Letter of Ven. Archdeacon Maunsell.

Napier Bible-in-Schools Association.

To the Editor of the "New Zealand Herald."

Sir,—Although you are, I am aware, a strong advocate for the present law on school education, which prohibits any Bible reading or religious teaching during school hours, yet I am sure that you will allow those who think differently to make known their wishes and their plans through your columns. I take the liberty, therefore, to ask you to make known to your readers the accompanying "memo." of the proceedings of a society that has been organised in Napier for promoting the above object—the one, perhaps, to which you referred this morning. The only resource now left to those who wish to remove the present great blot from our school laws is to organise, and to take steps for ascertaining the views of parents on the subject; and I will frankly confess that my object in asking you to make this movement at Napier known, is to stir up those who have leisure and ability to take steps for organizing a similar movement in Auckland.—I am, &c., R. Maunsell.

"A meeting of the Bible-in-Schools Committee was held on June 27, in the Council Chamber. The Bishop of Waiapu was in the chair. The secretary, the Rev. J. Spear, read a statement of the result of the canvass for signatures to the Bible petition. In those districts where a canvass was made considerable support was obtained. The total number of signatures to date was 1400. Four instalments of the petition had already been forwarded to Wellington, and were duly presented to the House of Representatives by Sir William Fox and Captain Russell, and by the Hon. Mr. Menzies to the Legislative Council. He thought that the committee ought to resolve themselves into a Bible-in-Schools Association, so as to be on a more permanent footing, and to work with similar associations in other parts of the colony. This would enable them to agree upon a common plan of action, and to institute, if necessary, a general canvass of parents in New Zealand with the view of eliciting their opinion on the subject of Bible-reading in the State schools. He had no fear of the ultimate issue of such an appeal, believing it would result in an overwhelming majority declaring in favour of the proposed measure. Mr. Spear quoted from the recent speech of Sir William Fox before the House, to show that the parents were the proper persons to relegate the question to, and not the mere political theorist, or secularist, or theologian. The result of the late canvass of Napier showed that, in the vast majority of instances, parents, and especially those of the working classes, were extremely desirous that their children should be instructed in the Word of God in the public schools. If the present petition failed to bring about the desired result he would suggest that another be drafted for presentation at the next session of Parliament to be signed by parents only, and page 54 to indicate opposite the parents' names the number of children they represent. Such a petition should be signed simultaneously in all parts of the colony, and would represent probably at least 10,000 parents, with an aggregate of about 60,000 children, and if it did not influence the members of the House, it would at least influence the minds of the parents, at the approaching general election."