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Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 24 July 1914, Page 5

[PUBLISHED BY ARRANGEMENT] BIBLE IN STATE SCh¥oLS LEAGUE OF NEW ZEALAND . » Orixioxs or Educational Experts ox the woskic g of the Australian System of Religious Instruction ix State Schools : WESTERN AUSTRALIA Mr Cecil Andrews, the InspectorGeneral of Schools, Western Australia, writes under date 21st September, 1906:----"No sectaiian difficulty has been found by the Department in the working of the system. The State school teachers find no difficulty worth mentioning in giving the nonsectarian teaching, or in relation to (he visits of ministers of religion for •special instruction classes during school hours. Less than 5 per cent of the children have been withdrawn fioni the non sectarian religious instuction. This shows clearl} that the system is generally approved." MINISTERS' OPINIONS [The Hon J. S. T. MacGowen, Premier of New South Wales, on Bible in State Schools] Luring his visit to England, 1911, die Hon. James MacGowen, Labour Premier of Now South Wales, explained his views in the " Treasury," an illustrated magazine published by G. J. Palmer and Sun, London. Asked to tell something about the education system of New South Wales, he says : "It is rather a long story about the working of tho education system if we begin at the begin^ ning, and it really began in the sixties, when the watchwords of the party of popular education were ' Free, eompulson, and secular,' They were not irreligious or hostile to religion wheu they said ' secular ' but they had not found nn answer to the • argument of those who said it , was not the business of the State to teach any particular form of religion. But they held strongly that it was the duty of the Stete to make the most of its citizens, that education was a valuable national asset, and ignorance a national dangfi. I- was i lie idfas of the old Charti-ts ihar pirlmpK inspired our early h--.-iil.-iN in coiu-ition matters. All (.;u suh wo U are fn^. It was not so at first; we charged a fee of threepence, allowing exemptions to those parents who were uuahle 'to afford it. But this method ultimately* had to give way to a sounder policy, and in our elementary schools free education is the law. And every child has the right to be taught the religion of his parents, if the religious body to which the parent belongs will claim that right. And it works. Teachers of religion in our schools need not always be clergy, men, if they are accredited by their Church that is enough for us. When their day comes round, the particular children whom they have to teach are taken to class-rooms by themselves. If the teacher does not turn up a* the time expected, then the child goes on with the ordinary secular teaching whatever that may be. So you see, if the children do not get religious I teaching you cannot bl^nie the State : I you must. blaui3 the Churches ; they 1 are free to come in and give it." j "And do they come in and give it?*' j asked the interviewer. " Yes, they do. They do their best Ito deal with the difficulties which you j here may find it hard to understand. j There are great districts in New South | Wales that are very sparsley popu j lated. Why, we have, one parish, I called Weutworth, that is nearly as I large as Engtaud. Consider the j physical difficulties in a case like that. iln the towns it is naturally much j easier for the religious bodies to do j their work : it is not so ea^y in the | districts where the people live miles I apait. It is really pretty to see, as j you may sometimes in the summer, ! parties of children going on ponies | five or six-mile journeys to school; but if you will realise that picture, you will realise also some of our difficulties. But the State must do its duty by its citizens ; if it doe 3, then it has a claim on them for dutios in return." The Hon. F B. cSuttor, Minister of Public Instruction for m.-mv years in New South Wales, expresses a deI cided opinion f.hat no fricti- n arises, i that the clerical religion* instruction j produces highly beneficial r.-sults and 1 .that on Tv> account should th> present j Act be altered. i Interference with the ordinary I political affairs of the (-(.mitry is the j last thing a-hvoato* of the Bible in ; Schools movement wish for, but their j opponents have made the most of | political alliances, a Federation of . Labour delegation being a prominent j feature of the Defence League's la*t I deputation to the Prime Minister. \ The organiser of the Bible in t^tate | Schools League (Canon Garland) ha^s j picked fin amusing weakness in this | alliance, He .told a Wellington audience that he was not yet prepared to say what action the Bihle in State I Schools League was prepared to take \ as a result of tlie union between Rpcl ; | Feds and tlie Opposition League, but ; that piirty polities had boon intruded | upon this question lav in any event ! in the first inst/ime at tlie door of the ! OppQ.sit.ioii Lya:-i|tj. Ttp was. rather ' j amused to find the Attorney General )j of the Reform Parly, who had been ,j so much abuse 1 by the Red Feds for action in tlie strike, now associated with t.iiPin. Possibly when the - ! general election came these same Red i J Feds w.mld i-how their sympathy with -j Mr Herdman and his cq'Lngues in ft ! j raptical fashion.