NATIONAL SCHOOLS DEFENCE LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2164, 1 June 1914, Page 5

NATIONAL SCHOOLS DEFENCE LEAGUE

MEETING OF EXECUTIVE. A meeting of the executivo of the rational Schools Defence League was held' last evening. Paster Meyers occuled the chair. Hie committee reported as follows: — The main endeavour of thos9 seeking to introduce sectarianism into our national schools is-to- make it appear to tho public that they are advocating the introduction of the Bible into the schools and that this Defence League is opposed to the Bible. By assuming the name "Bible-in-Sc'hools League" and by the use of such terms as "sMtarianism." "anti-Bible." "anti-Christian,"' - etc., ad nauseum, the clerical party places the issue misleadingly before the public. The Bihle-in-S<Jiools League asks — (1) That a referendum should bo taken on a religious issue. This Defence League is opposed to this, because it sees in all history the condemnation of such a proposal. All religious persecution has been persecution of a minority by a majority. Such a policy places votes above conscience, and is condemned most strongly by the very Book under whose aegis this attack on the schools is being made. A democracy that is founded on justice adopts majority rule, in social and political • affairs, but it faithfully respects the rights of the individual in private matters of conscience such as.religion. Majority rule in matters of religion means religious persecution. Might' is proclaimed as right-.

2. That State school teachers, appointed without religious test, should be compelled to give general religious lessons on pain of dismissal. Tho teacher is allowed to exercise his-~fight of conscience as a parent ,_ but not as a teacher. The proposal is out»ageous in its injustice. It ''would mean that many teachers, who by industry and faithful service to tho State have won positions of honour in our school system, would' be compelled to resign or to sear their conscience. No Roman Catholic teacher could possibly remain in the service without outrage to conscience, and we know of many other teachers who would feel compelled to feive up their positions if these proposals wore adopted. This Defence League feels that in the event of this happening each' case must be fought to tho bitter end in the Teachers' Appeal Court and law courts—that will be merely a matter of justice.

(3.) That the minority, merely because it is a minority, shall he compelled to contribute to the cost of the religious training of the majority. Under the scheme proposed hv thej Bible-in-Schools League, State school teachers must give frequent religions }essons. For these the State, including those who constitute the minority will have to pay. To say, as the Bible-in-Schools League does, that the cost of education would not be increased is .to overlook the .fact that the real cost may be increased, to the payers, not by raising the price, but by diminishing the benefits. Teachers while engaged in giving religious . lessons cannot bo giving secular lessons, therefore either tho amount of secular teaching is to be curtailed or an extra burden placed upon the teacher. (4) That ur/:er the so-called "right of entry" the worst form of- sectarianism shall be forced upon our schools. Such a policy will not only seriously interfere with the school work, more particularly in small schools, but it will divide where the State's obvious duty is to • unite. The Rev. Dr. Gibb in 1903 forcibly expressed his fears thus: "Mr. Neild is troubled that I should havo said that the introduction of the priest into the schools of this colony is to be sternly resisted. He is in the dark as to what the phrase really means. As far as I am concerned, it means that sooner than see sectarianism introduced into tho schools, I should prefer that they remain as they are." With this we most heartily agree. It is, then, to these most unfair proposals—the application of the referendum to a religious issue, the coercion of the consciences of teachers, the financial injustice to the minority, the introduction,of sectarianism into the schools —and not to the Bible that this' defence has been, is, and always will be opposed. We havo already said, and wo repeat it: that the league will offer no opposition to a purely voluntary system such as : the Nelson system, provided that the State (i.e., all the people) is not called upon to pay for the teaching of the religious beliefs of some of the people. : In its last report to the Press, the Bible-in-Schools League said that signatures to its Card had not been obtained by misrepresentation. The Schools' Defence Lcague has much evidence to the contrary, and "this .will bo produced at the proper time, i.e., when the. cards of tho Bible-in-Schools' League have been placed ill possession, of the Government. The ■ extremes to which some people arc prepared to go is'shown by the fact that, to frighten the Government, they are giving out that they will, if the referendum is /not granted, place this issue above all others at tne coming general election.

The London "Times," which'is in favour of religious training in schools, sees clearly the danger of such' proposals as. .tho local league'is making. . In tho Educational Supplement, March 3, we find those words":— "There is something oven worse than a merely secular education; that is, an education where /religion-is taught perfunctorily, and without an adequate sense of its importance. No one will desire that any teacher to whom tho Bible has no religious value, or who dces_ not accept the fundamental conceptions oil which its message is based, should-he made to use it in teacliing others. But a grave injustice is inflicted on teachers and children alike when those appointed to give instruction from the Bible have no real training for tlie work.." -' Will the Bible-in-Schools lieague advocato that the Protestant religion should be a compulsory subject in our training colleges and for teachers' certificates? After the glowing accounts which we have, had regarding the moral influence of the Bible in schools in New- South Wales, members of ourieague have, no doubt, read with much interest the Press Association message from Sydney that "a meeting of representatives of various, religious bodies to ascertain tlie possibility of. uniting upon a broad, stroni platform of common interest in moral and tocial questions agreed tliat a conference was desirable." Various matters . were discussed by the. executive, and it was announced that .the Rev.. T. A...Williams, the official organiser of the league, would arrive in Wellington to open the Defence campaign on June IG.