BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1832, 19 August 1913, Page 4

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

MR. ATKINSON REPLIES TO ,HIS CRITICS. , (To the Editor.) Sir,—l was astonisihod to find myself figuring so prominently ir. the headlines of Tk&Dominion this morning, and stitt mora astonished when I read tilo remain* derofyour reports of the kind attentions to which I had been subjected from tho pulpits of St. Peter's and. St. John's. I rojjret to'have to prick tho bubblo of this ecclesiastical eloquence, but must ask you to allow mo to discliargo . that painful duty. ' i

Tlio, occasion for these interostinf philippics is that I am (supposed to .hav< mado tlio following statements:—"lt if singular that the forces working for the Bible-in-Schools movemont are a'mixture of religious bigotry and political cant." Permit me to say that I never made 6uch a statement either to tho Prime Minister or to anybody ols-jc, and that it does not represent anything that has ever entered ray thoughts. Such a statement would bo a gross exaggeration, which neither my regard for my own reputation as a controversialist nor my respect for tlio character and intelligence of scores of friends who differ from me 011 this question would have allowed 1110 to make. In my opinion we have no batter right to bring a general charge of bigotry against our opponents than they havo to denounce us as unbelievers.

A single sentence torn from its context may often give a very unjust impression of a speaker's real drift. When tho sentonco itself is incorrectly givon, the danger is, of course, indefinitely increased. The subject, I .lyyis dealing until was, .the de-, mand foT a referendum and a particularly demagogic argument bv which it is some, times supported. What I actually said, as reconstructed from my notes with tho aid of t'jose of a. shorthand writer waa as follows:—"If a spiritual tyranny is to 1)0 established, let its champions proceed by the ordinary constitutional methods that other reformers have had to follow. Ths application of tho cry, 'Trust tho people, to tho _ right of a majority _to oppress' a minority in matters of religion involves a strange combination of political cant and religious dogma." The argument may or mav not lie sound, but even an opponent who regards it as unsouud_ will concede that there was nothing in it, to justify tho imposing pulpit campaign which was organised for my benefit yesterday.

It "is not surprising that'ono of my clerical critics should have found it difficult to find any point in tho charge of "political cant" in tho absence of a special context to make it intelligible. But it is not a, little .surprising that both ho and another should nave professed to find in it a general charge of'hypocrisy. "Cant" may, of course, imply hypocrisy, but it contains no necessary implication of the kind. Oateh-words are cant, though often quite sincerely rnscd; and when we talk of a "cant phrase" the suggestion of insincerity is rarely, if "over, present. To me. "trust the people" is one of the most odious cant terms in the political vocabulary. Having consistently condemned its voguo among the politicians, I cannot change my opinion bccauso their bad example is followed by people who ought to know bettor.

It is quite unnecessary for mo to_ deal in detail with argument and denunciation which I have already proved to bo based upon a misoonoeption, and I value my dignity too much to be tempted into retaliation. With Dr. Gibb's personal attentions to myself I am constrained from ( dealing by the further reason that I havo laid the matter beforo my solicitor, with a new to having it tested in a of 1 law. lint thore is just one question which I should liko to submit fo your readers' attention in conclusion.' If at tho outset of this controversy it has succeeded in arousing the passion's represented in the denunciations levelled at my innocent 1 head yesterday beforo several Christian congregations in 'his city, and possiblv before dozens of other congregations elsewhere, to what proportions may wo not expcct tho controversy tb attain os an instrument of strife and ill-will when it fully develops? And are wo to allow tho feelings thus aroused *on tho one sido and on tho otlior to mako a permanent battle-ground of'our schools?—l am, etc., ■A. 11. ATKINSON. August 18. [Our .report of the portion of Mr. Atkinson's remarks which gavo rise, to the controversy was as follows:—

Tho referendum was not merely a delegation to tho people of a cortnin amount of power or responsibility. The prior responsibility devolved.upon Parliament to see that the question to be submitted to the people was ono that could properly be determined by tho vote of the people. The longuo voro met by tho Biblc-in-schools people with the cry "Trust tho people." It was very singular tlmt tho force:* working for the Biblo-in-schools movement were a mixture of religious bigotry and'political cant. If, as was olnimed, there wore 75 per cent, of tho pooplo in favour of tho Bible in' j schools, they would lined ,rw rcferon- j dum to achieve their ends. Before , granting what tho Biblo-in-schools people asked Parliament, before oven giving tlieni any audience, (hey should apply, the test— Have they exhausted other remedies? In actual fact, thev had had thoir opportunities, and were' making no use of them. Necessarily, it \vu» a condensed report, but, as will be '•eon, it differs very little from Mr. Atkinson's own version. Onr reporter ,is confident that tho word "bigotry" was used, and it is quije possible that it was a slip of the tongue on Mr. Atkinson'* part, and an occidental departure from his note*.]