RELIGION IN SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1000, 15 December 1910, Page 5

RELIGION IN SCHOOLS.

, A SECUI.AR league, -' T0 OPrQ, 3E SECTAEIANISM. A public mf eti af lras hcU jn tte ilasonil j Hall last «w J U ?i .Tri th .a e objcct of formI Defence League. A lr„ft constitution au[ ) p j a tf o rm, framed iy a provision] coinmitte© appointed at Li >rGV T lS - - meetii, e> wele submitted for 1 L pprava j Q amme j; presided.over! v-InVli^l" 1 ? 0 a^>oll ' : fifb* persons,"' • which l auded a few iadies. rnmr? ,lna - V ° ida '' lß al)s <mce, aC- , r assuraM « of sympathy] . <a tho objects of the proposed league, ,-yere received from Messrs. Hobert Lee and D. M'Laren, 31.P. ' Mr. Gammell, in a comprehensive address, .explained at length the considerlpns which had induced the conveners of the meeting to propose the formation of the league. He remarked, .. inter alia, - that their, meeting had been-callcd'that ■' to in its -Sj... , *7 Secular, and compulZcSaSi Vi elfa ? atlo , a of which. New' ! for a Kimf eilJ ? J " cd ' t!w beuefita the Llm i | e " eratlou - Uni'ortunatelv,. tne had been assailed from • onlv^i,? 11 '- tho New Zealall d system! { similar systems everywhere Ini tl.o*' 3 " co , ul J'. r y clerical party had beeii' K e ? tlon ' «P a '°. Francisco ' irudl K Wll^ Put , a violent. -and"'-' S' , de ". tl ! r , the clerical party. In. Protestant England passive resistors were still being sent to gaol. The efforts nf - 1 - to v B P scfc the. secular f 2 imn S »» Zealand had' •' i t ? UCCC , ssful itt ths P ast that ? ht there was no need . fn™ ♦K !!< ! 0le - r i.? r S ague the - T Proposed to : cutttn ■hM," 16 h i. 1 doubt St was ' cult to hol ievc that the principle of sec aB?itkW^] I<,:i C< "^- he ell dangercd'in anyS mil ™ loay - s ' llo,rer<?r > had coins to pass in ono case, and that within the • hurt pLf Ceks V Act o£ tho, Queens if ?i,i iH mont ba , d ratified the d «is:on - i ai "l the causc of secular edueaaon had been lost in one Australian co.ony It did not f„n ott . t]sat <dencal party would triumph elsewhere ■because it had triumphed in Queensland, w , ero indirect, as well as direct attacks.to be met here. The organisers If! ''! 1= wiling had found out by special. I i ."Kelson system," a Ill 0 ? ? f r , e ''oious instruction.' wrw,l f - alr «f d y been adopted at schools lii the Dominion. Thus : 4orw! . oha " ot ?. l ' °f" the New Zealand i Act had actuallr disappeared already iu many parts of the Dominion. Tho ton " •Jhlfii f n °i Aot would proceed uness or sanisaliott were formed to oppose the process. ' It was for this especially that tho proposed lZ9° » loudly'called for. 'conf'ii. Gammell moved the adoi> j n ot the constitution submitted by. the l> r ovision a l committee. I Professor Mackenzie, who seconded the pioposal, remarked that manv friends of . U! ?. M u wcre indisposed to edit tho idea that,-our secular , system was in any way seriously threatened. It vknown, however, that denominational' combuies had triumphed elsewhere, and a "lenominahonal combine was forming m ■the Dominion. Though it might not bo ao.e to exercise much influence in the. .open social or political field, it eujoyedi special-advantages in being able -to use.i at a day; Or two's notice, tho machinery l ■of ecclesiastical organisations. In thai circumstances, those who were strongly' -opposed;to-admitting anything into our' . qtate educational system that would eveni tend to produce sectarian strife .among! tne children or to impose a religious test V on the teachers, believed thrit it was time their lorces were also organised. It was the most natural thing conceivable tliati the churches should wish to recover' their ! hold on the public school. Not so many.-' years ago the churches had rendered vaU ! liable service to the nations ;in , oi education, but- they had relied tool much on hooks-and had preferred" to" Ijrcnaro people for. tho world to come:' rather than convey instruction of - practical utility. Real knowledge and. learning had advanced rather in spite of-that . bv the aid of the churches. Distinguish- . ed-ecclesiastics admitted and bewailed thg' ; fact. The great advance social, political), commercial, and industrial,, of . modern' \ times was due almost entirely to secular effort. The speaker believed that all present wero secularists onlv in the son<o of believing that the State" should observe strict neutrality in the field of religion., The State found iwenty-fivo hours a week little enough iu which to impart the necessary elements of secular instruction.The churches and parents . were surely; shamefully remiss if they could not im- . part moral and religious instruction im the period remaining. With their l;now-> ledge, of tho disastrous effects of sectar-i ianism in England and Scotland the peo-.' pie of Xew Zealand: would be traitors, toj the cause of education if they tolerated). the intrusion of tho sectarian clement in' Dominion schools. ~ \ The draft constitution was adopted "oa ; the voices, without dissent..

The draft programme submitted by the Provisional Committee was unanimously adopted on the motion of Mr. J. Hutcheson, the Rev.-W. Jellie seconding. • Office-bearers -were appointed as , follow.—President, Mr. J. Gammell; vicepresidents, Messrs. E. Lee, D. M'Laren,; M.P., — Blair, Dr. Borghetti, Rev. yon Staveren and Professor Hunter; joint secretaries and treasurers, Messrs. Eustan and Black and Professor Mackenzie. . A strong executive committee was also appointed. It was agreed that any ladies attending the meeting should be' appointed to tho executive upon, handing theii names to the secretary. THE METHODIST SYNOD. ADDRESS BY REV. DR. GIBB. , A' deputation from the Wellington Bible-in-Sehoois League waited upon tlia Methodist Synod yesterday morning, and. was 'welcomed by the chairman (the Kev. T. Fee). The Rev. Dr. Gibb explained the ab; fpneo from the deputation of Archdeacon Harper, who is away in Palmerston North, and expressed pleasure ,at the solid support the Methodist Church as a whole. had given the Biblo-in-Schcols movement. The Nelson method ha : described as- totally inadequate. . The Medical Conference held recently in \Vellingten practically demanded some kind of religious training in schools, in order, that some forco might be gathered to meet the temptations to immorality which were causing medical men such concern. Ho considered that tho question was oiic that demanded serious attention when the medical men were led to make this strenuous claim. Tho general spirit of irreverence-and resentment of authority is being'intensified. Wellington had witnessed within tho past week a scene on the wharf upon the 1 arrival of the Rotorua, which was a feather to tell which way the wind was' blowing. The young people of New • Zealand sadly needed more ethical and religious teaching.' The New South Wales system had worked for years, and had worked admirably. Queensland had recently by referendum decided upon Scriptural teaching. Western Australia and Tasmania were following similar, lines, and Victoria, which had ft purely secular regime, was showing 'uneasiness, and plainly was not satisfied with the outcome of present arrangements; Tho Anglican Synods of New Zealand, both general and diocesan, had approved tho New South Wales system. Tho Presbyterian Assembly had appointed a committee to consider the scheme, and he anticipated practical unanimity in that quarter, and ho desired the Methodist, Synod to approve the general principle of the New South Wales system, leaving the consideration of details to a later date. v - The address was received with loud applause.