The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 1883.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3746, 18 July 1883, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 1883.

When Mr M. AY. Green, M.H.R., moved the second reading of his Moral Training in Schools Bill, he altered the title to Biblereading in Schools, and the whole of the question involved in that title Avas fully gone into in the debate that ensued. As the Bill was eventually thrown out we need not weary our readers by further referring to the speeches made by the several speakers than to point out the stand taken by the honorable member for Napier. AYe may premise that in his address to the electors in the Theatre here on Thursday, December 1, 1881, Mr Buchanan is reported to haA'O said :—" There had been put to him during the present contest a question in regard to lho introduction of the Bible in schools. The question had also probably been asked of the other candidates. lie thought the eoirqrulsory introduction of the Bible into schools Avould serve no other purpose than to introduce Avhat he hoped they had got rid of, namely, the denominational system. He could, however, see no reason why arrangements should not be made for reading the Biblo to certain children whose parents desired it, provided that in so doing the ordinal*}' schools were not interfered with. He know there avctc parents Avho looked upon this as a vital point, and he respected their views. Although ho Avas not one of thoso AA-ho bolieA'cd in the good that would result from the present Education Act, he could assure tho meeting that he Avas desirous of seeing the present Act faithfully worked for some years." HaA'ing refreshed our readers' memories upon this point, let us see what action Mr Buchanan took in the House, and how the vieAVS ho expressed in Napier as a candidate will compare with the opinions ho utters noAv that he is in Parliament. Fortunately Mr Buchanan has supplied nil Aye want to slioav in his speech on the second reading of Mr Green's Bill, and which is reported in Hansard, No. 6. Mr Buchanan said— " Sir, I hail AA'ith satisfaction the result, of the recent vote, because I look upon it that the sole end that could haA-e been served by consenting to the amendment would have been to postpone until tho Greek kalends any modicum of relief toAvards our fellowcolonists the Roman Catholics. I voted last session, in common AA'ith a minority in this House, in faA'our of giving them some small consideration for tho disabilities under which they labour ; and I watched during tho course of this debate for an opportunity of moving "the previous question," for I cannot be placed on such an unfortunate crux as this question noAv presents—on the one hand to vote against the reading in schools of tho Bible, that foundation of our common Christianity, or, on the other hand, to vote against relief to thoso who differ conscientiously from me in opinion. I cannot but belicA'O that this Bill will impose further disabilities upon our Catholic fellow-colonists, and I am not disposed to take such a course as that. On tho other hand, I feel equally strongly that avo are not. doing a right thing in voting against reading tho Bible in schools. It is, in my mind, most repugnant that avc should place that book under a ban; that wo should place it in an index expurgalorious, as if _it wero not merely worthless, but destructive and injurious to the public morals. I cannot consent to either of these courses, and it is because I cannot do so that I take tho opportunity which is afforded me by our Standing Orders of escaping from tho difficulty by moving the previous question. It has'boon asked, "AVhat Bible is it that is objected top AVhat Bible is to bo road? Thero are more Bibles than the Douay Bible and the Protestant Bible. There arc tAvo Protestant Bibles—probably more. Thero are certainly the Lutheran one and our own English version, and beyond that there is the revised version ; perhaps that Avill be read." But it is sufficient for our purpose to take the Avord in its broad sense, and I am content, Avith the honorable member for Port Chalmers, to say that, sooner than sec it excluded, I will take any of them. There is enough in any of them to be a good foundation for all public morality. I beg to move the previous question." After the prorogation of Parliament, if it should please Sir Ceorge Grey to address his electors, Mr Buchanan may feci at liberty to meet his own constituents, and then, perhaps, ho may be induced to offer an explanation of what at present looks very much as though he had trimmed his sails at tho timo of his election.