BIBLE-IM-SCHOOLS AND PILATE'S REFERENDUM.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2006, 13 March 1914, Page 4

BIBLE-IM-SCHOOLS AND PILATE'S REFERENDUM.

is lniercstihg to iioti? t-hat-the Bishop - of is . »0t a ■■ bj. tho suggestion tiiaf/'-tlm teft*ciiditm prbpflspd by tlie Xiible-iu-State Sehools , Party is in a,iiy \Vay analogous to' what is khoivii . te .Blate's refetendum- Nflw. as a initt:fei;.vof faoti nei-tber of tlies'e refefeiriii *iis' a fqfermidttni iu tlie st-Hetty' pelt'' ■ticiil ftficj accredited use of the- term., : '.Too'.'fact is, both tI«J re- . ■: fcr.i-c'd to wonU fe 'jnOre correctly ejjar- ' aetetised 'Its pk'&fecittis of* scmimtffat ■ "roifgli-aiid-refidy: or. order* The cases differ ihitsmjich as the MappeaJl" (?) in one- ease is.. .to ft more or less casual atowd, iff. ih'e : 'other to ; an ciitipe (?) couiniuuif,}—tiit/an entire ■ ■(?)■ eqiiiittiJinjty-.that has'.had but one ■Biile. , of' the issite pifisentcfl' to it, Though tho refei'ciida Or in Q.westioii are- not '«iu\tt ticter) t%6s' ai'o closely anaiogops. Lot mo- -iridicato' one or two pftinte i o.f analogy. In tho first pfoco the Wsfejp , pf Weltiftpoji and tjib ;SiWe»hi-Seheßls'' Tarty ask the'. O.pveramiin.i Jfen , Zeafcmd to permit a pfelii-seito pa ttie gttes-tioii of Bibte-W--scteols, although tho --sabjeci' has -.Jicrtft beea . IHijly: and • exhaustively : dfeeu-s-sed, in all' its bearings, on the public or p:olititßl pl?ti:orms of tho Dominien, .'fhe .Bible-ifi-SciiOflls , Batty Iras not, 'sa fir—l » s-viiglo flviMio nit'etingl Its' meowings fcavo been "meo-taiigs Qt those favgiirable to the policy of tho party"! _ AYhat, then., is its -method o| educating, tho entire -■coiiiifttiaiity -en.-ttii3 higlijy. iw|>6rta.\yt, qilcstioM invblviii.g cur pflUtieal' rights and' roligious l-iberties? it has tisecl 00 pm: ■ cent, of the cJjureJws, etepe.ls, and Stiitday school ■halls, iii-tho i3oKiinion (buildings exempt' from rates and taxes) i'bf tlio purpose of a political cauotre and un eftfitesittstical coiirbi.ne. Ono sicle^—oiio ■ 'side onlj:,.and that a.pweiy partisah : been presented in* this in- , siffloUs'ione-sidsd aitd, clatidpstiiJo \tas y ia)A the JJib.le-iii-Scii.ijQls' -Parfiy lisa the .•e'tfjwwitqrg to ask the Soverßrri.ent of ..this BbnVijiioii.to believo t'iiat, tho qiics' ■'tifiii ]i;as'jbe.eii fully and frwly.dismissed, ajMJ:' thai''w4,.'.pco,ple -of -the lOom.iuimi the roWemenAi . Nμ-,. if the 6over.iaijie.iit of .this Doniimpn is goiitg to permit a plebiscite o» tho .IJiWo*iifrsclvo6ls'' qitostion, ■-'fcfoi'e- the issues involved are '. {'reply'aftd cxhsusth'ciy dMaeussod on , -t-fte publm p-iatfenns- el tho~.i)q-njtap.n,. they will. ■i>P- ilqing c.vaotly what Pilato did— thfljr dirty ntid "re.spoileibility ':(&& "appcaSiitg" te a pir-cly .sectarian orovvcE'.sueh'as Wlato appeafcl to. If a pldWseite is pel'mittqii ■ on tlio- issue in q.ttestuui, tlin i)fllitic|:vns ' of ~X«w j Zeaja.ud. (rather t-fian- its parsoits) will i !>o tho Pr-lates! lii tlvp second 'place, i tho c«scS in ptjint (those cf Pilate ami tho Kible-iiirSohepk , I'aity) am aiial<jgD«"s, iiiasmttch'os this a-etien of tho Mow Zealand OoveniMient. hi permittirig a plcbiscito, wdulel ffiht Pilate's) ]id ttacDßstittttwiml. I'ilate-'s attioli tl a«n attajtting its histo-rieityj was ttiigoiistttatronal, bocauso the la.iv did not allow such, an "appeal , ' , of. pletiiscito as lie allowod; and surely dtti- New ZfjalaiMT Govoi'-i-miftiH would be guilty et a grossly uucOTStitatienal Detroit ft it perihittuil a plebiscite (fit r-eferomhinij flis any issuo. bofcrft tho gcnej-al question as to "iPefe>rcn(Unn" jiart and. parcel oi' ont CJovoruincnt iiinohjiifiry was cjclfiiustivcij , and publicly »iiseuss«l thrftaglnnit the l)«irinim, sw'i £■!'« fotercivilum eveutiia-tl}' adapted, a* part- of our eeugtit-uiioii. What- tho Bihle-iii-Sfi-ioofs' li\\Hy slirilik i'i'Oßi is ppeis, .fiw, fti-id \m : blk- Sscna--siou. They Wfltrld iidept a simimaiy, sin irregular rtwl hijf:oiiwtttiii.ioiia!, pmocitore siiflr-as I'ißitp ailoptNJ. What t«istmiibi<i' ebjcAfoft I'iiirid, er ito> Iliblivifl-Scliadls , Pin fey have iv setting Iht> isstio id. the- UMui'l t-oitstjiutifiiial-. way, after it has been fußy and freely discussed on ilte public

lilatform of tho couutrj at si goncrai ■ ctettion ? If such a qiiostion is to Up dealt ri-itli wisely ami justly thoro and then iire tlie place iiud tiliift fe de-nl 'with it. AVliy should tho Bible-iji-Sebobls , Party "no-t cofflu out iiiti) tho open, and tiave the question fully, ■ex* ii.austivdy, aiid jmblicly disews-sed? Why Bliould tlic.y employ n paid and usvporte-d agliator, wlio has, . if themany stateiiieiits attributed to him in tlie Ffc'sa are wirroclly reported, TisC'd argiinlcnts that Wiy sfcliooiboy might wpll bo heartily asfiamcd of; Bin? K" jjaatedly and sysfernatkally iiidulgotl iii statements that aro grassly mis* if not unsernpu'loifs Jnishpjwesßiitatioas erf the attitude and matircs of defenders of -our existifig system? Who are tiie liiity behind him nnd the movemont? ExsHiino. iiui list of patrons. It wHI bo 'found that most of thetn never- had a child ef their own, or never had (or are lifcely 10. have) children attending State sehooh, Siiiiiss o.f tlrera (to my •own ljjMJffledge) do not allow' their children even to speak to piipj'ls attending State sclrosls'! —l ant, etc., HUGH MACKENZIE, Hon. Sec., National- Schools;' ijefencQ Lcagije-, ' March 9, 1914.