PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81884, 10 November 1906, Page 2

PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Per Press Association. Dunedin, November 9. The Presbyter.an Assembly to-day, adopted the report on Sabbath-school examination, and resolved that Pilgnm's Progress should replace Man of Covenant as the subject of essay. The report on training home m.ssionarioa was adopted, and G. Bishop, J. A. McKenzie, J. Thomas, F. Rule and J. Lopdall were declared missionaiies in full stand.ng. The Church property report, enumerating a number of bequests and donat-ons, and die new century fund report, notifying loans granted, were adopted. It ivas resolved to express sympathy with the Bible and Tract Society in the loss sustained by fire in its premises. The report of the Bible-in* Schools Comm.ttee stated, inter alia, die hopes entertained a year ago that the general election would advance (he cause of Bib'le-tn-schools by bringing a Plebiscite Bill within measurable distance were unhapp.ly falsified by the event. Very few of the members of the new Parliament favour any form of Bible teaching in the national schools, and only some thirty, of them have promised to support a special referedum of the question to the electors. In face of these things, the executive of the referendum league couid only conclude that the t.me ivas inopportune for a continuance of (he campaign, which they had been strenuously conducting up to the date of the e;ection. Very regretfully they resolved to discontinue the services of the agent, and to desist for ihe present "from the various other activ.tes in which they had been engaged.

The following deliverance was adopted : "The Assembly deeply regrets ihat the efforts put forth to secure fiom Parliament a plain, unambiguous reference of the. question of Bible-in-schools to the electors for their dac.sion have not yet been successful, and instructs the committee to co-op j orate with the executive of the referendum league with a view to obtain--mg the legislation necessary to effect this object, and to take such other, steps as may seem expedient for the furtherance of the movement, and «n----jo.ns ministers to impress their people with the paramount importance of the restoration of the Bible to he public schools, and the danger to the moral weli-being of the nation from [the puroly secular character of the present curriculum, and commends to ministers the great desirabil ty of their conducting classes for Btblercading and study in every school into which access can be obtained, under conditions that afford some hoga, of a profitable result."