THE BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS QUESTIONS

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1681, 22 February 1913, Page 5

THE BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS QUESTIONS

AjDDBESS BY BISHOP : CLE A RY.

(By Telcsrr.pU.- Ps eei teociallon.) Auckland, February 21; . .An address was 'given in the. Town Hall •: .' to-uight by thtf-Konlan Catholic , Bishop or Auckland .(l)r. Cleary) on tho ' scliopls nutetioti. Tho Major of AiicWaiid presided over a very iar/fo attendm/cc Bishop Cleary staled tliitt tlio Auitraliaft system demanded by the LeSgtie expressly I provided by Act of Parliament for "r<v ligious instruction", arid/"general religious teaching'' asplirt of tho regular class-work of tho public ischfals; • Tlio (Jov&mniont • set up 'as ri tfcafJier of by dsUr- . i mining the type of llifit "religious instruc- ■! ttoii, by; embodying- it in <i lilaliuol Of ■ ' 'II Scripture', extracts,-,>■ and by eolnpeUing ■•' ;l| bovefnmont .officials to tcacli it. Tho League pamphlet/ l)j r the ltev, A; DofvW'Aa /,: '1 quoted to show, that the olllcial religions 'j! teaching in Australia was specific/ dogiiia-.' ■ .'! 4 tic,'aiid theological, including' "a dcfitii-, . ■-* jjl tion of jirayer,"- and "pi-oofs" of tho divine , mission of St. Paul. Tlio kuiiq, : Leafriie pamphlet, showed that teachers' • • ,'|f '.ducted'formal' sectarian,' and tdomil ; religions . worship, including 'Ihd-. ssjofi singing of denominational hymns and tho reciting of n denominational version of. tho Lord's Prayer.' It was propose! to • ■ ■■"■ have that, sectarian 1 and denominational : «• religion taught -by tho State, at tho ex- ''I:, nense of. tho common'puree, Mr.- Catighv ■ ley, M.A., had estimated, at .£IOO,OOO tho cost of introducing that .sectarian svstom, It Was the very negation of a "national" system, and was a foctarian and denomiim. i . lional system' in its most objectionablo , ' form—namely, n Stato-tnuglit religion endowed at the.cost of .the Wliolo naliiih'for ■' tho benefit of only a section of the fiation. At New Plymouth, delegates representing' • : 2800 teachers voted down'(ho league's pro-. »,•„ porals by.42 to 7. Ths League officially re» »•>• . fused a conscience clause to teachers. Its pamphlets placed the "duty" of Diblieal teaching "on. exactly - tho Mine footing as ' ' geography, grahiinar, or any' otlwr sub-. • jeet," and League. pamphlets and ofatons k', wero qnotrd by the. speaker with a view • to showing that dismissal f'ould , bs tho penalty for conscior.tiousiicsa - by objecting twichers. The . League ! placed before the con«cieiitjously objectin' tehcljei'S: llirco 'alternatives—proselyt- : ism to (lift League's view;?, liyjiocrisy, or disriiifeil, , A British tea'cl'.or quoted in 'Queensland ..Parliament had Written t "OnO must' get .".living somehow, so ; 1..- *.<•; personally-comnly with the teniis'.of iny ; V. !; «3rco]iici|t with inv ' employers' ; rind let , '",' conscience go hniig!" The. f.easue's coil- ; v science clause:.w'as > devised.for. tlif; express - purpose of "iveanln?- the Irish from tho : ..., ; abuses of Popery." .Its "oppressive.work- ... inj" in Itelar.d and Otuso was described front official dociiraen'.'S'and in Australia, , from the testimony of bislvq'is and others, . and from 1 what.was drsHlrd »» "cojii- .- ous official evidence." In .the league's ' . 'ehief •iwriinii' , V eiitit'id. ' Oti'.ninin of Hilucational Exnei-ts,"th".' official oreauiser of the I.ea.'n:'* lit tho Prpsbi-terinn'A.ssfmbiy that "thii't.y'-tv;o thousn'id, liomo-U < _ Catholic \ - cliildi'en. -with lnrdly r.a exejp'.'oii. Wkd/ • > Hi.o Serip'ure. in IV.e of Now South. lVd'i«i". or, : in "thcr, werds, • that they had':ejn'-iiet>es<?iiVjf |iros l, lvtjs-.. r d into of'th" fnii'i. aj'd/liseiplire of the ci'i'veh of theii' and into pavtici'T'tie". in thf Protestant Mlirrioiis worship i ' 1 f'e P.ev. A. pon's TV.-? T.e.".7tie had 'nnd" it na'iifnilv c'rar tb':;t "t di"'ia:ided the leyal'-nt'it. ' o '.-nmi"" vii l, I 1!? ooii- - sciences of dissident pni'il.i 'taehers.