Page 5 Advertisements Column 1

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 26 June 1914, Page 5

[ADVERTISEMENT] BIBLE IN STATE SCHOOLS LEAGUE OF NEW ZEALAND •> ■» . IS THE BIBLE A NECESSARY PART OF EDUCATION ? Yes, certainly, if we purport to give the children an education in English. How can they understand the history of their race or their literature, with~ out a knowledge, if only from a literary point of view, of that Book "Without which the history of England y^ could not be written ; and without which her literature, her poets, her historians, her Acts of Parliament, her great writers, and. even her newspapeis to-day would be unintelligible. IS IT TRUE THAT THE LEAGUE PROPOSES )*y MUTILATING THE BIBLE ? Certainly Dot. The same principle is followed out in every Church of selecting the most suitable passages of Holy Scripture for public use. The Roman Catholic Chuieh itself shows a clear example in this respect, Rising choice portions of Scripture fur Pleading at Mass, and similarly selecting portions to be r^ad daily by its qlergy. The charge of mutilation of 1 the Scriptures brought against the League could equally be brought against every Church, and the Roman '" Catholic Church in particular. 18 THE STATE TEACHER TO BE ASKED TO TEACH RELIGION ? Only in the sense in which he is teaching it now. The official syllabus of 1912, page 48, specifies in nearly 100 particulars the moral duties of life. These are to 'ho taught by examples taken from history, biography, poetry, fiction, aud by anecdotes', allegoiy, aud fable. The League's proposal would add the Bible to the curriculum. Teachers are asked to treat the Bible lessons in the same way as they treat any other historical or literary lesson ; and as they already do with lessons on Mohamet, Confucius, and casual references to the Christian religion and the Bible, which appear in the school literature. Foi years tens of thousands of teachers have been giving Bible lessons to tens of thousands of children iv Australian States. Not one case has ever b6en on record of any teacher raising difficulties about these lessons; even when as in the case of Western Aus tralio, Norfolk Island and Queensland the system was introduced after the education system had been in. existence for some years. It is incredible that the teachers o- New Zealand would find difficulties where their colleagues do not. ARE TEACHERS UNFIT TO GIVE BIBLE LESSONS? This charge is made by opponents of the Leagu9. On the other hand, the League is prepared fully to trust the teachers of New Zealand as worthy of the same confidence as the teachers of New South Wales, Tasmania, Western. Australia, Norfolk Island, and Queensland, where no such charge of unfitness is, ever heard of. WILL THIS SYSTEM BE UX.TUST TO ROMAN CATHOLIC 3 ? It would be unjust if the \ roposal denied them the same opportunities as any other Church. Roman Catholic priests and other accredited teachers will have the same right as any other Church of going into the schools and teaching . their own children in school hours. In New South Wales an averago oi 1,000 visits a year by them is proof that ' they can avail themselves of the opportunity. In New South Wales the Education Department reports that the number of children withdrawn from the Bible lessons under the State School teachers is so small as to be negligible for statistical purposes, consequently it lollo.vs that parents of 31.94U Bomau Catholic children in the State Schools find no difficulty in their children reading the Bible lessons. There can be no injustice in offering the Roman Catholic parents in New Zealand that of which Roman Catholic parents elsewhere avail themselves. WILT. THE LEAGUE'S PROPOSAL LEAD TO STATE AID TO DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOLS ? It will not, because the Roman Catholic Church —which deraauds State aid both where there is no religious instruction and also where it, exists—is effectually prevented in the latter case from forming with any other Church a combination, which could obtain State aid. Practically all the Chuichcs sa-e the one desiring State aid fire so satisfied with the system of religious instruction which the Les.gue advocates that they h -ye dropped the policy oi; State aid for iheir schools; preferring to support the National system of education when it includes the system advocated by the Leapun. That the. clergy of every denomination, including the Roman Catholics, will have the right of entry into the State schools for the purpose of giving religious instruction to their own children, leaves no just, ground for complaint, inasmuch as the responsibility of refusing to teach children lh-s with the Church that dfulines,. not with t.hn State. It I hen cannot legally be pleaded iliat the ohil'Kvn are brought up without ' j-nligious instriicti'-n, as is now urge*! by the Ron;an i .Y.thohc Chuivh which claims will all its strength Htate aid under the present s« cular system. who »w:; t.us *x vr i kmiooj,* . The poopU' of N-->w Z'n'and, who | pay !"!■ t'lem. Thi-u-luiv, th.-p»o.,ie Jiave \\ui right to s>y whav shall be t;:ui:ht in the people's schools. The Kelereii.]ii;n will allow the people t-» be jna.sti/r in their owa li'i.ise. . j

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