BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2211, 25 July 1914, Page 6

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS

.CHINA A REBUKE TO NEWi ZEALAND. . (To the Edifer.) Sir,—"A day of prayer for China;" ■ in the Martyrs' Memorial Hall, Shafig- • hai, is described by an eye-witness as a ' most remarkable and wonderful sight. ' It was organised by Chinese alone, no foreigner having any part in it, save that of a fellow worshipper. The meeting was held at 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 1913,' but long before that hour the large _ hall was packed, to its .utmost capacity, fully 1500 people being pre- ■ 'sent, and every-inch of standing room was fully,occupied. Even outside the' 'doors'standing room was not obtainable, and an overflow meeting had accord-', ingly to be held. The quiet behaviour of men and women was remarkable, and' perhaps the .most beautiful feature in: the proceedings was that the men who . had come early to secure good seats, 'with an -innate sense of politeness, gave them up to the women when they ; observed the crush. Precisely at 4 p.m. the chairman rose to address the meet- . ing, and a'deep stillness fell upon the ■ vast audience as he uttered the openings words: •• ' . "Friends, we are here in the presence of God to pray for our country. Will every, man please take off ' . his cap as a mark of respect and worship?" . ' Every head was at once unbared. Hβ then led in prayer, asking the Divine ; blessing upon the gathering, after;-?' * which all joined in our National Anthem. The old familiar tune thrilled ' through every fibre of every Briton pre-, sent, to whom it was an inspiration hear that great assembly of Chinamen, thus acknowledging God as tho Great Ruler of the nation. Here we find the: "heathen Chinee," as wo contemptuously call that great nation, manifesting a fervent desire as a nation to acknowledge God; whilst, to our eternal disgrace be it said, New Zealand for the last 37 years has been proclaiming upon, the housetops, through our publio school system, "There is no God."—l am, etc., J. HORNBY-SPEAR. Nelson, July 3, 1914. v [Portions of this letter have been .omitted through lack of space.]