BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2147, 13 May 1914, Page 9

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Sir,—ln a leaderette, under the head of "Notes of the Day," in Monday's issue, you suggest that there would bo ! ;ig uothinp; uiiicasonablo on tho part of • the Government in introducing legisla- , tion "to give tho people tho right to say whether or, not they desire that their children shall bo given tho opportunity of receiving Bible lessons in their own schools." Now, Sir, is it not truo that in many, if not most schools in the Dominion, tho people aro accorded that right already? Is it not true that tho "people" could, without incurring anyserious ■ opposition, acquire legislative authority for a voluntary system of religious instruction (before or after tho hours allocated to the secular syllabus) in all schools where such a right is now denied? ■ ..' You surely do not mean to suggest that the peoplo havo a right to imposo tho task of imparting religious instruction ou State officials, or a right to tax ali the ratepayers of tho Dominion for a form of religious instruction acceptable to a mero majority? You might with infinitely- greater ' propriety and justness claim that ; the question as to tho amount-of tho land tax to.be imposed on estates, yielding a clear income of over £500' a year, or tho question as to the continued existence of The Dominion newspaper, is a fit and proper question to be submitted to the people by referendum 1 You state that there is "an overwhelming weight of evidence in favour of tho contention that the system of Bible-teaching in use in several States of Australia meets with general approval,'' etc. Someone has surely been pulling your leg 1 Are you thinking of a pamphlet of thirty-six pages of commendations obtained from Civil Servants (1), mostly through tho New South Wales Education Department (I)? ' i Have you read tho report of the New South Wales Commission on Education, where it is frankly stated that the provision for iuora'l instruction in tho schools of New South Wales is so in- * different that the Commission recommended the introduction of the French (secular) system of moral instruction into tho schools of New South Wales 1 Are you aware that a few years ago tho Education Department in NewSouth Wales found that the clergy had 60 completely neglected the opportunities afforded them of conducting religious instructions in tho schools that it (the Department) issued a circular reminding the ministers of New South Wales that they had the privilege of entry! In 1911 tho Dean of Newcastle (NewSouth, Wales) was reported to have declared that "it -was no exaggeration to say that the majority of the rising generation iu Australia were without any religious sense; religion was to them foolish and unmanly. It was no exaggeration to' say, .too, that many children could repeat tho names of tho Melbourne Cup winners for the past twelve- years, but did not know the Jiames of tho twelve apostles." I undertake to supply The Dominion with several columns of testimony of that order ns to the efficacy of the system of Bible-in-State-Schools obtaining in New South Wales'! Have you heard of "faked" statistics representing the 31,000 Catholic children "enrolled" in the New South AVales school as being "instructed" in { tho faith of their, fathers,. when, as a matter of fact, one single visit is paid (on the average) in from 3} to 4 years to each school by Catholic priests'? ...Is that tho kind of : "successfunoperatipn" of, and of overwhelming'weight of evidence in.favour.of;, tho. l genera|.'vappr,Qval accorded tliß.New'.South' system that you were thinking of when you wrote Monday's; "Note's '.of the.Dav'!? No,doubt the Biblo lesson is a useful and valuable aid to education (moral and,other) in tho New South Wales schools, in which the, lesson is conducted in the proper spirit, but there is ample evidence that the number of such schools is small. In some half-dozen places the report of tho Education.Commission states that "in view,of tho insufficient or almost total absence of religious instruction (in tho schools of Now South Wales) they (tho Commissioners) recommended the introduction of the French code of moral instruction." . ......; Surely that completely discredits the Kind of evidence secured- by doubtful diplomacy through interested partisians. —I am, etc., , - . ' r . HUGH MACKENZIE. May -5, 1914. - . [Professor Mackenzie wo suspect has not recently read tho report of the NewSouth Wales Education -Commission or ho surely would not have attempted to argue that it supports. Ms opposition to the system of Bible lessons in use iu South Wales State schools. As a matter of fact' the,, reverse is the case. I here were two Commissioners—Mr. iurner and Mr. Knibbs—and they presented separate reports. Professor Mackenzie, to suit his case, or through ignorance of its existence, ignores Mr. Turners report. Mr.. Knibbs in his report dealtwith what he termed Ethical Instruction, expressing the opinion that "in vioiv of the fact that various circumstances prevent tho clergy availing themselves of the opportunity of utilising to the fullest extent the opportunity of religious instruction afforded under the Act, it is desirable that definite instruction in ethics should bo given as part of the general programme." Then he goes on to sugfest the French' scheme as stated by 'rofessor Mackenzie—but not as a substitute for religious instruction. The context of fcMr. Knibbs's report shows that ho recommended ethical instruction, as, an addition to the existing religious instruction. Professor Mackenzie surely must know this, and ho must also be aware of the fact - that Mr. Knibbs's view was not endorsed by his fellow commissioner and has never been , adopted by the education authorities of New South Wales. Moreover,. Mr. i Turner's Toport contains this passage, ■which perhaps has escaped Professor Mackenzie's notice: - Our own State (New South Wales) seems to havo made tho best attempt at solving the difficulty of religious instruction in schools by tho facility it gives clergymen and accredited teachers under Clause 17 of the Public Instruction Act, and by the excellent general Scriptural instruction contained in the Irish National Scripture book's, which are still in daily use. This is the recommendation of the Commission to which New South Wales gave its endorsement by leaving the system of religious instruction untouched, though much else was altered. Professor Mackenzie plainly could not havo been aware of those facts or he would not have put forward the inaccurate and misleading suggestion set. cut in his letter. Wo havo not the slightest hesitation in repeating that the overwhelming weight of evidence is in favour of tho contention that the system of Biblo teaching ' in use in several States of Australia meets with general approval in those States. The contemptuous reference by Professor Mackcnzio to the opinions of education experts in the employ of tho State is surely out of place for one iu his position, and is hardly calculated to strengthen his case.]