RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION PROBLEM.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1945, 31 December 1913, Page 9

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION PROBLEM.

IN STATE SCHOOLS.

A YEAR'S ACTIVE CAMPAIGNING

Tho political !atul public areita has been occupied not a littlo with tho sub- > ject of religious instruction in Stato schools from various points of view. The causo. of so much , public attention being directed 011 tho subject is tho formation of an. organisation known as the Bible-in-State-Sehools .Leaguo which is a combination entered into by tho ' Church of England, ( tho Presbyterian, and Methodist Churches, and tho Salva- '. tion Army in . Now Zealand, and supported. bv_ members of tho Baptist and • Congregational Churches and tlie Church of Christ in their individual capacity. For several. years negotiations had ' been taking place between leading re-. ' presentativos of these various churches ' with a view of finding a basis of com-, mon agreement oil tho subject. The solution finally adopted; as 11 basis was that known as .the Australian system. • Canon Garland, who wss not a stranger to New Zealand, and who has had much experience of colonial life and condi- '■ tions/and is spoken of as an export on educational .problems, was invited by the representatives of. tho .. Churches Jiamed to como. to New Zealand and , give tlio benefit .of his experience in-con- • Lection with tlio successful campaigns for religious, instruction in. Western 'Australia and . After , his ■arrival the loague was formally con- ' stitiited fit a meeting held in Christ-, church towards tho end of last year. ' The agreement was.subseaucntly endorsed by reS&lutions passed by the highest • rourts of tlio Churches constituting.the league. Tho league thus formed is not, of fourse, tho first protest , made, against tho exclusion of religious, instruction from tlio National system 'of education. Soman Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians'. Methodists and -others ,havo. at different times within tho last 37 years voiced a, protest against the-ex-isting'state of things. Various organisations wero formed/.and attempts of. different kinds wero,made to obtain an alteration. Candidates for Parliament were asked questions and there were nt times sufficient disturbance of nublie life to warrant tho attempts in Parliament on more than one occasion ,to amend, .the present system, either directly or'li.v means of a referendum. None of those , efforts proved, successful; biit the current .year now cloSinc has put a different aspect upon tho probability of a change. Tho league itself has not been idle nor liavo its opponents, tho latter of whom have taken a very fully sliaro of newspaper coptroversy. The Roman Catholic Church has . found itself, voiced by an n.ble master of controversy, Bishop Cleary, '.- who,. while. demandinij a system of . education, supported by the State which will allow of religious instruction, is as strenuously opJ)osed to tho league's proposal as he and lis Church are to tho existing system. ''A Catholic Federation has been formed, and is _ actively at work throughout tho Dominion organising, one of its -objects being to counteract .tlio league's proposals, _ and put forward ,the Roman Catholic position for >Stato aid to do- ; uominational schools.

The Secular League. A secular Defence Leaguo has also beon'set Up with committees in principal' .centres" and in other, places. . It likewise' has' liof bisen id|o; by holding meetings,, by. using r ..the., Press, ,'qiid by tho electors iii. favour of.retaining the national :system"'; as ... "entirely .secular;" 13oth Bishop Cleiiry and tho. Secular ])e----feiice'League have held -public meetings' in thq principal centres and in. many other centres .throughout the Dominion. Tho liible-iii-Stato Schools* League, which perhaps-may. be "regarded as rcspoiisiblo'for the activity of tho opposition from 'the Roman Catholic and secular point of view, has for its part been by 110 means idle\ Its proposals aro that every child shall havo tho opportunity of. reading* Scripture'lessons from a book to be ..provided for the purposo by the Education Department, under the supervision of State school teachers who nro jiofc to give sectarian or dogmatic teaching; this to be supplemented where practicable by visits.from tho ministers or accredited teachers of tho churches instructing the children in tho faith of. their fathers. The wholo instruction to be given.in school hours, thus restoring tho Bible to a place in the curriculum of. the school, and including religious instruction in tho school timetable. A conscience clauso gives the parent the .complete control •of ' tho. whole matter, by allowing him to dobar his child from reading , tho .Bible-lesson or . from being visited by his minister, neither tho State nor tho Church to be ablo to compel a child to havo either.The system proposed by the leaguo is known popularly as the Australian system, because it has existed in New South_ Wales sinco 186Q, Tasmania' SlSIi? Western Australian, sinco 1393, Norfolk Island sinco 1004, and Queensland sinco 1910.

The leaguo is not claiming /that every detail ni those States should also be adopted in New Zealand. As these details vary according to local conditions in cach.of tlie Australian States, so the V may varv hero in Now Zealand according to local conditions, so lons as imr' r i n ' s that every c.nld shall have the opportunity of Bible lessons and the" right to be taught by Jus own church in school hours. In support, of tho league's proposal it . , Published a quantity of literature, including in it testimonies given bv -Ministers of Education, official heads o'f JMlueation: departments, inspectors and teachors and other educational experts, t , '^ VIH K 'n favour of tho ivo.fking ot the .system whero it actually exists; and amidst, all the controversy that evitleneo has remained unshaken'. I lie league, like its oononents, also hold meetings. Amongst'tho more suc--1 I '. wasi a great, demonstration of Mipnortors hey in ftc Wellington Town Hall co-incidontally with the Methodist Conference, .and-at v/hish the. principal speaker ivns tlw Rev. Dr. Voungmin. president of the Methodist Conference of Australasia and .one of the four men «nr» founded tho movement in Queensland, ring meeting, crowded out, tlie Jarpre Towi Hoi!, and may bo rewarded as liidiciting tho advance- vhieh the movement had made up to that, time A similarly successful demonstration'was Jield m Auckland a few weeks aao, and other meetings, more or less successful in the principal, centres, wero hold, in all tlie larger to'uis. and in many otlior plf.ccs throughout Iho Dominion.'

Membership Campaign. _ But'as the leaguo's method of obtaining jts desires 13 bv moans of tln>'referendum, its chief --ttention was directed to increasing its membership. The contlition of membershin being a full agreement with tho system of religious instruction propose] by the league, ami a personally-signed request from tho proposed member that a refereiidi 171 should be taken therior.. In tliis. as will bo teen lower down, the league has proved phenomenally successful. Tho first move with the Government was made bv the league's opnnnents, which, waited upon the I'rimo Minister in force last August, when the principal speakers were Mr. A. li. Atkinson, tho president of the National Kehoois' Defenre ■ League; Mrs. A. It. Atkinson and Mr.. John Caughley, vicc-r.residcnt nf the Teachers' Institute of New Zealand. Mr. .Atkii son rea 1 apologies for absence from tho deputation as from A reh bishop O'Shcn, Bishop Cleary, Messrs. Cohen, J. J. Ramsey, the Hon.

Geo. Fowltls, tlio Revs. Jcllie, Howard, Elliott, and others. Air. Atkinson, <11 behalf of the deputation, objected to tho granting of n reforeiuhnn. Mr. Caugliley pointed out that tlio teachers' delegates at tlio .New Plymouth Cpnfcrenco iiad passed ;i resolution against tho loagtio'« proposals. Tho Hon. J. T. Pa.il, representing tlio United Labour party, declared there was not a body of organised labour in favour of any variation of tho present system. M.\ I'. 0. Webb, the recently-iclected Socialist member for Groy, , stated ■that from a Socialistic point of view tho proposals of the league would, bo opposed inside and outsido of Parliament. Thero _. night bo di/Fcreiiccs in tho ranks of Labour, but they were all united on the point that tho existing system should not be interfered with. Mrs. Atkinson stated that the convention of tho W.C.T.U. had'declared in favour of tbc Nelson system. The Prime Minister pointed out that tho Biblc-in-Schools League had nover approached the Government oil i'lo subject; and in reply to tlio deput'jdon's •inquiry as to what attitude the' Government inteiided to lake 011 tlio niacter next session, he stated "the question seemed a little unfair; the matter had not yet been considered by Cabinet in any. shape or form." The liible-in-Seliool3' Leaguo three weeks later waited upon tno Prime Minister. Its deputation consisted of * representatives of. tho churches and of tho Salvation Army, constituting tho league, and presented resolutions from those bodies requesting a referendum on tho league's proposal. They asked that tho. referendum, should be taken 011 tho singlo question, whether tho system advocated by tho league should bo . incorporated into tho Education Act, and that the Bill for the purpose should bo introduced that session. Tho Prime Minister, in reply, held out 110 hope of anything being clone immediately; but promised to Bubmit the request to Cabinet for consideration, and asked the loaguo to submit tho form of question. The .deputation supported tho resolutions of the church bodies, by_ presenting 373 resolutions, principally from lower courts of tlie- churclics, claiming that these numerous resolutions showed that'tho constituencies, of th 3 churches sopported their .governing courts. s'lm leaguo also submitted a request which at that date was signed by 111,926 in? dividual electors throughout the' Dominion. Since the deputation tho numbers of resolutions and of individual requests for the referendum have, been substantially increased. However, nothing was done in Parliament during tho-past -year-to-further tho - wishes of this Inrgo body, of tho electors. The unfortunate strike, doubtless, to some extent is responsible for lack of opportunity, and possibly tlio hindranco Riven by certain happenings in Parliament to the speedy accomplishment of legislation also accounted for the subject being held over.

'.' Advocates of Change. ■ The league; however, claims that the niatter_ must be dealt with by Parliament in a, manner warranted by tho general support given to tho League's proposals. That dissatisfaction exists m the wholo of New Zealand with tho existing condition of an "entirely secular" education is now beyond a matter of controversy, although ali who aro dissatislied aro not absolutely agreed. Tho Human- Catholics desire "to iota in ecclesiastical- control of tho education of their children, demanding Stato aid for the secular part of it, which, if agreed to, would end tho present, national system of education. Even tho National Defence -League appears to realiso that there must lie some change, some of its loudest protagonists advocating what is known as tho Nelson .system. Tho number of thpse v.-no 'havo matfo themselves heard'in favour of retaining things exactly as they havo .'been"; tho nla.si>ythiEty-'aeyoip;y«ira is comparatively'few indeed. " ; Tho Bible-in-Schools' League's proposal claims that tho national system liecd .not-bo, .disturbed. as such; Tho schools would still remain free; educa- ' tion would still bo compulsory; the teachers would not bo placed under ecclesiastical- control as would be the case if Stato aid were given to denomina-tional-schools. J l'ho schools would still remain secular, inasmuch as they would be under tho control cf the Stato and not of tho Church; but in .that secular education would bo included,-as an inherent part, a knon'ledgo, subject to a conscienco clause, of. the lliblo as. a basis of morals and a'-standard of literature.. With it, - side by side, being given tho opportunity for the churches to send their teachers ill the same way as medical officers and physical and other special inspectors are being sent into the schools to-day. Tho League's proposal is supported by tho Churches in the League; though while it is not claimed .tiiero is absolute unani-jiity, yet tho general support given by the followers of those churchcs appears, to bo beyond question. An illustration of this general support occurred in tho present month in the caso of the Presbyterian 1 ' Assembly, which" met at Christchurch, where, however, the full voting strength against the League's proposal amounted to tho significant number of thirteen.

As an indication of the growth of the movement, reference may bo mado to tiV resolution of tho W.O.T.U. Annual Convention, mentioned by Mrs. Atkinson, and which it is understood was then unanimous. The league is. now stated to bo in possession of 41 resolutions from branches of that union and its district convention's supporting the league's proposal; Thus showing a considerable change of public opinion in a quarter which less than twelve months ago was diametrically opposed, according to its convention's resolution. Mrs. Harrison Leo Cowie, world's missionary of tho W.0.T.U., paid an extended visit during tho year to Australia, and herself personally visited the schools, and investigated the system of roligious. instruction. She bore in mind, and directed her inquiries to, the objections which had been raised in New Zealand. The result was that she returned to the Dominion convinccd as to tho proposal being tlie most satisfactory solution of tho'problem,' and urging the public t-o support it. No doubt'this report had some, effect on tho attitude of tho various branches'of the "W.O.T.U.

The Nelson system. The agitation-started in certain quarters in favour-of the Nelson system does not appear to have made much progress. Tho. proposal, for instance, was abortive in Parliament, on a motion by Mr. H'Callum, which, it may be remarked, he had-himself amended three or four times before finally introducing it, failed even to obtain a division, being rejected 011 the voices. Ho proposed to make tho Nelson-system part of the Education Act. ,In- the Presbyterian Assembly, as already indicated, only thirten could bo found to vote, in support of the Nelson system, while an . investigation shows that out of statements received from 90 head teachers in the Nelson Education Board district, 85 said there was 110 religious instruction given in their schools, and th!<i is in tho home of the system. Tho secretary -if the Nelson hTihication Board has written that: "TIIO board has not at any tiino given permission for religious instruction to be given in schools. The Education Act wovides that the instruction must be entirely of a secular character." Also, friends of tho Nelson system claim tliat 10,0G0 children arc present being readied in its work throughout tho whole Dominion, which is about 9 per cent, of the total number of .-fiildreu on the rolls. This is after sixteen years' working, and the attention lately drawn to it by strenuous efforts to get the system extended throughout the whole Dominion, efforts which have been fully endorsed by Unitarians and other opponents of tho Bible-in-Stato Schools League. In view of these figures, tho advocates of tho proposal of tho

Biblcs-iii-SOhools League score a decided hit when they point to the record of what has lieim accomplished in two years, in Queensland under their system. Tho latest education report for the year 1912 shows the net enrolment, omitting high and private primary schools, for Queensland was 101,931). The average number for eleven months in the year lEftl receiving religious instruction from the ministers of their own church, or by arrangejneut from, other ministers was 10,748, which is 16 per cent, of tlio net enrollment. Tlio average .number for 1912 for the corresponding eleven months was 26,720, which is 26 per cent, of tho net enrollment. . Oil the average daily attendance for 1912 tho Queensland Government stated that tho percentage of children visited by ministers waa 39.5.

Thus it will be seen that in the first year of working under the league's system,. a little moro than as many cliikl- | ren were reached in Queensland as in New Zealand this year after 16 years of the Nelson system. And that in tho second year of working- the increase on tile first year is 10,000 more children instructed, while the percentage of the second year is nearly three times that of New Zealand after 16 years.

• While tho Defence Leaguo has at times during tlio year shown considerable activity, and while its campaigning work has been ably conducted, it has not been able to show the results for its efforts which tho Biblc-in-SchoOls' Lenguo has been able to show.

Ail evidence of the growing unanimity amongst tlio churches in favour of the Rible-in-Schools' League's proposal was afforded by the observance of Leaguo Sunday on December 14, when generally Anglican, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches and Salvation Army meetings, with instances amongst Baptists, Congregationalists, and the Church of Christ, joined in tho offering of publin prayer for tho success of the league, and in advocating its cause from their pulpits; as well as contributing church collections in a great many instances 011 that day. Thus the increasing unity of the churches at the close of the present year's • work'was made manifest. It is becoming clearer that unless something is done during the coming session of Parliament to meet the demand for a referendum on the question, the political issues at the next general election may bo confused by the introduction of this new issue. A greatmany people v.'bn. at tho outset of the agitation -for Bible-teaching ill Staio schools, held the-oninion that it would, come to r.otbinr, have nn\v chained their views on the subject. Instead of fading away tlio movement plainly is growing in strength, and has every appearance of continuing to do so.