REVIVED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1482, 3 July 1912, Page 4

REVIVED.

THE BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS aUESTION. NATIONAL EDUCATION. !'De-sect;i,akisr the system." During the course of his address at the ( opening of tho Anglican Synod of tho Diocese of Wellington yesterday, the Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Sprott.) in ado an interesting reference to tho Hiblc-in-schools question, which, in his opinion, should now be revived, and made a test of candidature nt Parliamentary elections. The General Synod at its Jast session, he said, decided to advocate tho adoption ill the State schools of this Dominion ot what is known as the New South 'Y\> es system of religious instruction, but' which also now obtains in Tasmania, \\estern Australia, and Queensland. 1 lie Presbyterian General Assembly and the Jletliodist Conference officially adopted the same platform, and at a joint meeting held m Christchurch, in which certain other Christian Communions woro unofficially represented, it was decided to form a league, to bo known as tho Biblc-in-ratale-Schools League, which should have as its object tho securing of a referendum upon this question. A branch of tho league is now established in \\ ellington.

A Renewal of Effort. "The timo would appear to be opportune for a renewal of effort to de-secu-larise the scliools of tho Dominion, said Dr. Sprott. "I think that in the near future the nations of the world wilt be compelled, in the interests of social sellprerorvation, to reviso their systems ot education. If tho first object of a national system of education should be, as I suppose it is, to evoke and tram 111 each fresh generation the instinct and habit of ethical citizenship, which is tho hue bond of civic unity and order, then, I think it is true to say that modern national systems havo largely failed of then object. Large numbers of persons who havo been subjected to this education are manifesting a lamentable lack of tho el&mentary principles of social and civic living. Sinister evidence of this may bo seen in tho growing disregard of law-tho tendency to think that one may flout laws, which interfere with the exercise or what ono is pleased to consider inos rights. Whelms it is one of tho most elementary of social principles that it is tho duty of individuals and classes to conform to established law, even when it seems to press unfairly upon theni, though or courso they aro entitled to lis® all legal methods to get such law rewaled. I hero can be no right,' says T. H. Green, to disobey I hem (even bad laws), even while their repeal is urged on the ground that they violate rights, becaiiso the public interest, on which all rights aro founded, is more concerned in tho general obedienco to law than in tlio exercise of those powers by individuals or classes which tho objectionable laws withhold ( I olitical Obligation," p. 150). Such an unrestrained assertion of individual or class rights must inevitably lead society, first to anarchy, which, as Slar/.mi says, is tlio oppression of tho weak, afterwards to despotism.

Godless Ethics. "If," continued Dr. Sprott, "modern States arc not to incur this fate, tho ethica-l element, instead of being wholly ignored or relegated to a subordinate position, must be given a. foremost place in national education. J3ut, if this be so, then, bslievo me, religion cannot bo wholly omitted. Vor ns speculatively llic idea of God is tho only reasonable basis of morality, so practically and emotionally it is tho great safeguard of it. Certainly whatever may bo thought of the possibility of a speculative defence of morality without tho idea of God, tho practical difficulty of teaching it—especially to; children, uneducated and unreflecfcive I persons —seems to bo Quito insuperable. It is infinitely easier for all. of us to feel towards the moral law tho reverence tiluit wo ought to feel when wo bolievo that that law is embodied in a personal Will (sco Dr. Kaslulall's "Philosophy and liuligion," p. 76). And this is especially true if tlio morality sought to bo taught is tlio Christian morality. That morality is so intimately bound up with tho Lite and Person of its Founder that it is vain to attempt to teach it livingly and forcefully apart from that Life and Person,, or apart from that Literature from which alone wo gain authentic knowledge of llim. Christian morality is not, and never was, a code of abstract rulos of conduct. Christian morality ever was and is—Christ Himself, Test at the Polls,

"The time, then, I think, is opportune for renewed effort to dc-seculnriso our national system of education. But if wo are going to renew our efforts lot us dearly understand the only condition upon which wc may hope to succeed,"- continued tho speaker. "It is that at tho General ■Klection wo raako granting* of the refcvciidum tho one question upon whic.lv out votes shall depend. It was just here that tho old Biblo-in-schools movement suflered shipwreck. Thero -were, I believe, enough persons in favour of that movenient to liavo carried it to a successful issue, had they only mado it tho test question at tho polls. But when polling day camo they thought thero wore other questions moru important, and their voles \vero given irrespective of candidates views regarding the referendum, let as ono looks back, 0110 cannot recollect any useful legislation that would havo been imperilled had wo insisted upon camlidates supporting the referendum. lhioiißh our lukewarninoss wo sacrificed tho Biblc-in-schools movement, and wo gamed 110fliiiiK of legislative value in return. All the valuable legislation of the past_ eleven years would havo been enacted in ony eifß If such is to be the outcome of tho now'moveniMit, it would be honesler not to inaugurate it. You may. remember how slroif'dv my predecessor camo to feel about this. I can but repeat his iiiimitions."