BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 2, Issue 129, 19 September 1913, Page 2

BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

Meeting of Supporters. About fifty or sixty people met in the Masonic Hall on Monday evening, when a meeting: wag convened to hear Rev. P. W. Clarkson, official lecturer of the Bib!e-ir.-S:hoois League, reply to the address recently made in Pukekohe by Mr Caughl. ; y, of Chrislchurch. Rev. A. Miller, who was also set down as a speaker, was unfortunaiely unable to be present. But the meeting fml the satisi'action of listening to a telling speech by Rev. Mr Clarkson, who was frequently applauded. As ai advocate th2 lecturer proved himself a very able speaker. The Mayor of Puitek'ihe presided and had an easy time in the the meeting proceeding without interjection or irterruption of any kind. It was over uy 9.30 o'clnck.

Rev. Mr Clarkßon, taking the "Times" report of tte opposing meeting for hi? reference, davnted himself chiefly to what Mr Caughley had daid, passim? over the reported utterances of Rev. Mr Elliott as calling f)r n j comment. The speaker was ha-dicappsd for milter in not having an extensive local report, but ha was nevertheless well suppi'ed with the sayirgs and criticisms of Mr Cauuhley from other quarters. He at once acknov ledfed that objectors nvjst be expected; they had challenges to debate all over the Dominion. But the League said that th-ir proposals were not debateabla matter, and to accept challenges would only ba to b'ing extra interest into the opposition. Tha League's work wa3 a campaign and the fight would go cn until it was decided d finitely. He challenge:! Mr Caughley'u statement that "one hour of Sunday School instruction

was worth any ten hours of State-doled-out religion!" That was arparcn'lv a claim by Mr Caughley that i:e could do mure gaod in ore hour as a Sunday school teacher thas his ministers of religion could impart in the schools. He denied that the League wished to have religion taught in the schocla. If they u~deistood honesty and integrity to bi religion then they wished religion taught; but if dogmatic theology wai meant then the League did rot stand for religious teaching. Mr Caughley accused the League of having made incorrect statements, but Rev, Mr llarkson replied by quoting instances in which Mr Caughley hid been charged with inaccuracies and had made no reply. The League hai not decribed tne system of Victoria and New Zealand as "Gsdlessthat was a term that had been coined And us d throughout by Bishop Geary. The lecturer held that a sound text book, with the right of entry to ministers, wotlJ be a s'rergth behind tha teachers euch a3 they had not yet realised. He quoted a "dtory of Egypt" from the Schuol Journ&l, and Esked what teacher would reluse to accept that book for reading lessons 011 the ground that they wculd not teach the Bilie in schools? In this one lesfon enough questions were opened up to 1 s6t a teacher for life. Yet he picked up this book from a sixth standard form, where the teacher waa a Roman Catholic and who told him that he found no diliiculty with the kssons. Suppcsing they had a definite religious class; then the child cculd ask what questions it wished, and if the teacher found any difficulty in answering the queries could be passed on to the ministers. Look at the strength there would be behind the teachers then! Mr Cauahtey had made the siatement that there were only four denominations in favour of Bible-ir-schcols, and live against. That waa a specious, hood-winking kind tf argument. In tha first place it was an absolute lie and, if I us, it was an argument rot worth while for a ma:i of Mr Caughley's standing to produce. He culled upon Mr Caughley to substantiate his statemei.t. Proceeding, the Rev. Mr Clarksan analysed the strengths of the variom denominations, and showed that the favourable churches represented 74J per cent, ard those against 25i per cent. Besides this there were Baptists, Congres;ationalists, Jews and members of the Church of Christ who were supposers of the Bible League. Bishop Cleary himself had made it clear that the Catholic Federation was opposed to the attitude and to (he position of the Defence League. Tha speaker quoted the cases of two Congregationalists (cira aftar fighting them for a long time) and a Jew who had thrown their sympathies in with the Bible League. He asked: Wa3 it the d;sire of the majority of the people that the present system elnuld continue V Apparently it was only satisfactory to a little over one per cent. Touching the teachers who might object, he said were eight Jewish teachers, but should the system be checked because of that? It was the Bible League who were the friends of a national system, because they wished to develop something acceptable. Mr Caughley had said that the movement bad been brought in by the clergy, but, said the speaker, did be not tike into consideration the 112,000 cards that had been signed by those wh) desired that a vote of the people should be taken on this great subject? The lecturer went on to ileal with the school reader?, poems, etc., nuw used in the schcols and which frequently mentioned topics religions or suggestive of religion —and yet thD present systvm was called secular! Whenever they wrote down the figures 1913 an opportunity was offered to teach fur or against the nativity of Christ, The speaker, continuing, explained in detail what tha Presbyterian Church hail done to ascertain the views uf its members through the presbyterie3, all of whom with the exception of three replied in favour of the Biblc-in-schools. Of these three one presbytery said it had never heen approached, Mr Caughley did not represent the teachers, neither was it true tha* every individual teacher was approa:hed (he could vcu:h for that), so that the Institute was no mora representative of all the teachers than the Bible League was of all individual church members. To ascertain the views of their members the churches had taken the very best means available-by synods, by presbyteries, by congregations, and so on. It would be impossible to go to every individual of the 75 per cent, and ask if they were favourable to it. Mr Caughky said that to introduce Bible teaching would give the Roman Catholics an irresistible cliim for State aid. That statement was being made to weaken the LSible League movement. For

3G yean the Roman Catholics had unsuccessfully sought State aid. "Yet," according to Mr Caughley, "here we were ottering them the only way by which they could get State aid—and the Roman Catholics were opposing it!" What the League wanted was to teach in schools tha literary btauly of the Bible and to strengthen that by home teaching, and so making a perfect system. The children thty wanted to particularly get hold of were those who did r.ot get Bible instruction in the homes. (Applause). Tee speaker went on to shaw that in New South Wales crime was decreasing white in New Zealand it was increasing. Duritg tha fast ten years New South Wales had clcs.d a r umber of gaol?, whilst New Zealand lad incresscd hers.

Mr Clarkson proceeded to refute the statement that the W.C.T.U. were opposed to the Bibb in schools, and read a telegram from the Primate of Australia saying that not only aid the Bible supporters there take advantage of the facilities offered, but they wished tor more funds to carry on the splendid work. The Sydney Synod, instead uf being dissatisfied with tie Bibli in schools, wanted it extended into the High Schools. (Applause). The lecture was manifestly appreciated. No questions (which were to be in writing) were submitted. On Jhe motion tf Mr Pilkingtori the meeting passed a resolution favouring the League's proposals. This was declared carried with one dissentient, but there a number present who did cot vote.