BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1831, 18 August 1913, Page 5

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

SERMON BY CANON GARLAND.

"INTOLERANCE" & "HYPOCRISY."

REPLY TO MR. A. R. ATKINSON,

Canon Garland, organiser of the Bible-in-Schools League in tlio Dominion, preached tlio sermon at evensong in St. Peter's Church last night, and his address was almost entirely in advocacy of the taking of a referendum 011 the proposal that religious instruction should bo imparted to children in tlio Stato schools. He took occasion also to reply to certain remarks made by Mr. A. K. Atkinson when ho was speaking on behalf of a deputation of the National Schools Defence League, which waited upon the Prune Minister a week ago. Ho liad chosen as his text, "Brethren, pray for lis, that tlio Word of tho' Lord may have freo courac and bo glorified." Ho drew attention at tho outset to the fondness of St. Paul for illustrations from the arena and the racecourse. Here lie hail tho picture of the race-track before him, and lie wished tho race should bo run fairly, and without any impediment in tho way. "We olaiinj" ho said, "tliat there is not freo course ' allowed for the Word of God and tho knowledge of God for our children in this land.

Freo oourso is allowed to anything and evorythin;' else, but not for tliat which is of vital importance to tho individual, to tho community, to tho future of our country, to our Empire, of eternal importance .in the world. Liberty is denied if it is claimed for Christianity; liberty is .allowed if it is claimed for Atheism, or Mohammedanism, or Buddhism in the Stato schools of our land." The "School Journal." As a proof of this lio took the "School Journal for August, and he pointed out that this journal was "published by authority" from the Government Printing Office. But ill liiis number of the publication there was a four-page article on Mohammed, his doctrine, the ritual practised by his followers, the ceremonies which he laid down, his personal example, and tho influence of tho Koran as a sacrcd book. Tlio doctrine .and example of a murderous sensualist' could be put before tho children when Christianity was denied. Where were there four paces in tho "School Journul" devoted to tho life of Jesus Christ, describing His teachings and the nature of tho God,Ho camo to reveal? Instead tliero was offered tho example of a man who at one timo had eleven wives, who had gloated over the torture and murder of SiX) men, who had put into his Koran as a pretended revelation from God that lie was to be allowed special and peculiar privileges to gratify his low sensualism. Of courso the evil days of Mohammed wore not ohronicled in' tho "School Journal," but this really made tho matter worse, because- not one word was indicated to the children that the religion was false, or that tho founder of it had n bad side to his character. Also there wa3 another whole page in the "Journal

of tho precepts of Confucius. As a piece of English tho page was poor, inferior as literature to any page in the New Testament, and yet our children wore deprived of what would be better'for thorn as literature, and were given an inferior pieco of literature which taught a heathen religion. How badly it compared as literature with similar passages from the English Bible, as, for instance, Tho Beatitudes! In Japan the Now Testament was placed on school tables beside tho writings of Confucius, but here, in "God's Own Coun-. try," there was no room for God's Own Book. Reply to Mr. Atkinson. Ho replied at gome length to the reported statement of Mr. Atkinson at the deputation: "It is singular that the powers working for tho Bible in schools movement are a mixture of religious bigotry and political cant." "I understand," ho said, "that tho speaker is an educated man. I wonder if lio happens to' have read tho speeches mado by 'the slave-owners who were members of tho British Houso of Parliament when Wiltiorforco and tho others wero fighting for freedom for tho slaves? For that is exactly tho samo language as was used by tho slave-ownors who wore defending .slavery in attacking those who wero against it." To say that a man was a bigot was to 6ay that ho was a superstitious hypocrite, ono who regarded his own ■faith as unquestionably right, and any opinion- or belief differing from them as unreasonable or wicked— henoe, ono intolerant of opinions conflicting with his own. • _ Tho word "cant" also implied hypocrisy. , The deputation, then, had charged this Church of England, tho Presbyterians, the' Methodists, and tho Salvation Army with hypoorisy. No room was allowed for purity of intent or honesty of purpose. Thati of course, belonged only to., those who preferred Mohammed' and Confucius in the schools, and to tlioso who wanted to repress the tho free expression of opinion at tho ballotrbox. Was thoro any "intolerance" in ilho proposals of tho Biblo-in-Schools League? Under thoso proposals no child wlioso parent objected would havo the Scripture losson-boofc placed in his hands. But no parent was consulted about a lesson on Mohammed or Coufucius being placed per force in tho child's hand, to bo read aloud or expounded in tho class. There was no justification for tho charge of intolerance. "Are wo hypocrites," ho said, "wh.en we seek to obtain an opportunity for anybody in tho Dominion to vote against us, under tho restriction of tho electoral law? Is that an act of intolerance or hypocrisy? They would deny us tho right either of voting or even agitating. Then again wo hear a good doal ■ about tho rights 9f the minority. Really, brethren, I think it is timo wo talked about tho rights of tho majority. We are not fighting against tho minority, but the minority is fighting against tho majority, which is simply defending the rights of self-government without forcing its views on the minority." The history of England, ho continued, and tho history of the institutions of Parliament showed that a good constitutional form of government should be that form of government which would enablo tho peoiilo to express their will, and to carry it into actual effect. It was found that on some questions tho people could do this ntors satisfactorily by way of referendum than through the Legislature. Ono of these questions was, ho urged, that of tho Biblc-in-Schools; ■ Ho protested against tho unjustifiable objections of his opponents to what they were pleased to term "politics in tho pulpit." The churches, forsooth, were not to be used as places for asking for free course for tho Word, of 'the Lord. He was Tot minded of a famous case of politics in tho pulpit, wlion, on August 17, 1213, Stephen Langton gathered the barons of England into St. Paul's Cathedral, and there look 6uch action s.<i led to the signing of Magna Clrarta, which was tho foundation of our liberty. Later Popo liinooent tried to nullify tho charter, and had declared it of no offect because they had discussed politics in the pulpit, 700 years ago. It was strange, ho said, that although wo claimed to lead the world, we wore in this matter of religious instruction for children actually behind every other part of t.ho Empire, save two. Every other Eng-lish-speaking part of 11)0 Empire, with these two exceptions, had some provision for religious instruction as part of tho System of national education. Ho concluded by repeating and emphasising the exhortation in the text. PROTEST BY DR. GIBB, Before delivering his sermon in St. John's Church last night, Dr. Gibb said: "I wish to tako this opportunity of calling your attention to a statement mado by Mr. Ai R. Atkinson when speaking on behalf of the recent deputation to tho Prime Minister, in opposition to tho .proposals of the Bible-in-Schools League. This is what ho is reported to have sa.id: 'It was very singular that the forces working for tho Bible-in-Scliools Leaguo were a. mixture of religious bigotry and political cant.' On your lielialf, a.s well as for myself, I desire to utter an emphatic protest against this libel on men who are, to say tho least, a.s honourable a.s their calumniator. Religions bigotry! Who are the bigots; wo or our opponents? We aro persuaded that a grave injury.is being inflicted oil our children by tho exclusion of the Word of God from the schools. We desire that, they shall be educated not ns Secularists, Atheists, and Roman Catholics demand, but in accordance with our deepest convictions. At tho same timo wo desiro to safeguard tho rights of tUnulwisis and all other oppgnents of

Bible-in-Schooto by a conscience olauso, under which they may withdraw" their children from the instruction of which thoy do not approve. That is our position. What 'is the position of our opponents? Th.cy repudiate our claim to say how our children shall be educated. They insist that our children shall bo educated under a system which wo regard as radically unsound, and involving a serious inenaoo to their moral and spiritual welfare. Who are the bigots? again I ask. Wo who say, 'You may bring up your children as you please, hut permit lis to do the same with ours,' or our opponents wlio say 'Your children feliall lia educated as they thiink best'? Wo cast back the word bigot in tho teeth of tlio coterie who would fetter our children with secnlaristic chains, {ind are so utterly undemocratic tliat they would deny tho people the right of settling their own most intimate affairs at tlio polls. What is t'lio refusal of tine referendum but treason against tho liberties of the nation? "We aro guilty too of 'political cant.' It is indeed hard to tell exactly _ what our censor means by this, but it is at least an insinuation that we aro in a political senso insincere, or, _ in- still plainer terms, hypocrites.. Think of it! Mr. A. B. Atkinson, l>oing tilio celf-consti-tuted judge, tho ministers and people of tho Anglioa,n Church, tho Presbyterian Church, tlio Methodist Church, and tho Salvation Army are . a shoddy set of knaves, destitute of honesty; of ptiTposo and purity of intention. It is a povertystricken cause that-requires tho übo of «la»dor. Curses, they eay, come homo to roost. In. tho long run tho insults which •are being hurled at us by tho Atkinsons and Clearys of Now Zealand willMniure not us but them, and tho side for which thoy stand. This they will presently find to their cost."