BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 672, 27 May 1914, Page 7

BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

The Rev. 11. H. Robjohns, B.Sc., general secretary for the Auckland province of thfi Bible in State Schools League, spent last week end in Te Kuiti. On Sunday he preached morning and evening at the Anglican Church, his subjects being "Power." and "Religion: Is it a luxury era necessity?" respectively. After the evening service a meeting was held in supDort of the objects of the League, when among those pie-, sent wtre the Revs. P. M. Beattie, P. Battey, and S. Griffiths. An ad' dress wbb given by Mr Robjohns on The Right of Entry." The speaker commenced by alluding to the sectarian strife which it was alleged would be engendered if ministers of all denominations visited the school and took the children of their own church separately for religious instruction. In the territorial camps the Roman Catholic and Anglican men are withdrawn for special services, and thia does not accentuate sectarianism, why should it in the school? In the camp, ministers fan hold united church parades if they desire.and the same thing holds in the schools of Australia. In many places Presbyterian, Methodist, BBpt'st, and Congregational children, and in some cases, Anglican also, receive religious instruction cunjointly by mutual arrangement between the ministers. 'But the great is. the law does not force them to do this, though they may if they like. The League could have nothing to do with any system wiiich wa3 not fair to all churches, Roman Catholic and Seventh Day Adventist included, and these could never take part in undenominational teaching. Thia was one reason why the Nelson system failed, and, moreover, und-r it, children are Kepi in, and the Bible is still banished from the ordinary school work. What has the Bible done to be treated ao? The right of entry to the school ia conceded already to the inspector, ths doctor, and the manual trainer. Much as the teacher might dislike such visits, he realised that he lived for the children, ana so welcomed such visits if they wertf for the good of his pupils. Through the visits of the ministers, the teacher would gain a real friend, the children would have impressed upon them the real motive for doing their work well, namely, because it was pleasing to their Father in Heaven, and also the minister's visit waR the safeguard to the teacher. Peupls were saying everywhere: "The League wants tne teacher to teach religion," but this is not sd. The teacher is asked to supervise reading lessons from the Bible, and the ministers are to teach religion. If a child asks a teacher an awkward question which to answer must involve touching on denominational teaching, the reply would be, "That is not a question for me—ask your minister when next he comes to tha school." But definite religious teaching is required in ths schools for many reasons. This State is organised on the assumption that its citizens are God fearing men and women. The other day an Auckland magistrate wished to examine an applicant in hiß court, and discovered that the man did rot believe in the Bible nor in God, and could not state what oath would he binding on him. Whereupon the magistrate stated that tie had grave doubts whether he ought to take h's evidence at all. The same magistrate has stated that the amount of perjury going on in his court is alarming, and that his brother magistrates agree with him that it is p n the iinraase. The only way to stop this is to teach the children to keep their tongues from lying and slandering; and thia is definite religious teaching. Business men agree that a great amount of petty pilfering goes on among employees—if children realised that they must keep hands from picking and stealing, this would r?e stopped. Take again,the sex hygiene. History has shown that the nation that is immoral is doomed to destruction, but knowledge does not always mean purity,nor ignorance sin. Frank Morton, writing in last Saturday's New Zealand Herald, on "Her Majesty: The Flapper," jays: "Chastity is of the mind," and again, "I am convinced that many virgins in the flapper stage are horribly unchaste." What is wanted is that our young people are taught to keep their bodies in temperance, soberness, and chastity, because they are temples of the Holy Ghost, and this is teaching religion. It is not always the biggest battalions that win the battles, so saic! Sir lan Hamilton the other day in Dunedin, and instanced the case of Gideon and his 300 men. It ia therefore of the highest importance in tha interest of the safety of the State that our young men are men of the stamp of Gideon's—convinced that God is with them, an they are fighting His battle. Ik will be character that will tell in the next war. After all. what is the object of our education? It should be to turn out good men and women—who are prepared to do their duty to their God, their country, their neighbors. To ensure thia, religion must be taught in our schools. We cannot ask' the teacher to do this, for that would involve a religious test. The minister, then, must be given the right of entry, and where the State recognises no established church, it must give equal rights to all and special privilege to none. The general secretary addressed a conference of workers on Monday evening, when plans were laid for the thorough organisation of the work of the League in the district.