BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1879, 13 October 1913, Page 5

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Sir, —Tho address by Bishop Averill to the Synod now assembled in Napier, which is reported in your columns, is, on the wholo, a good statement of the case for his side. To be suro, ho stigmatises as cowardly our opposition to a so-called referendum, but we need hardly bo surprised at the usual exhibition cf ecclesiastical Bjllingsgate. However, in spite of the Bishop's statement, we maintain that we do not seek to thwart the will of the people, and wo know that wo could not do so if wo wished. But wo do oppose what the Bishop's party call a referendum, but which is more correctly a plebiscite, for they wish for tho voting to be, not on a Bill to bo referred' to the popular vote, but on a principle. Wo oppose, then, a plebiscite on a matter of conscience, and we oppose this particular proposal for a plebiscite, because wo desire that tho real wish of the people shall not be nullified by a form of voting when ecclesiastics would be straining every nerve to cajole or intimidate every, voter they thought they could influence. For we wore told at the Protestant meeting in the Town Hall last February, by an 'Australian ecclesiastic, either Canon Garland himself or by Dr. Yoiingman, 'an Australian Methodist minister, that when .it came to voting on the Riblc-in-schools question in Queensland,' there were some districts where the Queensland Bible-in-Schools League had not had much opportunity to influence the people, and in those districts the voting was against tho policy of the league, though this wa.s more than mado up by the districts where the league had worked hard, and had influenced the people. Bishop Averill quotes largely from Mr. Balfour. This gentleman is doubtless a very able man, but, I BUpposo, no one will claim he is a practical educationist, and it is difficult to see why his views on this question are of any greater importance than those of many others. However, he is credited with saying: "The'training of young people must be an organic whole," .ana from that he draws tho conclusion that the State ought to provide the religious training which the parents desire. The premise is gratuitous. How often wo find that with father and mother, while both may bo very worthy people, there are great differences of opinion _ as to the training of children. A child goes to school, to any sort of school, ho receives new ideas, important lessons that will influence .his whole life. Yet, though these ideas are good ones, equally with those tho child has received from his parents, how seldom we find that those ideas make one organio whole. With regard to Mr. Balfour's conclusion that , the State should provide the religious training for the children which the parents desire, wo find the idea has been adopted by some of tho advocates of the Bible-in-Schools party. But is thero tho least notion, on their part' of the State's providing the religious training which parents desire?' I say, No. There is not. tho least notion of such a thing on their part. For we find the bulk of the laymen of most denominations content with things as they are, they havo already as much religious training for the young provided by the State, as they wish the State to provide. Wo find ministers of three or four denominations endeavouring to stir up people to demand that tho State shall provide a form of religious teaching that will suit their particular sects, and hoping to get what they want through the votes of the women. But for the parents outside those sects,-and indeed, for thoso parents inside. tho sects who object to tho particular scheme advocated, havo these Bible-in-Schools advocates the least notion of asking that tho State shall provide religious training for the children of those parents? They know they havo not; not for Catholics, not for tho minor Christian sects, not for nonChristian bodies do they advocate the State's providing religious training. But they say to tho other bodies, if you don't like our scheme of religious training, you, can go without, wo intend, if wo possibly can, to enforce our ideas on the community, and if we can got a majority, we will do so. That, in their eves the State's providing tho religious training for children which their parents desiro. —I am, etc. , CHAS. J. COOKE, Member of tho Executivo of tho National Education Defenco League. Kelburne, October 7, 1913.