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reasons that they will be both satisfying and
convincing.
Yes, tor any one who knows Protestantism
and liowanisni from within, tinds in the ioriner
in spite of its lack of human organization and
its apparent weakness such blessed vitality,
such heavenly strength and so much of the
spirit of God that he feels bound to exclaim,
Oh, Protestantism, thine is the victory; and
he finds in the latter so much machinery, so
much of the baser elements of human nature
and so many worldly aims and purposes that
he feels bound to exclaim, Oh, Romanism! in
spite of the subserviency of the public press,
the machinations of politicians and the favoritism
of government officers thou art bound to
defeat.
THE BIBLE IN STATE SCHOOLS.
BY THE HONORABLE J. S. M 'GOWAN, PREMIER OF
NEW SOUTH WALES.
As the New South Wales system of Bible
reading in State schools is attracting much attention
m New Zealand, Victoria, and also America,
the ioliowing is interesting us well us authoritative:
During his visit to England, the Hon. James
Mellow an, Labor -Premier of New South Wales,
explained his views in "ihe Treasury," a magazine
puDiislicd in London. AsRcd to tell something
uoout tue education system of New Soutu
Wales, he says:
"it is ratner a long story about the working
oi uie euueation system, 11 we begin at the beginning,
and it reaiiy began in the sixties, when
tne watchwords oi the paity ot popuiar education
were "tree, compulsory and seeuiar.' They
were not irreligious nor hostile to religion when
they said 'seeuiar,' but they had not round an
answer to the argument ot those who said it was
not the business ot the State to teach any particular
torm ot religion, but they lieid strongly
that it was the duty of the State to make the
most of its citizens; that education was a valuable
national a-.se t, and ignorance a national danger.
It was the ideas ot the old Chartists that
perhaps inspired our early leaders in educational
matters. All our schools are free. It was not
so at first; we charged a fee of three pence, allowing
exemptions to those parents who were
unable to ait'ord it. but this method ultimately
had to give way to sounder policy, and in our
elementary schools free education is law, and
every child has the right to he taught the religion
of his parents, if the religious body to
which the parent belongs will claim the right?
ana it woiks. leacners 01 religion in our senoois
need not always be clergymen; if they are accredited
by their church, that is enough for us.
When their day comes round, the particular
children whom they have to teach are taken to
class-rooms by themselves. If the teachers do
not turn up at the time expected, then the child
goes on with the ordinary secular teaching, whatever
that may be. So you see, if the children do
not get religious teaching you cannot blame the
State, you must blame the churches; they are
free to come in and give it."
"And do they give it?" asked the interviewer.
"Yes, they do; they do their best to deal with
difficulties which you here may find it hard to
understand. There are great districts in New
South \Vale3 that are very sparsely populated.
Why, we have one parish called Went worth that
is nearly as large as England. Consider the
physical difficulties in a case like that. In the
towns it is naturally much easier for the religious
bodies to do their work; it is not so easy in the
districts where the people live miles apart. It
is really 'pretty to see, as you may sometimes in
the summer, parties of children going on ponies
five or six mile journeys to school; but if you
*
Lwv. .
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE S<
will realize that picture, you will realize also
some of our difficulties. But ihe State must do
its duty by its citizens. If it does, then it has
a claim on them for duties in return."
The following is a copy of the New South
Wales Acts
Clauses 7, 17 and 18 provide:
Clause 7. The school teacher in school hours ,
gives selected Bible lessons from a book provided
for the purpose, but is not allowed to give sectarian
teaching.
Clause 17. Any minister of religion is entitled
in school hours, on days to be arranged with the
School Committee, to give children of his own
denomination, separated from others, an hour's
religious instruction.
Clause 18. Any parent may withdraw his
child from all religious teaching if he objects
, to such religious instruction being given.
COUNTRIES WHERE THE BIBLE IS READ
IN SCHOOLS.
Glasgow and Edinburgh.?The Bible is read
daily.
Austria.?Two hours per week arc devoted to
religious instruction.
Belgium.?Two hours are given to moral instruction
per week.
Prussia.?Four hours per week.
Berlin.?Ditto.
Hamburg.?Two hours per week.
Germany.?Banished the Bible from her
schools, but has now restored it.
France.?Moral instruction is given for three
uuuid per weeik.
Cape Colony.?The Bible is read daily.
Orange liivcr.?Bible history is taught.
Egypt.?The Korau is read daily, and scholars
are taught the necessity of religion to man.
Japan.?Morals and industry are taught.
Canada.?At Ontario the Bible is read daily,
the Ten Commandments to be repeated once a
week. At Saskatchewan the Board may permit
religious instruction in schools. In New Brunswick
the Bible is read in schools.
New South Wales.?The Irish National Board
Scripture Lesson books are used.
Tasmania.?Instruction in sacred history is
imparted.
IVes* Australia.?Scripture lessons are given
orally to impress the value of the Scriptures as
a basis of moral instruction.
South Australia.?Religious instruction is optional.
England.?The Bible is read.
Ireland.?Either Douay or Authorized Version
read, and each school furnished with a "Ten
Commandments Tablet" to be hung on the wall.
PREDESTINATION AGAIN.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
BY REV. J. W. MOSLEY, SR.
The obiector claims : " Yonr nrncpss nf lnw in
man's government as illustrated by the laws of
Nature makes a man a mere automaton in the
hands of God. The oak is developed from a protoplasm
by a mechanism in which it has no choice
nor control." I admit it is a wonderful process,
almost inscrutable and purely mechanical. The
mechanician begins with his bioplasm, causing it
to grow into roots, stem, bark, fibre, sap, with
veins and arteries, leaves and finally flower and
fruit. The oak has nothing to do but to submit
to the manipulations of the artisan, to obey implicitly
and yield constantly to the divinely
established laws of its being?to its generation
and production. I agree with you the whole process
is purely mechanical without knowledge,
sensation or volition. It is strictly scientific;
men discover in nature what we find revealed
1
3 U T H [ February 21, 1912
six thousand years ago. Moses said Qod created
"Every plant before it was in the earth; and
every herb of the field before it grew." What
then did he form the oak fromf A bioplasm
most certainly and stamped upon it the eternal
laws of its being, and so for every other vegetable
or animal organism. The earth brought
, forth grass and herbs, yielding seed after its
kind, the tree yielding fruit after its kind and
God saw that it was good. These fixed, indistructible
and exceedingly mysterious laws of
development and reproduction science prides
itself upon as a recent and wonderful discovery.
Let us return after this brief digression.
ToU ? c? f .< ?ii?*
u?v. mt ui?uyc Live xur turiner illustration.
The mechanician begins with a protoplasm like
that of the oak; its appearance, structure and
chemical constituents are precisely the same.
Yet the mechanician develops a tree different in
almost every particular. The bark, growth,
leaves, color and fruit are entirely dissimilar.
Tell us, please, how to account for it?
Moses said six thousand years ago that the
tree yielded fruit after its kind whose seed was
in ilself. And what more does science know
now? Nothing at all. It cannot tell whether the
protoplasm is going to develop into a man, a
monkey or a maple until the work is completed.
The mechanician never blunders making sometimes
a tree partly oak and partly orange; or
making the orange bring forth acorns or cherries
and the oak oranges or hazel nuts. No such
blunder is ever made because the mechanician is
an adept in the business, he perfectly conforms
to the different laws of their being. The oak has
one set perfect in its nature and Hivinelv Heoirm.
ed to produce oaks and nothing else. The orange
has another set of laws in its being, perfect in
themselves, entirely different from the oak and
designed to produce oranges and nothing else.
What is demanded and imperatively exacted by
the mechanician in his plastic touch, is perfect
and inviolable obedience. The slightest dereliction
in either case brings disaster and ruin in
"The day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die."
The day the oak or orange disobeys the great laws
of its being shall die. Now where does predestination
find man? Wholly a spiritual and almost
an intellectual and bodily wreck. From what
cause? Violating the great laws of his being.
Should the oak rebel, would the mechanician
violate the law of its being by bringing it back
to perfect and implicit obedience? Certainly not.
One great law of man's being i3 that he should
love God and his neighbor. But man hates God
and his neighbor. Hate is awfully destructive in
its nature and obedience to it brings disaster and
woe. God requires truth in a man's words and
actions; but man by nature is a liar and a violation
of this law of truth is constantly working
evil. God requires a man to be honest and
faithful; a violation of this law fills jails and
penetentaries with the wrecks of the condemned;
all manner of lusts and concupiscence are violations
of the laws of man's being. Now the object
of predestination is to restore man in his ruins
to be perfectly obedient to the laws of his being,
just as the oak and the orange are perfectly and
constantly obedient to the plastic touch of the
mechanician. Does restoration make a man an
automaton? Does the restoration of the liar to
speak the truth and to love it make him an an to
maton? When the hater of God and his neighbor
is converted to be a lover of God and to love
his neighbor'as himself, is a man robbed of his
liberty and free agency? Can not God come into
a wicked and mined world and lay hold upon its
members in their degredation and filth and restore
them to an angelic beauty and purity without
rousing and inflaming the most prodigious
assaults upon the goodness of his power and the
riches of his grace? God made myi in his own