THE FIGHT FOR THE REFERENDUM

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

THE FIGHT FOR THE REFERENDUM

THE LEAGUE'S CAMPAIGN. REPLY TO'OPPONENTS. A social meeting under the auspices of the Hiblc-ili;Schools League'was held in St. John's Hall last night. Thero was a; crowded'attendance, though invitations had beon limited -to workers .only. - 1 In the cburs'e'of an address, the Rev, .Dr. Gibb' said that he wished to deal somo of tho objections offered to ;t'Ue - obiglit. of entry. He asked them to 'hotpf at. the outset this.-strango fact. Many who dreaded (but hated would he iythe'better'.word) the'idea of. the minister Entering the' ! school under the. league's scheme were nevertheless clam■ouring for the right of ministers entcring'under .the Nelson scheme. As an emissary of the Nelson scheme tho minister was manifestly an angel of lighi linder the league's scheme as manifestly an "angel of another sort. Thero was 'a .curious twist in the logic of their adversaries here. The chief objection, to the right of entry was sectarianism. He -denied that sectarianism would result, .but if it did, what then? Suppose tho .result of their movement was that it tyould-be known iu the schools wild were little Anglicans and' Presbyterians and 'soforth.; Would'this spell out disaster ? Ineir, parents of, different' churches managed to live in, reasonable peace and .amity.-'; : Would not the children do so likowise ?,. But whatever unhappiness ,might attend Bible in schools—and ho ;denied . that, any imliappiness would result—ihb'.chill, 'deadly secularism of tho schools.was a much greater, evil.- A -second 'objection was that tho-.- larger ohurches' would steal from the-smaller. .It ivaTs an'-'unworthy suggestion. But 'again suppose anything of this sort wero attempted. .Suppose the Anglicans tried ■to gohblo 'up the\?resbyterians. Well, 'hq';promised that, they , would find they had undertaken the chewing of a tough morsoL 'As long as the breath was ill Jiim ho would stand for fair play, and :s6''.would! the Presbyterian: Church, which in. this matter, would be backed inp. by .■jll'.the Other'non-Anglican dejiiominatioris. But it was utterly unworthy to .cherish this fear. Ho would 'remind them that in the last campaign Ifprj-Biblej in'-'schools, without the' right of eirtrv, the Anglican Church, lvith the ;sole exception-'of the Otago section, had stood jn witj.i. the movement, fought for it, and contributed to its funds. Tho 'wholly .convincing reply however was :the*fact~tMt the witness of the Aus.trajiaii.;States in which tlio- Bible was ministers permitted to ,entbr;pr6VEtl-:that tho schemb worked ;well w.ithmjtj friction.. i-<-On tlie-mbtioii -qf Mr. Hopkirk, seconded by Mr.'Erijest it was resolved^:—."We express once more our determinatioii not •to cease work until the,; Bible is restored. ;to tlio national schools. in. accordancff' with , the principles agreojl upon, by'tho churches constituting the league, and supported by many other Christians. Wo" urge mem;bers -of- ; Parliainent to pass tho 3?-efer ; ,eiidum Bill fas introduced, in order that the peoplo; of tlio Dominion may have opportunity of expressing >their opinion' for or against the league's' proposals. AVe' point out that members of iParlia-meiitaire. hot asked, to takoS.'sides .'hi support;of'or in. opposition, to';, tho proposal.'-for'religious instruction;" but aro; merely asked to allow the wliolo p'eople:of'the Dominion the oppDrtunity of doing ! so. If members of Parliament . should think .-fit to carry this matter ■ iiito tlie next ,general election, wo pledge .ourselves in'tliat. event to stand by the league and tii. uso every effort to ensurd ,tho-return of members who will represent tlie wishes -of their constituents" (carried with continued acclamation).-,.

. The System in New South. Wales. -The Rov. G. S. Cook was introduced as;a Methodist 'minister who had been a pupil in New South Wales schools, had. sent his own children, visited the schools and given lessons, and had brothers who „wero school teachors ill ,tl»t State'., Speaking as a.'Methodist minister ho said that eveiy Methodist Conference in Australia endorsed ! the Bible-in-Schools Leaguo system. The -New Zealand Methodist Church 'had dono. so after careful independent inquiry. It was truo that, one Methodist minister, tho Rey. G. Kuowles Smith, had been a- spokesman for tho Secular Defence League, but ho had not been in the conference on the two occasions that tho question had been discussed, and there was no evidence in his utterances that lie had any knowledge of tho case for the Bible-in-Schools League. Professor Hunter , also had his nightmare. Ho inferred that the system would lead to persecution and bloodshed. -Tlio speaker had started in New South Wales schools 45 years ago, his own son had grown to manhood, another generation of children wero going to the schools to-day. This persecution had nover occurred, and thero was no reason to believe that the New Zealand people were more bloodthirsty than tho Australians. These dreadful imaginings had no facts to justify them. The speaker quoted from' his own experience to show this. Professor Hunter was in the position of the student who on being asked whether he knew what electricity was, had informed tho examiner that lie had known, but had forgotten. "That is a pity, was the comment, "for you are the only person who has ever known." No one in Australia knew of the difficulties • l-hat are raised by our opponents.

A Lady Principal's Plea. . ; Miss Maclean, principal ; of the Wei-, lington Girls' College, spoke of tho absolute conviction of the rigiitncss of the cause —the dead certainty that it was the cause of the children. She

claimed that the Bible-in-Schools was tho truo "defence" league of the national schools. Opponents claimed that the educators ivei'o 011 their side. This might be true of some in New Zealand, but was not by any means truo of all. On the other hand, tho great educators of tho world were on tho side of religious instruction in schools, from Arnold, the great, down to Sadler of to-day. In tho case of secondary scliools, most of them had. religions instruction to-day. She found the parents keen, and very few of the children withdrawn. There wcro no difficulties with the teachers. Sho could not seo why children who liatr brains and money might have religious instruction in the secondary scliools, hut bo denied it if they were in the primary schools Tho present education system was defective, and presented a tyrannical assertion of legislative wishes, a tyranny whicli was not likely to bo tolerated much longer.

Shoulder to Shoulder. Canon Garland was received with marked applause. Ho said that doubtless thoy were all anxious to know what was going to happen. Ho did not know what would happen this session, but he knew that the Leaguers would continue shoulder to shaulder, and that nothing would stop them until final victory was assured. ' Politicians believed 1 that' the Bible Leaguers were not sufficiently in earnest to. put Bible-in-schools before party politics. Ho did l not suppose that' every member of the league would do so, but he know for a fact that tho number who would do so was increasing daily—an increase which received fresh momentum whenever a member of Parliament declared that lie would so vote as to deprivo the people of the opportunity of.voting. They had been.accused of entering into politics, hut they had: not entered into any alliance with the Red Feds as had the opposition league,, nor' brought the Red Feds to interview the Prime Minister, as had the Attorney-General the other day, to keep the Bible out of schools for innocent; unoffending children, though the same gentleman took care that when his Red Fed friends were in prison they were supplied with Bibles andfaciities were given for ministers' visits under regulations issued by Mr. Herdman himself. When their opponents accused tho league of entering into politics they omitted tho fact that the Roman Catholics in 1892 /'had called on their people to vote for those candidates only who publicly pledged themselves to support the Roman Catholic claims.

A DEPUTATION. MR. HINDMARSH; M.P., STATES HIS VIEWS. Representatives of tlie Bible-in-Schools .League in his electorate waited on Mr.' A. H. Hindmarshj M.P. for Wellington South yesterday, with a view to gaining his support for the Referendum Bill shortly' to' be considered by Parliament. Mr. G.. Flux said that the object of the deputation was to get Mr. Hindmarsh to see his way to vote for the Religious Instruction in Schools Referr endum Bill. "As a democrat yourself —I believe I am giving you the correct term— > Mr. Hindmarsh :' Yes. ; "We contend you should find no difficulty in voting for the Bill when it comes up for decision. We are not asking you to voto ; oh the general question of tho Bible in schools: You' may possibly agree., with that entirely, but wo aro in l favour of a referendum, so as to allow tho people to decido the matter." - It was, ho added, a pity that the , question had been dragged into general politics, .'and lie,wanted to make it clear deputation did not; approach the'matter in any threatening or, dictatorial "attitude. They, only "asked him to give due - weight;to. vthe opinions of a large section of the electorate.

Replying, Mr. Hindmarsh - said' he could not-help being impressed by the speakers', earnestness, but this, was a question upon whicli the closest friends differed. They had a system of education in operation at present which was' by no means perfect, but it was for the Bible-in-Schools advocates to provo that the system they proposed was better than the present one. He was brought up as an, Anglican at a school where the masters were English clergymen. and he could say truthfully that doubt first entered his mind when ho was at school. And for this reason: On ordinary subjects they were taught to he as inquisitive as possible; the more questions they asked the better; but direotly they passed, to religious in-struction-a different method was adopted. They were forbidden to ask questions they were forbidden to doubt. That was.;at a, school where they tried to have a religious atmosphere, but he did not; think it succeeded with most of the" hoys. . Would tho deputation, ho asked, "support hirn .if he.advocated referendum on: every, subject. A deputationist: Yes. Mr. Hindmarsh: "But others would not." ,' He could not, he added, think of applying the referendum for one purpose only. .

NELSON SYSTEM UNWORKABLE. DISCUSSION AT PETONE. At the Petbne Clmrch of Clirist last evening, Mr. H. Grin,stead, evangelist, addressed a fair audionco oil the Nelson system of Bible-reading in schools.-- Mr J. Battersby occupied tho chair, arid the speaker, gave a general outline of the method, stating that in Wangairui hp had taught' school children under a similar system, with great success. He could not support the, right of entry to teach deiioininationalism, as was advocated by the Bible-in-Schools League, and had spoken against a referendum on ; the question, because lie felt that all supporters of such were' morally bound to vote for the ' League's proposals, which ho could not do. Judging by tho questions asked at tho conclusion of tho address, there was- evidently a strong feeling; in favour of the proposals of tho Bible-in-Schools League. When asked, how, under the Nelsonsystem,- the Bible could'be taught in country schools, where- there were no ministers, Mr. Griiistead..replied, that perhaps. tho'teacher or someone else would niakc' application to teach Scripture,; which w'ould be granted. ' "If there were - just one. Presbyterian or Anglioan minister in a country place, do you consider that, under tho League's proposals, his teaching would ho detrimental to. the'welfare; of tho children?'-' was another question submitted, to which the speaker replied, "Hardly," but it would depend considerably iipou the teachers in that particular school.

APPRECIATION. 1 RESOLUTIONS FLOWING IN. Resolutions of appreciation,'and calling upon the member for the district to support tho Referendum (Sill as 'in-' traduced, have been passed by tho quarterly meeting of the Methodist Churches at Opotiki and' Woodvillo, the Presbyterian Young Men's Biblo Class,'iTemuka, the meting of the Salvation ' Army, held in the Salvation Army Hall, Temuka, on Saturday last;' a joint meeting of the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans, held in the Methodist Church, ' Temuka, on Sunday night last-, and * the Salvation Army Corps and Adherence, St. Albans. Christchurch, at a meeting held last Sunday; and at a meeting of the congregation of the Presbyterian Church, Lower. Riccarton, held on Sunday evening last, when Mr. Witty, 31.P.. was urged to support the Bill. The Methodist congregation of Lower Riccarton, at a meeting held last Sunday night, also called on Mr. Witty, M.P.,-to support the Bill. Resolutions of appreciation have also been passed by. branches of the Church

of England Men's Society at Sydenham, Kaiapoi, Water-ton, St. John's, Christcluu'cb, Lyttolton, Addington, Uoraldine, Lower Riccarton; a meeting of_ persons interested in the Church Missionary Society, held at Avonside last Thursday; the; Church of England congregations at St. Chad's, Avonside, Gebbio's Valley, Governor's Bay, Littlo River, St. Matthew's, St. Albans, Christclmrch, St. Paul's, Papanui, St. Mark's, OpawaJ"'Holy Trinity, Avonside, St. Oswald's, Avonside, and Lower Hicearton, and St. Aidan's, Avonside; and. branches of £hc league at St. Alban's. Auckland, St. John'-s, Rangiora, and tlio Women's League for Canterbury and Westland.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC FEDERATION

DELEGATES IN WELLINGTON. Roman Catholics from every part of the Dominion, both clerical and lay reassembled in Wellington to take part in tho' annual meetings of the Dominion and Diocesan Councils of the Now Zealand Catholic Federation yesterday. At a meeting held last evening the following resolution was carried:— "That the .Wellington Diocesan Council of tho New Zealand Roman Catholic ' _ Federation respectfully protests against the R-eligious Instruction in State Schools Referendum Bill now before Parliament which is subversive of all religious liberty" and rights of conscience, and 'further, that it imposes a serious disability on many of the public school teachers in the Dominion." Tho Very Rev. Dean M'Keima gave a report of tho arrangements at the Takapau Camp and expressed his great satisfaction at the manner in which the Defence Department met his requirements. A proposal to hold a gathering of Roman Catholic in the Arch-Dioceso was referred to the executive. Delegates were appointed to the Dominion Council and tho election of officers resulted as follows President, Archbishop O'Shea; vice-president, Very Rev. Dean M'Kenna, V.G., and tho Rev. Fathor. Daly; treasurer, Mr. B. Ellis; secretary, Mr. W. S. Johnson.

A STREET FRACAS

Tit AGIO SEQUEL TO A BRAWL. (By Telegraph.—PreEa . Association.) Te Kuiti, July 21. An inquest into the cause of tlio death of Walter Howard Swainson was held at Otorohanga yesterday.' Evidence was given uy several witnesses to the effect that deceased was struck by S. D. Childs on June 27, and deceased knocked hira down. After the scuffle Childs went away and returned with a' bottle in each hand, and struck Swainson on tho head. Swainson again hit Childs, and appeared to be all right. For over a week afterwards lie complained of a bad head, and' he died fen days after-tho assault. The post mortem examination revealed a fracture of the temporal bone,, which was diseased. Medical testimony was given that the, fracture could have been caused at football by a sudden jar, over-exertion, or a blow on the face or head. Tho jury expressed the opinion that death was caused by compression of tho brain, duo to fracturo of a diseased temporal bone, the fracture having been caused by injuries received during a street disturbance. Childs. was arrested, and charged with causing Swainson's' death. _ He' was brought beforo Mr. J. Srodie, J.P., and remanded for a week on'bail, self in £100 aiid two sureties of £7p each.