The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, May 22, 1909. BIBLE INSTRUCTION IN THE LOCAL SCHOOL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 458, 22 May 1909, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, May 22, 1909. BIBLE INSTRUCTION IN THE LOCAL SCHOOL.

A REQUEST was made by two ministers ot local churches at Thursday’s meeting of the School Committee, to give religious instruction to the pupils 0:1 one or two afternoons in the week, between the hours of 3 and 3.30 o’clock. The idea of the applicants is to secure the attendance of the staff, in order that discipline may be obtained, and further, that it would not trench upon the legal hours for instruction, as set out by the Act. Such permission has been granted in Feilding, and we are reliably informed that the classes are very well attended, and that ministers of all denominations, excepting the Roman Catholic, attend, and harmoniously and in accordance with a previously arranged syllabus carry out the work Religious instruction is similarly given in other State schools throughout the Dominion. The Committee decided to fully discuss the application at its next meeting. There are two points which the Committee will have to be sure upon before it decides what action can betaken .in regard to the request; first, the legality of granting such request; and secondly, whether such request, ifgranted, would meet with the approval of a majority of the parents of scholars. In regard to the first point, clause b of section 143 ot “ The Education Act, 1908, says : The School shall be kept open five days in each week for at least four hours, two of which in the forenoon and . two in the afternoon shall be consecutive, and the teaching shall be entirely of a secular character. Five hours are at present devoted tp secular work, and the syllabus

is arranged according to a timetable. If the Committee could legally grant the request, it would necessarily interfere with the syllabus. The latter point is, of course, contingent upon the former, and if the Committee could legally grant permission to give instruction at the time aforesaid, we think, in justice to all concerned, the parents should be consulted by way of referendum. It is, of course, open to ministers of religion to obtain permission to give religious instruction in the school before and after school hours. We believe that, if this course were adopted, the teaching staff would willingly assist scripture teachers. We do not wish it to be inferred from the foregoing that we are in any way opposed to Bible instruction, but seeing that our present educational system is free, compulsory and secular, we feel it incumbent upon us to loyally abide by it until the law shall decree otherwise.