Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 14 August 1913, Page 34

Notes

The Hawera Debacle The following letters, which appeared in the Hawera Star on the eve of Dr. Gibb's lecture, explain themselves. They are, as we think will be admitted, the most eloquent and expressive piece of correspondence that has appeared in the press for many a day. The first is addressed by Dean [Power to the Editor of the Hawera Star - > ' Sir,To effectually remove a false and widespread impression, created by an advertisement which has been appearing in the Star, and which colporteurs of the League have been showing from door to door, may I ask you to publish the enclosed correspondence without any comment from me beyond that contained within brackets in letter 6; any further comment from mo would but mar a thing of beauty.— am, etc., 'P. J. Power. '(Copies.) *l. Hawera, July 20, 1913. The Very Reverend Dean Power, Hawera. Rev. Sir,— am directed by the Hawera branch of the Bible-in-Schools League to inform you that Dr. Gibb will deliver a lecture in favor of the Bible-in-Schools platform on Friday, the Ist August, at 8 p.m. Would you kindly acquaint Bishop Cleary of this fact?—R. G. Sellar, hon. secretary, Hawera branch. - . '2. St. Joseph's, Hawera, July 26, 1913. Dear Mr. Sellar, —I think that the notice to Dr. Cleary should be sent directly by the League. Ido not wish to impose upon his generosity by inviting him on this extraordinarily short notice. Bishops as a rule have their engagements made a fortnight beforehand, and moreover, 1 was sorry to read m Thursday's N.Z. limes that his Lordsmp was confined to his house through illness. However, if you invite him directly, I am sure he will come with a heart and a-half if it be at all possible. Your faithfully, P. J. Power. , '5. St. Joseph's, July 27, 1913. Dear Mr. Sellar,— 1 have been informed by telephone from Wanganui that Dr. Gibb has refused absolutely to make hia lecture m Wanganui a reply to Bishop Cleary, and that he wishes this to be distinctly understood In view of this I shall be glad of a personal assurance that the Stars special advertised is quite correct in saying that the Dr. will reply to the Bishop in Hawera on Friday.—Yours faithfully, P. J. Power. ' (Telegrams.) '3. Reverend Dr. Gibb, Wellington.—Will your Hawera address be a formal reply to Bishop Cleary. If so, I shall invite him.—Dean Power. ' 4. Wellington.—No.— Gibb. '6 Hawera, 27/7/13. Dean Power, Hawera. Dear Sir,—There is to some extent an error in the advertisement. Dr. Gibb's lecture will, I now understand, be a positive statement as to the platform of the League, and to that extent will be a reply to Bishop bleary—[that is to the same extent as it will be a reply to Smith, Jones, and Robinson, or to any otherswho condemn the League's platform.— P.J.P.].—I must take sole responsibility for the advertisement," and will have the nature of the lecture, the scope of which

X ascertained only last evening, made abundantly clear, and the advertisement corrected.—-I -am, yours faithfully, R. G. Sellak. /, ~ 7. St. Joseph's, July 28, 8 a.m. Dear Mr. Sellar, —Although Bishop Cleary is now aware that Dr. Gibb's address is to be in no particular sense a reply to. his, and that your advertisement will be amended accordingly, he is still willing to cancel important engagements and accept your invitation to be present, provided that there be given ah independent guarantee that he may ask questions and that the Dr. in his replies shall observe the rules of debate. —Yours faithfully, P. J. Power. 'B. Hawera, 28/7/13. Dean Power, Hawera. Dear Sir,ln reply to your letter of to-day's date, I have to state that I am not authorised to determine Dr. Gibb's methods or to give any undertaking on his behalf.— am, yours faithfully, R. G. Sellar.' * In this connection we may mention that Dean Power has issued a pamphlet on the subject of Dr. Gibb's lecture, which we hope to reproduce in our columns. As we go to press we learn that a similar ' runaway ' exhibition has been made by the Rev. Isaac Jolly at Paeroa, full particulars of which will be given in our next issue. The Government and the Referendum , Judging by the answer given by the Prime Minister to the comprehensive deputation which waited upon him last week the Government have firmly nailed their colors to the mast in regard to refusing a referendum on the so-called Bible-in-Schools proposals. We quote the Press Association report of the interview: ' A very large deputation, representative of the New Zealand 1 National .* Schools' Defence League, Women's Christian Temperance Union, New Zealand Teachers' Institute, various churches, and organised Labor, waited on the Prime Minister at noon to-day (August 9). The points made by the delegation (as expressed by Mr. A. R. Atkinson) may be summarised .briefly as follows: ' That the neutrality of the State on all religious matters was essential. ■' That this principle would be violated by the programme of the Bible-in-Schools League. ( That Parliament could not evade its responsibility by granting a so-called referendum. ' That it had first to determined whether the particular issue was a proper subject for a referendum. ' That this issue, which would violate the religious neutrality of the State, and allow a majority to dictate to a minority in a matter affecting rights of conscience, was not a proper ''ssue for submission. ' That in particular a referendum granted next session, presumably for a poll two or three months later, would put the defenders of the Act under an enormous handicap, since the Bible-in-Schools League would be already organised, and that no time would be afforded the Defence League to prepare its forces. ' Mr. Atkinson finally emphasised the full facilities under the present Act, which— the exception of Nelson and a few other places—the churches had refused to use. * ' In reply, Mr. Massey said: " I would like to say how very glad I am to meet this large and very representative deputation and to hear the views of the speakers on this very important question." Reference . had been made to what was called a political agitation and to the operation of the Bible-in-Schools League. He wanted the deputation to thoroughly understand that the Government had never been approached unofficially or officially, directly or indirectly, by the League with the object of influencing it on the matter of the Bible in. schools or of taking a referendum. The

question had been raised in the House in the form of a query to 'him (the Prime Minister) by Mr. T. M. Wilr ford, asking whether it was; intended" by ■" the Government to introduce legislation this session to enable'a referendum to be taken on the matter of Bible lessons in schools, n The answer he gave was that the Government did not intend to introduce legislation this session to enable such a referendum to be taken. He (Mr. Massey) had not the faintest idea of; what was in Mr. Wilford's mind, but his question was a straight One and he had given it a straight answer:—(Hear, hear!) Then the deputation asked the Government what attitude it intended to take on this matter next session. That question seemed a little/unfair ';,] but he could:' tell them that the matter had never been considered by the Cabinet yet in any shape or form.;; If they wished to find out the Government's mind he thought the proper thing was to think of the attitude of individual members of the Government. '" If you do not know r my attitude on this question you ought to," declared Mr. Massey. "I stood for free, . secular, and compulsory education before I entered Parliament twenty years ago, and I stand for it now."( Hear, hear.) Probably he was not as good a Christian as .he ought to ; be.— (Laughter.) gj_t was not a joking matter, but he believed in the Bible and he stood for the Bible every time. He was utterly opposed to what might be called sectarianism in the schools. He thought he had good-reason for saying that so long as the Government remained in power nothing would be done by the Cabinet which would not be consistent with the principle' of ,free, secular, and compulsory education in the Dominion.'