The Ashburaton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28. 1889. THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2239, 28 September 1889, Page 2

The Ashburaton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28. 1889. THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

That a large majority of the parents of the colony are dissatisfied with the exclusion of the Bible from our public schools we think admits of no doubt whatever. On more occasions than one, and that m various parts of Now Zealand, plebiscites have been taken with more or leBS completeness, and the result has invariably borne out the correctness of our contention. Under these circumstances it appears marvellous that the .Legislature "persistently refuses to amend the i Education Act so as to remove what so large a proportion of tbe public consider a blot upon our public school system ; but strange as it seems it is nevertheless true. Probably the explanation is to be found m the fact that while parents generally are favorable to the Bible m sohools a large proportion of the electors of the colony are single men, and either indifferent about the matter or opposed to the introduction of Scriptural lessons because not aware of the importance of Bible instruction m the education of the young and the formation of character, or because unthinkingly led away by the i arguments of those who represent that a lational system of education is possible »nly so long as the Bible is excluded. Chere are also many who urge that the ntroduotion of the Bible would exclude he Roman Catholics, unless the Douay rersion were adopted, but this objection las no validity seeing that Catholics will lot avail themselves of the State schools n any case where they are able to proFide schools of their own. The question is one which cannot be regarded as settled, and though the present House af Representatives evidently will not field to the wishes of the great majority of the parents of the colony, there can be uo doubt but the question will be a prominent one at the next general election, which must occur within twelve monthß of the present date/ Under these circumstances it may be of interest to many of our readers to know that among the very first Bills submitted at ihe next session the last of the present Parliament— will be the Bible Reading m Schools Bill which was circulated a few days before the recent prorogation. It bears the name of Mr Tanner, and consists of only five short clauses. The first of these is the Short Title clause, and the enacting clauseß are as follow : — (2) The School Committee of any school district already or which may be hereafter constituted, under " The Education Act, 1877," may sanction the daily reading, with or without comment, of a portion of the Bible m the public school or sohools m such district within school hours, and such reading shall be m accordance with the schedule attached to this Bill. (3) Where comment is allowed the instruction given must be of a strictly unsectarian character, suited to the capacities of the children, who may be questioned thereon. (4) The time during which such reading shall tajce place shall be at the beginning or at the end of the meeting of the school, and Bhall be inserted m a £ : *ne-table, to be approved of by the Committed, *© »» permanently and conspicuously affixep :? eyeiy iohoo room m which such reading shall *^ 0 P lac 4 e « (5) Auy scholar may be witnu^wn by his or her parent or guardian during such reading, without forfeiting any of the other benefits of the school. The schedule above referred to as attached to the Bill, enumerates 270 different passages of Scripture, including selections from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Job, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I and II Samuel, I aud II Chronicles, I and II Kings, Jonah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, Malachi, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs, and 25 Psalms — altogether 138 selections from the Old Testament ; and 182 New Testament lessons. Of these latter 100 are from the fonr goßpels, including the life history of the Saviour, His miracles and parables, and 82 from the Acts of the Apostles, all doctrinal passages being omitted, as also are the Epistles and Revelations. Two selections only are specially authorised to be committed to memory, and these are the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments. It is hardly possible to Bee how any person belonging to any branch of the Christian church could object to this schedule, or even how it could bo objected to by avowed disbelievers m revealed religion. But even if the schedule itself or any part of it be distasteful, surely the time-table and (conscience clause is a sufficient answer, seeing that undor it those who desire that their children should receive the instruction provided for can obtain it for them, while those who do not so desire can withhold their children from that instruction. The system propose^ W Mr Tanner's Bill iB indeed that already m operation m the Board schools of London, and .elsewhere, and its working is attended by no practical difficulty whatever.