BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2204, 17 July 1914, Page 8

BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS

ft GREAT MEETING AT PETONE MR. WILFORD'S ATTITUDE St. Augustine's Hall, I'etone, was crowded to tlie doors last evening when a meeting of the supporters of tho Bible-in-Schools' League was held. TIIO Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan)- presided, and the Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Sprott) and the Revs. Dr. Gibb, J. J. Lewis, Stevenson, J. M'Caw, and a number of prominent members of tho local churches were on. tho platform. Tho Salvation Army Band was also in attendance. Dr.' Gibb stated that tlie movement was, further forward than ever, and they wcro going to win. (Applause.; Regarding the teachers, they would be expected only to supervise the lessons and not to teach religion. Eduoation without Scripture teaching was a sham, because all we rejoiced in came from religion. The Bible was Tequired in the State schools in tho interests of morality for the Lrue welfa'ro of the children. Bishop Sprott complimented the previous speaker on his address, which he thoroughly agreed with. liis Lordship stated that the Referendum Bill should be supported; that the voice of tho people might be ascertained was the fairest way to settle tlie whole matter. Their opponents would have an opportunity of voting against tlie movement after tho Bill was carried. His Lordship heartily wished it could be kept free from being a political'party question, but it had been stated that the member for tho district (Mr. T. M. Wilford) had mado it clear that lie would voto against tho Bill, and the league might yet be driven to bring tho matter into tho next election. . The meeting was enthusiastic, and the speakers wore frequently applauded. At the conclusion a resolution of appreciation of the Referendum Bill was carried. , Several questions were asked and answered, some of the questioners being well-known opponents of the Bible-in-Schools movement. APPRECIATION. * THE FLOW OF RESOLUTIONS. 1 (From Various Correspondents.) Resolutions expressing appreciation of_ the action of the Government 'in bringing in the Referendum Bill requested by tho Bible-in-Schools League have been passed by the officials of the Whangarei Methodist Church, Wio quarterly meetings of the Coromandel and Hamilton Methodist Churches, the congregations of the Frankton and Coromandel Methodist Churches, the Auckland Methodist Young Women's Bible .Class Union, the Hiintly, Waihi, and .Frankton branches of the Women's League, the Te Kopuru branch of the Bible-in-State-Sohoofs League, the Hamilton East Church; the Coromandel branch of tho Bible-in-Schools League,, a meeting held in the Dunedin West electorate, at the quarterly meeting of the Otaki-Levin Methodist Circuit, and tho Westport branch of tho Bible-in-Schools League. PETITIONS OF PRQTEST. A further batch of petitions against the Religious Instruction in. Schools i Referendum Bill was presented to tho House of Representatives' yesterday. The total number of signatures on the petitions is 12,933, making a total of 51,065 signatures on all anti-referen-dum petitions presented to date. The members who presented petitions were: Sir J. Carroll, the Hons, R. H. Rhodes and F. M. B. Fisher, Dr. Pomare, and Messrs. Young, Glover, Clark. Dickie," Payne, Wilford, Hine, Poland, Guthrie, Wilkinson, Robertson, Macdonald, M'Callum, Harris, Sykes, . Pearce, Craigio, T. W. Rhodes, Okey, Campbell, Bradney, and Myers. DEBATE AT SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING. "MOTION AGAINST THE MOVEMENT. Considerable discussion' took place at a meeting of the I'etonei District High School Committee last evening upon a motion moved by Mr. M'Kenzie, to the eifcct that the Petono District .'High School Committee, "appeals with confidence to the members of Parliament, and of tho New' Zealand Legislature, to defer anyJcgislation that will interfere with the conscientious convictions of a very large section of tho community who are against any movement to alter the present free, compulsory, and secular system of education, believing that tlie Sunday School and the home are 1 tlie proper spheres for- Scripture teaching; a minority has no right to be tho tool of a majority, and no one ■has, any right to control the opinions of a minority upon religious questions." The mover stated that the time had' arrived when tho committee should take some stand on the matter, as tliero was a movement to alter the present system of education. lay lot and Lockwood opposed the motion, considering that tho committee had no jurisdiction, in the matter. . Mr. Wright stated that he would vote against the motion, on the ground that Parliament had not been asked to legislate upon the question of BibltMuschools, but merely to grant the community the right to express its opinion on the matter; the word referendum was omitted from the motion altogether. Tho remaining members spoke in favour of the motion, Mr. Pawson stating tliat lie would rather have had tho principle of . the referendum included in it, The mover, replying, stated that the committee had the right to act in this matter, and he claimed that, as worded, tho motion covered all the ground required. Upon a division being takon, the motion was carried by" -1 votes to 3, Messrs. M'Kenzie, Kirk, Townsend, Pawson, Brice, and Anderson voting for, and Messrs. Lockwood, Tnylor, and Wright N voting against it. Tlie Ebv. H. Braddock, who had applied for an extension of time in respect to Biblical object lessons after school hours (the committee at a previous meeting had agreed that these lessons should discontinue on June 30), attended the meeting, arid explained that he had been stopped in the middle of a series of talks,' and if the committee would grant him four more addresses, ho would be satisfied. When discussing the matter later, it was pointed out that the previous resolution must be rescinded, before granting Mr. Braddock's request, .unless the committee was unanimous. Mr. A. Anderson objected, but eventually it was agreed to inform Mr. Braddock that if he made a fresh application, his request would be considered. It is probable that permission will bo granted for these talks.