BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2208, 22 July 1914, Page 8

BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS

\ ri ROHIAS CATHOLIC PROTEST A BIG DEMONSTRATION : ' • ' ? . f\. .. ' f.yy "jfe'V 'iv - iSPEECHES'AT THE TOWN HALL - TJiree thousand peoplo. assembled in ...tho -Town Hall last night' on the occasion of the Roman- Catholio demonstration of:;-.!;protcsfc!.against.;;the: 1 80-Salled: Referendum . Bill-i'dor •-'the.'.--'Bible in ... Schools;', 1 Every Roman .Catholic;parish.mi Now:"Zealaud was, •represented' bv .or-a- specjallyL -'flp^mteU ; l6cal' ; .rOTresentatiyeV - •• •'SitH.",. F.'. ,o!Lea ry >'- .who presided, said Itha't^-thp'Jelegate^includad' repre-of.'-the Magri' race;.- TOe/gath- ,- eririg' 'iva's'. not .'merely Va but;, -ft New^ZfalaffdjV.'demonstration.^;,, * -His • moved : • - "That -this''mhss !; '" meeting. ■ of i'Qathphcs,.;made: lip qf, : _represent-a- ( .. tiVes : and! delegates from : all 'parts - : ' of the" Dominion, i respectfully asks ; Parlidmeiit;.tp~;reject 'the Religious. Instruction ~,Refprendum,,;Bill now-' r y, before.-,.tliev House; if• car- '. Tied,'-.it."wilh>-.affirm thefipfwciplec'i 5 -that tlio. 'vo.teC of. a' 'majority • may bo „ i.J"used' to'_co6rco' .tlio^consciences': of a ; minority,• and • because-it will lead -to-the airtho people for $;hi th,p ;^cJfl^'^ ! ji^)t<n%«^RtaVle. . i he - - to' certaini : statemehts "mado' by' le'adors : of. the BiblSiij-sclibbls movement,.: /'lt-had b'eja'Vj.'.said ~.;.that7 . Catholics' - attitude. 1,.'0n" - :the s'ltquestion was' merely-' one ' ; of . obstruction, .and ' favoured,- secular .. education; ' IWa'sit .because/they,.:favoured secular? ism th|t,' after paying their share to-' v .wards-the-public schools, Catholics;pub' "|their. hands'.':im their.-pockets and paid .tfor a ihagiiificeiit .system of - religious "{Education ?,*. No,;i those who ' were' responfciblej.fqr;. the secular system:,weroj their V. It -had been them,that if they:kept squiet. :tlio vßible-iii-Schools movement was ■ carried, 'they'VioUld. then demand Stato" aid'-for--Gathdlic,; schools; But Catholics-.'lovedr^tfuth^'arid' justice' too uearly : to-,accept ; .thing; which :did not 5 , Jdeal,, justjy; byevery, section' of. theirjlellow citizens.- 1 .Catholics;were - not the Enemies-of.' the Rational.- systemof , edu-. , cation; hut they loved/their children' too; j dearly;.to '.surrender them'.; to .a system' I,iwhicli did -not;; provide'' in;;.a' : fJiiahilcr for-their'-spiritual ■ education'.'' jfThe ■ present; method; of trying . to" force.; . : ,tho Bible-in-Schools movement .upon the country -was''.'unlair-j and ';n; many ;. ini'Btauces disgraceful. ;':(Applausc.).,- The jlneeting 'that '.evening ' : was not there -td .'■hurl defiance,j.but tOvCombine in its own 1 defeiice, and, appeal: (witli .confidence) to JParliamenV to s reject. th».". present in- . iquitous Bill- before,'the- House. (Ap'plausel). >, . . Power of MajoWties. ; ;'V The resolutiofi --was, seconded by. Mr.PrJ. O'Reghn., He said.that tliestrong •i'aftffoCittlo;; secular /power had*, been in-/ yoked r ; f6r' i the;. / piirpose of:;teaching • re-..' .;iiigronf?."-Tho;~proposal-;-was--unjust- and ' ySmpofltifer.'atitt' fionnd- to 'beyond the- . 'legitimate',' .. functidhs'. : . of/.Government' f should, not be. submittedj to; a: plebiscite, ■of; tl)6: ,peoplfii;' ..It j.wa's .said that this; ■''\v,as!.a,^democratid'; proposal, but -lie. re- , fnse'd-:toi sntecribp',to ~the, doctnrie that' ■ any proposal was democratic! which ; was unjust. ; (Applause.)'; " A -; majority inight- 'ha.Vo 'the power to do wrong; hut :; - itr coiili? ■ never have the ; "right; ; to do. wrongr ' (Applause.)' They': were., had; ,been-..,5aid)..-iiqt.i.there ; . iii dft? ; and he, ilated theriS>oh...liaying assembled-in>such- . • ■ -that v;the .-.Catholics ■ <jf''" New''/Zealand ;;wer'e 1- united' ■ against;' this';^roposal.-; - t lt;'was-.especially"please ing- ® i see"vthe .-represeHtatives'-of--''tfi6, Nativo race; present.. ' (Applause.) Ho ■. IWiey^.h&e''fiiir..^)^£.!itofe : -'p&5 u and ;that, whatever.- the' r f ate 'iff .th^.;,measure,'.' the.peqjle. Of ;.^\w/%ajaild v! vw r ould rise : and 'show''"jhat 'tlieji ; - .-'of the : propo'sal. " (Applause;) ' : '; ■ 'Teaching.; The Rev r . father Coffeyi;of Dunediii/ ' spolio ;in'.'support.of.; the: motion; He ; eaidi -thafe tte- Reader ,of;;.thb, Bible-in-l SclioolswiHovdiieiitJiad said at Gisborne ■ . I ,that. r tllos(y'W'lio , 'differed' W'ith him would /'be on--the > left-hand ;side -oil tho Last- , ''Day^' r ;'; f Well ) ''':_cbhtihued leather 'Coffey. - V ever -that-; '^iappeii^. ! tii;< y.Qiir - . the{ ; Ji'at'i :jl-(Laughter '! Coffey said' that' tlie |Bib&miSchools.'pr6posaL in effect' -would.'ask : the'- teachers' .of,; New liealand.'.io; ' teach religion, in -theVsdi'oolsl; 'i.What' 'use !was ; -it -for- 'Now' Zealand 'advocatessay. 'tliat ---file«teachers.i'wbuld', liot'. . te'abh'-ryi'gion" when MK 'Bro'ad,.'the, 'South. Wales. Uiider-Secretary, quoted' ■ one: of '-the' chief inspectors;, as saying -that the - teachers dwelt with judicious, t'orco and impressiveness on sucli points of. religion' and£wdrals : ' as tho lessqns: inculcated..J3j - .- i ;j , o n j,J?f Dunocliiii one cleverestv iP?bsb,> r teriah ministers',' said 'thafcjhe.;' had' -/personally' , obbf^M^tlfSr'sJstdShciln' iWale-s aiitl that he saw the teachers givo, tjie lessons, in such a .manner as a good,', religious ; would givo them. ,AVlio could say .that that did:-not /indicate: 'religious, {teach-; •irig? South Wales tho clergy, had cu£''Sd;h'ackod/the Bible so m'ucli ,-t'hat the "people lia'd' caist 'it'dut of their 'homesV.^* I r--' ■ v ThoV;BiblMii-_Schools---advocates,' ;Sie-'.-contimietli 'denfe'd "that' iniriisters took.' very .'-little"interest;.'ih'. the. work' of; teaching iit' tlid' 'Schools .'of 'New - South Wales,; butra Royal'Cqmmiss.ion on-tlie- . fducati'oii; qiiestion.-<in .that State had ; .reported':"" In* view of' t-lie .inefficient' aiul almost complete absence of religious we recommend the in- . troductiqn of -the French code of ethical •' aristrulAion." the'"Anglican Synod of; -NSw". South;. it had been stated, .;that | -_ unless .thera ..was a Tovival ; of. interest; in tho - moveliiciiti it-'- must languish, and - perhaps ■ bo abandoned. The., following were Mimo'df the questions at the end of tho 'i\ r cw South Wales, lessons which teachers had to see that the children understood:—What rojvard. is there for them •iliat shall confess Christ, before men 2 What.is him that-denieth' Christ? What is necessary to bccome Christ's disciplo? Who is our advocate? How are wo to know that we have known him ?' Can -wo' bo justified -by'the law before' God? '"Why hot? .For what-did the Son of Man come? .Whom has God sent iii propitiation for sin?. 'Why does he so justify men? Were , these, ho asked,' not religious questions? In packing .the 'Bible, tho other side'had-cut-out the tenets of tho Roman Catholic Church—the divinity of Christ; the Peterine doctrine; the constitution of the Church; the texts which referred to everyone of the Sacraments, except one; but they had left in.the few. tenets upon .which they themselves'could possibly agree. 'For the reasons which lie had given, Father Coffey 'declared that every man and woman , should oppose the Bible-in-schools movement, and the plebiscite proposal. (Applause.) Dr. Cleary's'Remarks. 3isliop .Cleary, of.. Auckland, moved: "That we pledge ourselves as Catholics to still further, organise and strengthen the Catholic Federation, that wo may bo able to carry on'more effectively the fight . against'}this Unjust agitation- until it is utterly defeated." Dr. :CJeary said that tho greatest obto : thc :: Biblo'ill the'schools of

New Zealand was the Bible-in-State- , Schools, League. Tho truo Bible-in-schools: league was tho Catholic body, ■ which for • forty- years had maintained ;tbo.only schools in which tho Bible v.ns taught. The Catholics had put money ' and ' personal effort into- .their, schools. They had done ■moro.'- 'Thcy had thrown thousands of devoted lives into the work. (Loud applause.) In tlireo years and 1 a half 'in Aucjcfojid City, tlio Roman Catholics had in that sacred cause. Tho BiSle-in-scho.ols. people had crcatcd tho seculiirj system, but lately they had been .fighfrng; it—with their mouths. Now they 'panted tho Government to itajce up a branch of their Sunday-school . work, .and;>clo: : it cheaply and inefficiently.' Tlio work of sorno of these minis,'ters ill the;last forte years amounted to this (and ho quoted a verse to the effect that thbj'.'"had talked benoath tho stars, slept- beneath .tho sun, lived a life of goilig-to-do, and died with nothing done/'- If this policy was continued Itlie. little 'children wlio were present that.ov'eiiinj* would live to see the grass growiilg',o!V;the paths to those'people's church doors. Those people.well know the - path' their league platform, but there was one path they' did not know— the path-which would lead them to the • starved souls of the children of their own faith in the public' -schools. The Leaguo did not believe in paying- for .the teaching of tho Catholio religion, ..but', asked that tho Catholics should pray for the religious teaching iwliich; the 'League would give. The Catholics were fighting for rights which they could not give up,', and,,which no -Government could take from them. (Applause.) If men made sheep of ,themselves, there would be plenty willing to shear them. "Will you let them shear you?" (Voices-: "No!") If men niade doormats of themselves, others 'would- wipe their feet on them. Would It-he Catholics submit to that? ("No!") Would :the Catholics stand together and sink .differences to fight for their sacred .liberties ?' ("Yes 1") -The'riiotion was seconded by. Mr. D. L.; Poppelwell, es-Mayor of' Gore, supported by Mr. Wi Angland, ex-Mayor of Timaru, and 'carried' amidst applause.