The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Saturday, May 26, 1900. SCRIPTURE READING IN SCHOOLS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXII, Issue 4056, 26 May 1900, Page 2

The Waipawa Mail. Published Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Saturday, May 26, 1900. SCRIPTURE READING IN SCHOOLS.

Tn view of the fact that the Waipawa School Committee have granted permission to the clergymen of the town to impart religious instruction during school hours, the following letter from the Auckland inspector, on the subject, should be of interest. The lottor was sent in reply to an enquiry from the Board regarding religious instruction in schools. Mr Hogben writes as follows : —ln reply to your letter seeking the advice of the Minister with regard to the application of the Papatoitoi school committee for the holding of scripture classes in its school from 9.30 to 10 a.m. one day in the week, I have to say that section 84, sub-section 2 of the Education Act, 1871, requires that the two hours in the morning, and the two in the afternoon shall be consecutive, and the section must be taken to imply that if it is found necessary to open a school, say, for more than two hours in the forenoon, the teaching during that period is to be entirely of a secular character, so that a scriptural lesson cannot be inserted within ordinary school hours, even although there may be left two hours of consecutive teaching during the forenoon. In other words religious instruction if given, must be apart from the course of secular instruction, and outside the hours assigned for

such instruction, namely, either before the assembling of school or after the dismissal of the school.