BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2188, 29 June 1914, Page 6

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

THE REFERENDUM BILL.

TEXT OP VOTING PAPER.

MEETING OF PROTEST IN

WELLINGTON:

The Religious. Instruction iti Schools Referendum Bill, under which it is proposed' that a referendum shall bo, taken on tho question of"whether or not Bible '.- lessons and religious instruction shall bo introduced into i tho State schools of the Dominion, was circulated on Saturday. The'Bill'proposos'to enact that the poll shall bo taken on. tile day .of tho next . general-election/and that' tho qualification'fof voting shall be tho samo as that prescribed under'the'electoral la\l\ After ; the.poirthe is to have a state"A v , iSent of tl^e.,,result, prepared and gaz- : V. 1 etted, and to lay it , before Parliament ■' on tho first day 'of tho 1915 session. . ■ Following :is tho text of tho voting 1 -. paper:— " ' VOTING'PAPER. Religious Instruction in Schools-Refer- ..." j ........' - : endum. * . " Scheme of Instruction. ■ _ Provision to be made for tlio reading in public schools, .within school hours,!of selected Bible, .lessons .from , a book to be provided; by the iEducation r department.. Such reading to he cornducted under tho supervision- of the jmblic school;,teacher,,.bnt .;no ► _ teaching ; 'to!be'allowed.' c .. vProvisioh 4o bo'mado for religions in- " struction to 6e given within school hours . to children' by.'. a.' niiriister. of thoir own •i denomination or by 'aii accredited silb- ' stitilte., . \ _ • ' , ■ • jVny pare'nVto have" the''rfglit, H if lie chooses ,so .do/ tb .'withdraw his child ■from the Bible-reading, or from.,the, ror,,! ligious instruction; or from bctli. I vote in favour.of tho above-system. I vote against the above system. ' SPEECHES AT THE BASIN. RESERVE. RESOLUTIONS OF' PROTEST. Mass meetings of citizens were held yesterday underthe auspiccs of/the National'Sch'o6ls v 'Defcnce. League".-'. Tho first was: .held at,the Basin Reserve, •; where over' 1000 peoplo, assembled ;t<> hear the speeches. ■ Mr.-.John Httclie- ■ son presided, •/ ■; . . " ' ' Mr;, Hutchesoh' ..about ;. a year ago a deputation from ;the:-v.fie-i'encO League,waited on Mr. lay tlieir views, before,-hiilii,and demon- ., strate that the"'Biblc-in-schools . pro-posal-was contrary-to the.,principle, of iree, . secular, . ; and compulsory education. - Mr.: Massey had then replied that he had always been, in favour of the pres'ont system, and was not doing anything to injure it,-and added that flio Government would not bring in a Referendum Bill that session. To-day, Mr. Massey was going to give a referendum on the question. The people did not know what they worn going- to vote upon if, the. .Bill; was/'carried, as the book which was to be .introduced into tho schools had not been prepared. Mr. Massey was playing the old dodge of "trusting the people." f The First Protest. Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, M.P., moved: "This meeting believes that, our ," State'constitution should guarantee the free exercise and. enjoyment of ' 'religious profession-.'and worship ; without discrimination, and, there- ) fore, ..most emphatically ' protests' against tho proposal to introduce a particular form of religious instruction into our State schools by plebiscite or referendum." '

This, said Mr. .'Hindaiarsh, wa> the first time tho question liad come, up since 1877, and'it had beoom* a political question. -Forty years ago our present system .of .education was framed by Sir George Grey, Sir Robert Stout,. Sir' Charles- Bowen, Major' Atkinson, ] and other men who had had very bad' oxperiouco of. church' Education-iri-Eng-land; "and it was ';th©;.VexiirOssioii'-' of then; desire to , prevent such things coming .to New, Zealand. " • / .-¥*• P.'.'W!6bb,r.M;P., seconded the motion.;. said that ,he .was .totally op-posed-to a - referendum on: a religious , question,,because.' a-majority, should.not •dende such a matter for a'-'n»inprity:->:i Tho resolution was carried unanimously) or almost so.-

. . Position of, tha Teachers. . The next speaker was. Mrs. A. t R who' moved.;—

"As the teachers in our primary '.schools .have entered the. service- ofthe; State .subject ,to lio religious' . te?t, this meeting-considers it a ■gross injustice and deliberate breach of faith to compel them to conduct . , religious lessons unacceptable to tho people as a whole—denying to them .is. conceded to thorn as. parents." - ill's:'"Atkiiison said' tlct she believed that . the Referendum Bill was boing flown as a kite to indicate which way theJwind blew,-and she hoped that this meeting . would, demonstrate. . to . Honso; and;; '-.tlw tofld wa's" almost dead against the Bill. Continu-" nig;' -Mrs. Atkinson said that it was argued that the.. Bible ; should , be..,-put , into the schools if only for tlic'piirpose of .teaching the children the meaning' of tlie words,';; , But '.whit meaning could ' there.; bo to the words ifjt^>'oi 1 © ; l d*. deeply religious meaning ?•'* (Applanso.) It was not correct that the system had , 1 Avales.;' -Shc-did-'not ""statel"" as'an" enemy.of the Bible, or of religious inShe valued- both .fo£ ~the' children, perhaps even, more highly than some'of the people who were, wish-, shovel off the Church's job on totlicv. States school-tea'clior/' 'i Tho. 'proper--- . coujse:for'the .Government was. to "put the-iS T plson systfm into the. Education Act-. '*•«•»•» -1 ; i '■ Mr..; Foster, head-teacher _of the Pettmp NWrpal. School, seconded'tha mo? tioil moved* iMtv.'Atkinson," 1 "ilii I'ostcrdeclared that, more school-tcach-ers'would .take their stand against tho Bilt'if.. th6("'did iiof fe'rfr "for their posi-' .twits ;in'thi',ovnnt t ; of ';,tho_. fy-oposal, being, carried.' Were• were 'among the teachers of..every,.shade of opinionj" and yet they would have to teach religion. - - ■ •

A- voice: So you should, you teach about a heathen cod. Why not teach aho}ifc:the.tr.uo,God? ' » Mr. Foster: I have never taught aboiita heathen cod in my life, and 110 teacher in Nov.' Zealand ever has. That heathen god. was .raked' up by .Canon Garland out .of a School Journal, which was- sent liiru. It ivas a legendary story! about a god in Japan, and in the sanio journal was a story of the finest piece of sclfrsacrifice ever made on this earth—the story of the crucifixion. That is my answei' to" that interiector. (Applause.)' Mr. Foster stated that he had been a,'teacher fpr,thirtyrSeVen years, land he went on to say that it was not right of Canon Garland to assort; tha£ the Education Act of Sir George Crey, Sir Chas.- Bo wen, and others was shoved through without people .-knowing (vhat was in it. "They," he added, "have forgotten more abou,t education thaii'Canon Garland will ever learn in the whole course of his life." (Applause.), .., Mr. Foster believed that, a man would have an action iii the Law Courts if, after being compelled to send ilis child to school, and compelled to pay taxes, he were compelled to say whether ho objected to his child-*-a having religious (j""bing. If the

Bible-in-schools movement was not fought there would be- sectarian teaching in five years. Mr. Massoy and Mr. Allen were putting their hands .to the educational clock, and were - going to put it back forty years. Tlie resolution was then, put, and. declared by tlio chairman to have been "carried unanimously." Further Objections. The Rev. G. Ivnowles Smith announced that he had great pleasure in moving: ,"As the proposals-of the Bible-. : in-Schools' League involve (I) 'compulsion on minorities to contribute to the co3t of tlio religious in- : struction of the children-of majorities; (2) tho right of entry for the clfcrgy during tho hours of' compulsory attendance and consequent introduction of sectarian differences and- strife "into - our Stato schools, ■ and (3).th'o. assumption of .aright to compel attendance at religjous lessons (by demanding from, parents a written'request'for exemption of their chilclijpn), this meeting strong- ■ ly protests, against such unjust, pro- . .. posals.• Sir. Smith .said that it was. not the Bible whichrSvas sought to be introduced into 'Slio schools, but a text-book which was-i.tii mutilated pal-fc of - the Bible.- "Ttefi'the clergy are going in," he continufed.l "That doesn't menu'that the Bible, is'/ One's no warrant for the other." j-'-jLaugliter.). Mr., Smith claimed to know something of-education in ho was once, a • schoolteacher there, and, also, the chairman of a schoolrboard. He was against the Bible-in-schools movement because iii was not .triie that it, was. tlio Bible which would, bo placed-in the schools. It was all Tory woll' to' say that,we all held the Bible in common- as a national -heritage; but, while tho Bible itself was. one: thing; the interpretation of' it.vwas; .unite. another. -. Every'. man bad an *equal right to.conscience freedom in this land under the Britisji flag-, and no one -had-a. right to foist a Protestant conscience-,on a' ; Catholic.Pastor Meyers seconded .the motion, which was carried.It was then resolved, on.' the motion of Mr, Hutcheson,: seconded-by • Dr. Hughes: ■ 1 • "That this •meeting of- Wellington citizens in public- meeting;' as?'- ; seiiibled emphatically protests; against the passage-through Pa'rlia--i-nient .of a Religious Instruction iii Schools' Referendum Bill, on the ground that the'mdlging of Church and State is alieiv to': the whole; spirit of the Constitution and'the' people."- ■-. , .. ' : '; EVENIN&MEETING'; 1 Another', meeting'. was; held- ,in tho Grand Opera., House ,in 'the 'evening. Professor T.'..A, : Hunter presided oyer a /largo attendance'., ,> s .Th~& resolutions passed ; at ,ReJ3erve,.mee*tiiig were 'again; made, , and. these "afp- tp.- jbe the Prime' Minister.' rig ' the sp e alierS- was ■ R'ev.. T.;A. Williams, organiser"' ifprV-th'e'.-Deferico League,' who : ,said-.that'the BiWe-in- . Schools "part jr were fighting .unfairly. They sought to stir iip sectarian bitterness to aid them in the and while they called it a. Bible-in-Schools movement, they did'not seek to get the Bible into tho schools, 1 but'to get the ministers iii. . , .

Hon. William Earnshaw. M.L.C., declared that .proposal was unjust, and that-the-.members of ■the'. Houso should hots answer-to the crack of tho party whip, but vote according .to conscience. If sis "men in the Council determined that the . Bill would not'get through, it would not pass tho Upper House. ■ . Mr. W. T. Grundy deemed it monstrous that "such iniquitous proposals" should be made in tlie twentieth century. Hp was disgusted with tho whole proposal,' and he trusted that the peoplo. would do their best to prevent it coming, into effect. Other speakers were Rev. W. A. Evans, Professor Kirk, and Mr. J. Hutcheson.

At tho conclusion of tho meeting tlie chairman said that 1200 people had signed the card against tlic referendum during tlie afternoon gathering.