Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 19 June 1913, Page 35

Notes

State Bible Teaching The following letter, addressed to a Wellington paper by a Christian correspondent, puts one of the objections to the Bible-in- proposals in a nutshell Sir, —Being a Christian, an elder, and a Bible Class leader, and believing the Bible to be the Word of God, I should like to see everyone capable of doing so. studying or being taught from its pages. But who shall be its teachers ? Civil Servants because they arc Civil Servants, or Christian men because they are Christian men ? The Galilee commission is unrevoked, and, tile disciple of Christ who seeks to shift his responsibility oh to the State employees is unworthy of his Teacher.’ The Teachers’ Attitude Commenting on the resolution recently adopted by the Otago Educational Institute, the Wanyauui Herald of June 12 remarks: ‘ When referring to Bishop Cleary’s recent address in the Opera House on the subject of the Bible in schools we remarked on the significance of the fact that the resolution which was carried, opposing the League’s scheme as “conflicting with the rights of conscience and inimical to the real interests of religion and religious peace,’’ was proposed by a staunch Presbyterian and a Sunday school teacher of forty years’ experience, and 'was supported by another Presbyterian and well-known school teacher and by at least one of the ministers present. In this connection it is interesting to note that the Otago Education Institute is unanimously in accord with the views expressed by Mr. James Aitken at the meeting the other night in Wanganui, and endorses the opinions of Mr, H. Grinstead, who remarked that he as in favor of Bible-reading in schools but opposed to the League’s platform. . . . The discussion should suffice to show that the teachers of Otago are not actuated by that hostility to the Bible, to religion, and to God which it is unfortunately the custom of the most extravagant of the partisans of the Bible-in-Schools League to attribute to their opponents.’