BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1779, 18 June 1913, Page 4

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

POSITION OF THE TEACHERS. ADDRESS BY DEAN FITCHETT. A CHALLENGE. . Under the auspices of tie Bible-in-State-Schools' League of New Zealand, Dr. Fitchett (the Anglican Dean of Dunedin) gave an address at tho Garrison Hall, Dunedin, on Friday last, in reply to tho address delivered in the same building recently by Bishop Cleary, of Auckland. There was a very large attendance, all parts of the hall being packed, and many were unaMo to obtain. admission. The chair was taken by the 'Mayor of Dunedin (Mr. W. Downie Stewart).

The Mayor 6aid it was not necessary for him to say anything concerning the subject to bo discussed. It was clear that this • question was arousing great interest, and would be a. real factor in the futuro so far as the political conditions were concorhed. „ In the course of his address, the Dean pointed out that' the' children would receive lessons from a book compiled from the Bible containing such extracts as were suitable - reading- for -children. It would be impossible with advantage to have the. whole! of ; tho .Bible read by the children; hence.the selections. The book was put into tho-teachers' hands 60 that they might teach literature from it, and not doctrine. It did not include dogmatic teaching. Yet it was said that in putting this book into the hands of the teachers they . were requiring the State to teach religion. But if the league wished to obtain such a thing from the State he would be no member of the league, and he would not be on that platform. So far from, wanting the teachers to teach religion they would not allow the teachers to teach religion. (Applause.) Before such a.thing was allowed he-would want to know whether the'teacher was competent to teach - religion, and what religion ho was going to preach. Nothing oould be further from, tho fact than, that the object of the movement was to got religion taught by tho State school teachers. What would the school teacher be required to teach? That lying was wrong; that thieving, filthy speaking, cruelty, laziness, disobedience to parents and teachers, cowardice and neglect of duty were wrong. The teacher was teaching those things now, and he did not ask for a conscience clause. What conscience clause could a teacher want for teaching these elements of morality? The league desired that the teacher should teach nothing more than that. He would have a better text book, but ho would not bo allowed to teach religion, because the ministers proposed to tco into tho schools and do that thoiLtalves. (Applause.) They were told that they bad adopted a fraudulent conscience clause for proselytising purposes. | As a matter of faot, no conscience clause had been adopted. It' wag for the Legislature to framo a conscience clause. What tho league had said was that there was to bo a conscience clause under which the parent should have complete control of the child's religious instruction in the public schools. (Applause.) What, then, became of the extraordinary statement that tho league had adopted a conscience clause for proselytising purposes that was a fraud ana a sham ? Dr. Cleary's state; ment 'was mere imagination. The ministers who went into the schools would teach ;their own children if they could be got together and if the schools were iarg6 enough', or the children, could be grouped together, and the minister could teach all denominations in common, according as' tho necessities of the case might .seem to bo. That was tho practice in Australia, and from half an hour to an hour would' be given to the work onoe a. week. Under tho system in voguo in -Australia every variety of religious belief obtained recognition/and in New South Wales ' a Heb-ew teacher had written, thanking the .Department for-the opportunity of giving instruction from the Jewish point of view. They did not propose to bribe anybody to teach, something they did not believe, nor wen) they asking, anyone to teach something under a false name. There would be difficulty mth the teachers, as was evidenced by the action of the Otago Education Institute, which had expressed its opinion.' on the objects and purposes of the league. Of course, It was only natural that there should be a little trouble or difcalty with the That was a temporary- experience in Queensland. He had a challenge to make to these teachers. They did not believe the facts about Australia, and they thought tho schools would be rent by sectarian smfe. Let them appoint two of their most intelligent and most trusted teacheis and send them bb a commission to inquire what the state of things was in Australia, .and if they would bo content to abido by the result'tho league would pay the expenses. (Applause.) If the teachers would not accept that challenge, let them hold their peace. (Applause.) But he would appeal to' tho teachers. Did they think tlhey were really teaching literature in the schools when they left out .the great English classic— I the Magna Charta of tho poor and lilw oppressed, and the most democratic Book in the world? (Applause.) He read from the writings of well-known men who had written in praise of the structure of the composition to be found in the Bible, and said the teachers might very well put aside their theories and accept the Challenge he had laid down. Ho tad also a word to say to the journalists of the country—the journalists of Dunedin, to begin with. They were accustomed to look at things in a broad light. They were concerned with the -higher civilisation. _ They were a great agency for promoting tno higher civilisation. Let them look at tho necessities of the ease, and at this necessity: That tho education system of any people ought to be adapted l to the conscience of the people, and to the deepest religions beliefs of the people. No system could ever satisfy the conscience of a people 1 with a religious belief that left out the Bible and -religion. (Applause.) If he might presume to offer advice, in so august a quarter, he would liko the journalists to get a little tired -of the cant of secularism. • (Applause.) It was nothing but a worn-out cant. They thiought that secularism meant peace and liberalism and freedom from strife. It meant nothing of the kind. It never would mean peace -until the conscience of the people was satisfied. Were they at peace now? No, and there would be no peace until tho edncation system of this country met the conscientious demands of tho people of the country. (Applause.)