) It would lead to a distinction being made in our schools between Protestant and Catholic children In our schools all pupils should meet merely as childien of the State, and the institute belitnes that their ability so to meet for over 2.5 years has been of veiv gieat advantage to the State (4) It would tend to establish the amthoiitv of the State to interfere in religious afuurs, an interference which, in the opinion of the institute, history plamlv shows to have had evil Jesuits on both State and religion (.">) It would be a serious injustice to our Catholic fcllovv-citi/ens, inasmuch as they would be compelled to pay for that which they cannot conscicntiouslv approve of. (6) That the institute is of onmion that religious education should be uncn by lehgioiis persons, otherwise thcic is a danger ol the Bible itself being- bi ought into contempt, and of a dish! c lor it being created in the minds of the children.'