Bible-in-Schools Threats

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 34, 24 August 1905, Page 1

Bible-in-Schools Threats

The law has neither heart nor soul. Yet it allows every flog one bite. In an analogous way, we suppose, the world will allow every journalist (ourselves included) the privilcigiei of rashness of uttejragice once in a lifetime without spiking his head upon the city gates.

Our friend the « Outlook ' has lately been, exercising 1 this prerogative far beyond all title to immunity. It recently perpetrated a whole series of blazing indiscretions of statement against *■ Papists ' a»d ' Popery.* For some of these we ;g\>t upon its trajil, -anti (so far as they are concerned) the ' Outlook's ' present lodgings are up a tree. All this is, in part, ♦ along of ' certain faibulous charges against the Catholic Hierarchy of New 'Zealand and Victoria in regard to ' bargains ' with political parties. Our readers will in due course be in a position to judge of tfie matter for themselves. Our Bishops are (so we are informed) up to the eyebrows in the cvil j E?m^Hling l igame of party, politics. Atfd we ate given to understand, by implication, that the parson holds severely aloof therefrom—that he is, so to speak, an aureoled bottle of eau-de-cologne placed upon a spotless pedestal outside the glue factory of our parliamentary life— an odor of unpolitical sweetness to all New Zealand. And yet, somehow, BiWe-in-sohools clergy (whose press exponent the 'Outlook' is) have contrived to make sufficiently clear the measures which they mean to adopt in order lo influence political parties and to bring spaniel candidates to heel. In Victoria their brethren of the Scripture Instruction Campaign Council have also, like Ah Sin, taken a hand in the game which (asi we suppose we must assume) they ' do not understand.' They are trying to force through the State Parliament a measure that was introduced by Mr. Watt, is styled The Scripture Instruction in State Schools Bill, and was down for its second reading an Wednes* day of the present week. v

In order to induce, cajole, or intimidate members to support th'ei Bill, three official circulars (as we learn from the ' Age ' of August 8) were sent out by the Scripture Instruction Campaign Council. The first' Was forwarded to Members of the Legislative Assembly, to. all Protestant organisations, and to the local secretaries of the Bibjle-in-schools movement. The second was sent to the local secretaries, 'to the heads of Protestant organisations, and the friends of the Bible-in-schools movement.' It requests all ' Campaigners • to urge •• influential electors ' to ' persuade ' (mark the word) Members to vote for Mr. Watt's Bill. The " circular then runs, on as' follows :—: —

'''From what can be gathered in Melbourne!, it appears that some oE the . Members (even those in whose electorates there was a majority on the plain second question) are anything but settled in their mjnds as ta the way they intend to vote v In' other words, they ignore the fact that their constituents have told them unmistakably by their answer to this second question that they wish the Bible lessons introduced into the

State Schools. Such a situation is intolerable, and should not foe borne by the electors at any price. The i-tniitter must he faced, therefore, and all members should informed that if they act contrary to the •i -rapfessed wish of those who elected them (whether it ■•VJw,|tri Contradiction to the answer of the second qjuesI'tiofopr *$. the analysis of the whole voting), they do }bo'%t tibs peril of losing their scats and. the confidence voT- tHeir constituents.' f{^We coratnjend this ' elegant extract ' to the attention of

friend the ' Outlook.' Our contemporary must steel 1 its heart, for there is more to come. The painted war- - zior-cbiefs of the Bible-in-schools party sent out a third Official letter with a view to the more effective ' handsupping ' of recalcitrant politicians. This letter (says the ' Age ') was ' forwarded "by the heads of the Protestant denominations represented on the Council to clergymen throughout the State.' It urges each of the reverend ' Campaigners ' to ' see the Members for the district in both Houses of the State Parliament, and obtain from them, if possible, assurances of support in carrying the Bill this session.' On top of this blackcoated campaign, a petition was to be presented ; public meetings were to hp held , and the clerical agitators (says the ' Age ') arranged to ' interview all Members of the Legislative Assembly who are considered " doubtful "—presumably after the above means have been tried on them— ffc|ef ore the vote is taken ' (on Mr. Watt's Bill on August 23).

* We have no hesitation in saying that, in all its varied history, 'Australia has never before witnessed such a shameless and nauseating exhibition of organised and wholesale clerical intimidation in the arena of politics. And yet it is from this very quarter— from the clergy of the Bible-in-sclrools varty and from their organs in the press both in Australia and New Zealand — that we hear the raucous cry, the ungrounded accusation, of ' bargaining,' bullying, and undue pressure by CathloHic prelates and clergy upon the freedom of action of tine country's chosen legislators. If the 1 Catholic Hierarchy of Victoria had signed and issued circulars such as those from which we have quoted, they would be ordered by their Bible-in-sohools opponents to step off the earth, and we greatly fear that the perusal of such threatening documents would land our esteemed contemporary into a fit of apoplexy. Now — m view of this Bible-in-schools pronouncement, and the action of the sec'uarianising party in New Zealand— wlial becomes of the principle apparently adopted by the ' Outlook,' that ' the clergyman who directs his people how to vote insults their intelligence ' 9 We axe forwarding the Victorian Bible-Campaigners' extracts to our Presby-terian-Methodist-C'ongregatiO'nalist ( on temporary, and shall 'await its editorial comment with more than ordinary initerest.