"A HOLY WAR."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 57, 28 July 1914, Page 5

"A HOLY WAR."

ELBL.E-IK-SCHOOL-S LEAGUE. Per Press Association. ™ .Wellington, Last Nighlfc , f, Ji'Me-m-State Schools League ~ J5 1 > demonstration in support of the Referendum Bill in the Town Ha'l J!? 1 ?!! I ! ler ? was a crowded audience, ana the plati'Ofrm -was occupied by a number of those prominent in the m'oveHon - ,T : G - W - Ajtken pv;i' V proceedings were intesspersprayer andi the singing of

The Hon. J. G. W. Aitken apologhed for his state of health, which prevented him from addressing the meeting of supporters at length- The Bible, ho said|, had been kept But of the sohoo'a for a long time, and he believed that a laijge proportion of the population was determined thtit .it should be kept out no longer. Mrs. Lee-Cowie said that for over a quarter of a century she had given Bib!? lessons in the course of her temperance teaching. >Shc deplored the absence of the Bible from the schools, and) emphasised tha't the teaching of it would result in a harvest of holy living, no matter whether the teacher believed or not. Rev. J. Paterson, M.A., of St. Pauls, Christchurch, and late of Sydney, said "that he had been brought up under the New South Wales system, and could Mbt regard the objections to Bible teaching ir. schools as serious. Voluntary teaching was not sufficient. It was supremely necessary th&t children should be taught what was right and true. The ccmitfonsense educationalist must take the best text-book on morals l , which' was without doubt the Bible. The foundation of character was laid by impressions, and now the children in New Zealand were being impressed that the Bible did not imatter. The Japanese had found that Westeia teaching destroyed the morals of the people unless the Bibb was taught at the same time. The "Conscience" question had never obtruded itself in New Sbuth Walees. Roman Catholics never objected to giving the Bible lessions, and he had: never h«ar<l of sectarian strife among the school children. In New South Wales the clergy had a right to enter at any time. Oanon Garland was received with cheers and apt>lause. In responding, the Oanon said that as long as he possessed the confidence of the League he did not care a snap of the fingers for tho opponents of an open Bible. The question was more than that of the Bible-in-Sehools. It was a question whether Parliament should be an autocrat that refused to take the will of the people on such an important subject. Members o f Parliament cannot arrogate to themselves that which the King never claims. They are in their positions to give' effect "to- the wishes of the people that elected them. Dealing with the charge that the League was oppressing the minority, the Canon repudiated it heartily. Those that did not desire it would not be forced to allow their children to attend the scripture lessons. The. Canon concluded by urging all on to tin "Holy war." He wished that all members of Parliament had been present to feel the piilse of this city and of the country. Some of the members had dust in Itheir eyes, but he was waiting for the gentle 'breezes 1 of the general election that would sweep away those that stood in the way.