BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1493, 16 July 1912, Page 6

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

—: *-- REPLY TO PROFESSOR MACKENZIE. The Rev. G. S. Cooke, of Thorndon, replied -on Sunday afternoon at the nieot> ing of the Men's Brotherhood, to the argument of Professor Mackenzie on the subject of the Bible in Schools.' The Rev. E. 0. Blamircs who presided, stated that Mr. Cooke had had a wide experience of: the education system in New South Wales, where he had spent 30 years. Mr. Cooke, who acknowledged the courtesy of Professor Mackenzie in forwarding him literature dealing with the. secular system of education in New Zealand, emphasised the fact that the secular- system had had n fair trial,in New Zealand, but after 30 years there was dissatisfaction at the results'on the.part of the clergy, educationists, and parents. The spirit of lawlessness, and -indifference -to any' form of moral control was noticeable, in the youth of New Zealand,-and ho did not consider that that moral fibre was as taut as in days gone'by. The Churches which represented 70 per cent of the population had now decided on a definite scheme, namely, that which had been in vogue in New South Wales for 46, years', for 14 years in Tasmania, and was" now being adopted in Western 'Australia''and Queensland. After -what he had seen in New-Zealand-'he believed the secular sys-tem-:'to'be a failure iii comparison with tho one which was founded on a strong moral basis. Ho noted that tho argument's which had been used in support of the secular-system'in New Zealand were* based on conditions different to thoso which obtained in the country. In England, for instance, people had different ideas of a Stale, and the functions of a State. Here we had no idea, of a State Church. He believed that the question should be submitted t6 the people—who were the State—the parents' should have the right' to ■/ decide—it . was ~ not' a matter for headmasters to pass their opinions upon. Tn NowSouth Wales ' selected passages from the Scriptures were being rend by the scholars under the direction of the teachers, without regard to doctrinal or secular teaching, which was provided by ministers of the various denominations. Any who objected to that were protected by a conscience clause. He had himself been taught by three headmasters—an agnostic,a Roman Catholic, and a Presbyterian— but it had niado no difference in "the lessons. Tho best teacher he had known was a Jew, who believed that real progress in •education' should be based on a moral foundation. The number of those .seeking to use the conscience clause was too small for statistical purposes. He only knew of one child who ha'd taken advantage of it according to his own knowledge, but. it was necessary to meet the wishes of a small minority. Special commissions had from timo to time revised the New South Wales syllabus, but they had always left in the 'Jlible-in-schools. In 1!)09, when special attention was called to it through a vote on the question being taken in Queensland, this inspector's report (published) revealed only one opinion, and that was in favour'of tho system.