BISHOP AVERILL'S VIEWS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1844, 2 September 1913, Page 5

BISHOP AVERILL'S VIEWS.

PROPOSALS QUITE FAIR

"I have never been in favour of any previous attempt to havo religious teaching in schools," declared tho new Bishop of Auckland (Bishop Averill) yesterday evening, whon approached for his views on the subject of Biblereading in schools. "But," he continued, "I am in favour of the present platform of the Bible-in-State Schools League, because it seems to me to be absolutely fair to every denomination and to all concerned." Previous proposals, said the Bishop, had been open to serious objection because thoy seemed unfair to Roman Catholics on the one hand and unfair to the State on the other by asking it to make a Stato religion. The plat- j form now advocated seemed free from theso defects, because it did not roquire teachers to teach religion, and it did not requiro tho State to father any particular religious system. Tho Roman Catholics wero fairly treated, because every denomination would have equal rights, and woidd bo able to send its own ministers into the schools to teach tho children the faith of their fathers. Tho State was. fairly treated, because no State religion was asked, but merely that teachers should supervise reading lessons taken out of the Bible instead of out of tho ordinary reading books. And it was fair to teachers, because they were not required to teack religion, but merely to ceo that the children understood the lessons as well as they understood any other reading lessons. Absolutely Just. "On those three grounds, therefore," said his Lordship, "it seems to me tliat the thing is absolutely just. I further support the proposed chango," ho continued, "because religious teaching was never put out of tho schools by tho expressed wish of the people, and tho various movements since then have shown that there is a widespread desiro for religious teaching to be restored. Tho system proposed had been in operation in Australia—in Now South Wales since 1866—and the testimony of expericnco was that there was 110 friction botweon teachers and parents, or between teachers and ministers; that tho teaching was of undoubted value to tlie tone of the schools and the children, and that close friendships ensuod' between teachers and tho visiting clergy. Experience also showed that the difficulties predicted befors the introduction of tho scheme did not exist when it was put into actual practice. "Again, I am in favour of the proposed change becauso no system of education can be a real education which includes only one part of a child's nature. It is absolutely necessary, it seems to me, if our education system is to givo a scientific and philosophic education that wo must not divido a child into two distinct parts, and say that 0110 part call be educated in one place and another part in another place. We must have a system in which the whole faculties of the child caa bo 'Joyolopcd.

at the samo time. Otherwise, wo shall bo making a dualism whoro there ought to be unity. Policy, Not Principle. "With regard to tlio teachers," declared bishop Averill, "in >ipiteof what has been said. I do not think there is any general feeling amongst them against tho Biblo or against Biblo teaching in schools. Somo tcachers have declared to mo that they would welcome the right.of entry .of tho clergy." The real difficulty was that teachers had tho idea that if tho system were introduced difficulties might be created between the boards and committees and themselves. Generally spoaking, the difficulties of many teachers would be romoved if the wliolo system wero centralised instead of being administered by boards as at present. The public did not understand that that was why the 'teachers opposed tho schemo in somo measuro —it was from the point of view of policy rather than from principles on their part. Personally, he had always found teachers exceedingly sympathetic towards the proposed change. The difficulty about the overcrowded syllabus was easily removed. An extra subject was not asked for—merely that the reading of the Bible should bo substituted for that 01 the ordinary reading book. Referendum Inevitable. In his opinion, continued Br. Averill, this agitation would never cease till the people of New Zealand had been given an opportunity of expressing their opinion upon it. He could not help feeling that those who opposed tho referendum were acting in a very undemocratic way. Tho country profetesed to be democratic, and if any. largo nurn-' ber of pcoplo expressed tho opinion that a referendum should be taken on a vital subject then it seemed to him to be the duty of any Government to grant the request. In this case there were over 111,000 electors —for every name had been checked —who had signed the request for a referendum, and many moro thousands could easily be secured. _ , ; "I was glad to hear," said Bishop Averill, "Mr. Massey declare to-day that he was in favour of moral and religious teaching in the schools, and I have not. very much doubt that when Cabinet considers the. number of voters behind this movement they will deem it prudent and wise to grant the request for a referendum." Safeguarding Consciences. "We are most anxious," said tho Bishop, in conclusion, "to be absolutely fair to everybody—to all religious denominations, and no religious denominations —and therefore one of the points on which we most strongly insist is the conscience clause for the parents, so that 110 parent need have his child taught in any way differently from what ho is taught at tho present timo. _ "But we come to this position: Pcoplo talk about tho oppression of tho consciences of the minority; but what about tho oppression of tho conscienccs of the majority, which obtains under our present educational system. AYo beliovo that tlio majority of tho people of this Dominion want Biblo teaching in schools, so that under tho present system their conscientious beliefs are being violated. ' "What we want is a change, so that thoso who wish it may have their children taught Scripture lessons; but at the same timo we don't want to compel anybody to have their children taught if they conscientiously object. "That is a fair position to take up, declared Bishop Averill, finally, "and it is because the programme of this present agitation is so fair that I support it as heartily as I do."

Canon Garland writes as follows: — In your, otherwise "excellent" report of my remarks'yesterday in the Trinity Methodist Church, please let it bo understood that I refcrre,d only to the present and immediate two preceding presidents of tho Southland Teachers' Institute as in favour of our platform, and not all presidents of tho institute.