THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS-FIFTY YEARS' EXPERIENCE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1622, 13 December 1912, Page 4

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS-FIFTY YEARS' EXPERIENCE.

, Sir,—One of the speakers at .the AntiBible League meeting claimed to speak from fifty years' experience of school life in England and Now Zealand. Very little of this could have been, in England, yet as he was for many years on'tho staff of un elementary church school in Nelson, he was brought into contact with tho question of Bible in Schools more/than any .other speaker. The result of the total experience he comprises in the following charges:— • , 1. The clergy hinder tho,progress of real education. ' ... : ; , ■2. They are no friends to,the teacher. 3. They want to be on top of him. j . i. Enmities 'are raised amongst children. 5. They are oncouraged to say to one another: "You arc a Jew," etc. G. They do not understand any narrative they"may read. ■ 7. Extracts cannot be chosen for reading from the Bible that will suit the various denominations. The Nelson experience was not, howover, definitely mentioned, which, _ considering its importance, is extraordinary. Silenco here was perhaps felt to be golden, for the teachers, I have ascertained, used to •■proclaim that there was no friction from religious differences, although nearly all denominations were represented in the classes, including sons even of ministers of Lutheran, Baptist, and other denominations. If the charges apply to tho 'Nelson School, no doubt they can bo. refuted. Why had tho speaker not sufficient courage to be definite? ■He could have told lis definitely his Nelson experience. Possibly the clergy wanted a higher standard of. education than the teachers could supply/ Certainly their education was much superior' to that of the lay teachers.—l am, etc., GRANDM SALIS. December 12, 1912.