A Jewish Rabbi on Bible=in=Schools

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 25, 22 June 1905, Page 20

A Jewish Rabbi on Bible=in=Schools

At last Monlday's meeting of the National Eduoation Defence League m Dunedin, the Rev. A. Chodowski, of the local Jewish Synagogue, spoke in terms of high encomium of the efforts and sacrifices made by New Zealand Catholics in the cause of religious education. Amidst applause, he maintained that their efforts should recehe recognition at the hands of the State, whose system of public instruction they were als;o compelled to support. As a contrast, he quoted the Premier's official returns to show how the present Act was availed of by clergymen of different denominations in giving religions instruction in the State schools after school hours. (We quote here from the •' Star ' report) :— Clergymen in New Zealand 1,039 Protestant clergymen 870 State schools 1,75-1 Schools in which religious instruction is given 156 The rev. gentleman also read a supplementary table showing to what denominations the clergymen giung instruction belong :.— Church of England 57 Presbyterian 32 Roman Catholic 38 Methodist 16 Baptisl 2 Congregational 2 Sahiation Army 2 Church of Christ 1 Total 150

That 150 included 38 Roman Catholic clergy who taught outside their own schools. There were thus 112 jfpit of 870 Protestant clergymen in New Zealand who took advantage of the present Act of Parliament and gave religious Instruction after school hours in the State schools-— i.e., one in every eight. In proportion to their relative niumbers, one Protesta,nt clergyman did so to every two Roman Catholic' clergymen. The Bible-in-schools clergy were thus, ne contended, the most neglectful of their diuty in New Ziealand (applause). Schoolmasters should not teach religion, for as surely as they did it would lead Io a confusion as bad as Babel. Fancy a Piesbyteiian teaching religion in the Sixth Standard, an Anglican in the Fiflth, a Hebrew in the Fourth', a Baptist in the Third, a Salvationist in the next. What a Happy state of things that would produce ! Tne (ioxernment of New Zealand was a secular institution— for secular purposes only (hear, hear). As to the conscience clause, Victorian experience had shown that it was a sham. He stood for the Bible* which through the centuries had been given into the care of his people, but he claimed that they were more truly religious in opposing tfae Bible In State schools than were those who supported its introduction (applause). The Government were a secular institution for secular purposes ; they have no right to enter into the domain of religios.