THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 219, 6 November 1880, Page 4

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

( Evening Post.) The exceeding difficulty, if not impossibility, of arriving at any compromise in regard to that vexed question — religious instruction in State Bchools, is well illustrated by the remarks made by the Bißhop of 'Wellington in his recent ndresa delivered at the opening of the Diocesan Synod. Eeferring to the action of the General Synod in this matter, the Bishop eaid :— "The Synod agreed upon a petition to the Legislature on the importance of making some provision in the Education Act for allowing religious instruction to be given in schools eupported by grants of public money. The recommendations contained in the petition are undoubtedly based on sound principle, and such as the Legislature ought to accede to. Ife would not have been risht for a body representing the Church to take lower ground. There are persons who contend merely for the reading of the Bible in schools. Unquestionably it doea seem utterly discreditable to a national system of education that tbe Bible should be excluded from the schools. But while ehe fully admitted this, the Churcb could hardly lend her sanction to any system of education from which definite religious teaching was absolutely excluded. But whalever viewa may be held upon this subject-, I feel bound to protect against a system which has found able advocacy in a neighbouring colony. I allude to a proposal to have a * selection of Bible leßsons,' and to allow the masters, whether they have any religion or not, to explain these to children. The Bishop says; — 'We ask that the masters shall teach the moral lessons suggested by those biblical selections. Suppose for instance, that the lesson for the day were the account of the death of our Saviour, we should expect the master to point out to the children that after tbe example of Christ they ought rather to die than knowingly say what was false or do what was wrong About the dogma of the atonement which the Churches have built on that fact be would be forbidden to say a word. 1 I abstain from any comments on these words. But I can hardly conceive any words better calculated to serve as a warning against our attempt* ing compromises with what is called the spirit of the age. I distinctly avow my matured conviction that it would be far wiser to dispense altogether with a 'selection of Bible lessons,' and have so-oalled secular instruction pure and simple, than allow schoolmasters to comment on Holy Scripture after this fashion I feel perfect confidence that, before long parents will insist on making their voices heard, and demand that some portion of the school time should be set apart for the religious instruction of their children. The State is not justified in compelling the attendance of children at a school which not. only contains no provision for' their moral culture, but which, on the contrary, in the opinion of many parents, by the exclusion of religion, has. a tendency to demoralize them. Nor is it easy to conceive on what principle a community is heavily taxed for tbe support of a system which affords not even a prima facie presumption for supposing that those educated under it will become better cif izene." It will be remembered that the system thus , strongly, condemned by the Bishop of Wellington was hailed by many people as a compromise which afforded an excellent solution of this seriousdifficulfcy, but it is quite clear from the remarks which we have quoted above that the troublesome problem is no nearer solution than ever.

A correspondent; ■of the Eyttelton Times makes the following suggestion: t-" It is well known and admitted thatsennons are tiresome things to listen to, and, in general, are not listened to. Now I maintain this ia no reflection on the ability of the preacher. How is it possible, l lor the cleverest man to gire his congregation aomeihing fresh and interesting every Sunday, when he is tied dotin to the worn out beaten path of centuries? More than one minister lias confided to me the labor and an.xietyj they .. have. Jn overcoming, this difficulty. Well, here is a chance of breaking the monotony of a minister's life. Let them, by their preaching, counteract the. effect of literature of a sceptical tendency. And how can thpy better do this than byrreading)it? ' Let them know what their congregations are reading and thinking about, then' they ;will know their difficulties and be 1 better able to help them out of them. And if a minister tries sincerely ; to:do^ this, I feel sure that he will .have a large increase of attentive listeners.":