COERCING THE PEOPLE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2200, 13 July 1914, Page 9

COERCING THE PEOPLE.

- r Sir,^-rlfc!is in tlid hope of occupying, some of your valuable space that I am writing, oil. a, subjcct that seems to bo -causing a great deal of dissention just now: The Bible-iri-State-schools'- question was occupying a prominent pleiice in, yoiir columns this morning, and as. '{hequestion has been rather rudely placed, before' my notice', I have,. .'a» Bishop Sprott saye, been forced to take

notice. Intimidation-'scorns to be tlio main plank of Bishop Sprott and his saiellites' campaigu. 'Die utterances of Bishop Spiott in the Synod yestoraay iii, the ovont of tho referendum, being refused does: not seem to leavq any* doubt-on the-question. The agents of tlio league .act with: a .fanaticism which ratlior difficult to believe in this supposedly enlightened age.; The bakci, the butcher, the milkman,' and,' in fact, every man who calls .around at tlio back-doors, is, the likely victim of some agent of tho leagiio.: I, personally, have been approached by . persoils whom I - have niot in the : courso of my work, and who consciously or unconsciously liavo used their custom as a lever to secure my signature. The position ia .becoming-intolerable, and I cannot sea: itliat tho. league's; signatures can carry .'much weight :when .the signatures aro secured;, in, a; great many cases from apathetic individuals who know notiifng about the subject in question ;and' caro less, but ivho would- sooner sigh their, name than be worried.. ".Bishop SprJft gives; rein; to his imagination, , and quotes : 'a; supposititious -.case.. .Suppose avo had all just arrived. in : New Zealand for the first timq. The, question 'would' -bp, would Teligious teaching be impai-t----ed m tho schools or would it bo excluded. .Tlie question 'seems'.-'tp have ,;beqh answered before' Bishop Sprott or thp; Bible-in-Schools';, ■ League ■, turned 1 their attention to - the matter., Perhaps ministers, of tho Gospel were too busy in . those ...days to meddle with such a perplexing;.:, question.;!. Tho ; quest-ion seenis .to.hie,; by: what right,, does-tho Bible-in-Schools' : League- ask the conn-' try , to stand the expense of putting be-; fore;.the,people, a; question which- is really their . own responsibility, or 'vather.Hhe. .responsibility :of - their. own clergy., If tho churches which are agitating._ on /this: question, have not sufficient influence spiritually, to influe'ncp. the peoplo from within, themselves, why., .should; legislation. , Jbg;.-'- Introduced -'to :ioerce - tlie: people: at thev iustance. of 40,000 signatures on paper.' Should a section' of the cohimuiiity,. want religioiis iiistructibn in schools," ''then-;lot' ,them follow the Eonian Catholic practice, and ibuild.their ;own sch'ools- by voluntary contributions. By. thus doing, I should icohsider . ,that .Bishop . Sprott ';'-and.. his 'folloiv-ersaTO sincere,-'arid .it is; tho only, Avay. tlieycan■;show that, they are not; trying to use the. I^pslaturoof thin 'country to guillotiiie, a,:large section-.of •;the'community.—l -am; ;;efc., '. ,; . IRRELIGIOUS. / . [Our;corr'espondent;';dp6s',:,npt,' explain -how: 140,000 persons :can coerce the 'ppople; by ; legislation when, the '..legisla-tion-:in': question provides,- for/ nothing .' 'more tliatf -the".moaiis. by which -the | j : pe'ople can directly.expressih'eiivwill.] '.