COUNTRY OPINION.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 688, 22 July 1914, Page 3

COUNTRY OPINION.

BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS, THE "WEST COAST TIMES" ON THE RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS REFERENDUM BILL. (Published by Arrangement).

Yesterday this paper (the "West Coast Times," of July 1) expressed certain opinions upon the Licensing ■Bill. The liquor question is admittedly a ticklish one, but that fact only ' provides an additional reason why the public Press shou'd not avoid it when important legislation bearing upon it is submitted to Parliament. For precisely the same reason, we deem it our duty to-day to express a definite opinion upon tee Religious Instruction in Schools Referendum Bill, which was introduced last Friday in the House of Representatives by the Hon. James Allen, Minister of Education. The Bible-in-Schools question, as it is commonly, though loosely, called, is even more ticklish than the liquor question, and it is very easy to rouse susceptibilities in discussing it. But this 1 is largely due to the fact that disputants as a rule are aSscted-by denominational bias. It is not necessary that a lay newspaper should apprDach the question in tfiat spirit: Indeed, would be wrong to do so, and we have no intention of falling a pray to so vulgar an error. Purely as a matter of public policy, we are in favour of the Religious Instruction in Schools Referendum Bill. The first point to be noticed ia the nature of the question at * present before Parliament. At this stage Parliament is not asked to introduce a system of religious instruction into the State schools. All it is asked to do is to refer the question, where the State system of primary education should be modified to include such instruction to the people. Let U3 now examine the form in which it is proposed in the Bill to submit the question to the people It is set forth in the schedule to the Bill as follows:"Religious In3truction in School's. Referendum." 4 "Scheme of Instruction."

"Provision will be made for the reading in the public Bchools within school hours of selected Bible lessons from a reading bouk to be proivded by the Education Department, such reading to be conducted under the supervision of a public school teacher, but no sectarian teaching is to be allowed. "Provision will also Jba mace for religious instruction to be given with in school hours to children by the minister of thsir denomination or by an accredited substitute. "Any parent shall have the right, if he chooses, to withdraw his child from Bible-reading or from religious instruction, or from both." "I vote in favour of the ahove system." , "I vote against the above system." Now, it will be observed that the religious instruction which, subject to the approval of tha people signified through a direct vote, it is proposed to introduce in the schools will consist of two parts: Bible-reading under the supervision o£ the State school teachers, without denominational comment or explanation, will be one branch, tha other being doc-

trinai leacning during suncoi nours ay accredited clergymen to the children of their own churches. Bat t;he important point is this, that parents may elect, if they so please, that their children shall be exempt from all religious teaching, or that they shall only receive one or the other portion of the instruction provided. In other words, parents, under the* scheme outlined, will be able to ensure that their children shall receive religious instruction during school hours exclusively from a clergyman of their own denomination, and this applies to all denominations. In fact, the scheme outlined in this Bill proposes to offer to all denominations, upon precisely similar terms, facilities which at present none of them enjoy for imparting religious instruction in the State schools, during school hours, to ths children of their own faith?. It appears to us that the form in which the question is framed in the schedule to this Bill disposes absolutely of the objections which have been raised on the grounds of conscience to the proposed modification of the existing system of "secular" "education. We can hardly imagine that any religious denomination can seriously contend for a moment that a system of general education can be considered satisfactory or complete from which all religious instruction is excluded. Indeed, so strongly does one great church fee) on this question, that, with an earnestness, a sincerity and a courage which must excite the admiration and the respect of every right-thinking individual, it has provided its own schools at no small cost and sacrifice to its adherents. If theocratic government still obtained, it is quite conceivable that it would have provided an elaborate system of State education, but it is quite inconceivable that such a system would have excluded religious instruction from the State scnools. We say, without fear of contradiction, that all the churches are agreed that religious instruction is an essential factor in a satisfactory schema of general education. Where they disagree is in the nature of the religious instruction to be given. The scheme which the Government is prepared to adopt, if approved by a direct vote of the people, is one which will enable all the churches to enter the State schools to give exclusive religious instruction to their own children in the form they approve. A very widespread desire has been expressed that the question should be submitted to the people. That being'so, we are quite unable to Bee upon what sound principle of statecraft the Government could have refused to entertain the request. We

think the Reform Government has done a very proper and wise thing in bringing down the Religious Instruction in Schools Referendum Bill, and we congratulate the Hon. James Allen/Minister of Education, upon the statesmanship he has displayed in framing the question which it is proposed .to submit to the popular vote. ..