BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 18 December 1912, Page 3

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

TO THE EDITOB. Sir, —In your issue of Wednesday last I reaa a report of a meeting held in Helensville on the previous Friday evening in connection -with the Bible in Schools question. Judging from your evidently condensed report of the proceedings, the points touched upon by the speaker—Rev, . A. Miller, of Auckland—were reiterfttions of the opinions expressed by him in Auckland, and elsewhere, and generally speaking, voiced the sentiments of the Bible in Schools League. The crowning feature of Mr Miller's effort was the formation of. a branch of, the League in Helensville, and henceforth disciples of that branch will be found endeavouring to enlist the sympathy of all and sundry in the district in the great cause. While I have every desire to see God and the Bible restored to their proper place in the Schools, I cannot but advocate caution in the methods adopted by the Bible in Schools League. If the propaganda of this body were carried on with honesty of purpose and justice to all, there would be little or no opposition to their cause, but from the history of the League's past, these two estimable virtues ar« * -far removed when the question of the privileges ahH rights of the Catholic body and school teachers are concern * cd. Mr Miller is alleged to have aaid at the Helensville meeting that in the States of N. S. W., Western Australia, and Queensland, Norfolk Island and other countries the system had worked well. I presume he quoted " leading authorities " in support of his contention. Did he quote a single commendation from a member of the Catholic Church ? Coming to the case ct the teacheis in New Zealand Schools, did Mr Miller quote a single commendation from any of the Provincial branches of the Teachers' Institute in favour of the introduction of the Bible into the titate Schools. Three or four of the leading branches carried proposals condeming the movement. The teachers do not raise their objections because they consider they are unworthy to be entrusted with the teaching of the Bible. They hold that UDder the system proposed by the League it is impossible to teach the sacred work as it should be taught. But Mr Miller tells us the teacher is only a supervisor ! But to argue in that way is simply juggling with words. We are given to understand from Mr Miller also, that the scripture books will be provided by the Education Department. Did Mr Miller say by whom these Scripture books would be compiled ? Not by the Education Department, surely. Probably by representatives of religion. Will the Catholic body be represented ? We may be told, the Catholics have no right to representation because they rarely take advantage of tho Public or State Schools. But let me impress upon the people of Helensyille this fact: The Catholics of of New Zealand contribute) their v--~ / share towards the maintenance of ■ State Schools in the shape of taxation, ] as well as their Protestant biethren, l> whether they take advantage of those / -" ec&ooIs or not, and if such a thing #' happens that a weak-kneed Ministry will* introduce legislation to enable the Bible to be introduced into the State -{Schools, the Catholic body will have the same right to say what part of the Scriptures should be j contained in the Scripture text books as their Protestant friends. The Catholic body has no quarrel with the National education system so long as it is maintained as such, but so soon as the public money is used—as the League proposes—to give certain groups of Protestant bodies the kind of religions instruction iv the schools which they desire the Catholic claim becomes logically and morally irresis • tible. That fact is patent, not only to the Press and politicians, but even to the man in the street. And our Bible in Schools friends may rest assured that that point will be sufficiently pressed upon the public, both before the taking of any plebiscite on the question and—if this later should ever be successful—still more insist- " ently after it. I am, etc., J. T. Fitzgerald.