the essence of religion, than the
Stuart tyranny the essence of Scotland; that the serpent in the garden
and Jonah in the whale are parables; that religion, in short, is a
flowing and deepening river and not a stagnant pool. But religion as
too often taught in our schools is only the teaching of things which
the growing boy discovers to be untrue. So far from doing good, it is
the destruction of religion.

When the Bible is taught as the record of the evolution of the
revelation of God, it will move the hearts of men towards goodness
while time endures, for it enshrines the figure of Him who based a
Kingdom on love and meekness--a Kingdom that endures for ever, because
no guns can fight against a Spirit, nor any frontiers bar it. The
education that has not this as its base may produce the chlorine
gas--but it will never produce that goodness which alone maketh great.
But the course is so crowded that something must be jettisoned. And as
inspectors take no note of religion--let it be thrown overboard. Its
total omission in Secondary Schools is declared necessary, because the
syllabus is too crowded already! It is as if a man having a ship laden
with dross were offered some nuggets of fine gold and answered, 'My
ship is overloaded already, I cannot take more.' But he wouldn't be
such a fool. He would throw everything overboard, if need be, to make
room!

VI

In the last year of the Great War a new Education Bill was passed for
the Northern Kingdom, and provision was made for everything but the
teaching of religion. At every election the voters who desire that
religion be continued must have another spell of sentry-go to secure
it--all except Roman Catholics and Episcopalians! Truly we are of the
race of the Bourbons. The expense of teaching has been trebled; the
futility of what is taught remains as before. I heard the Chairman of
an Education Authority being asked whether provision was made in the
schools for teaching the children the scientific facts about alcohol.
He replied that the syllabus was too crowded already! Alcohol has
claimed more victims from humanity than all the wars and famines of all
the centuries; and yet our children were not to be taught the truth
about it because the syllabus was so crowded! What is it they teach
that could compare in value with the truths of temperance and
self-discipline? Through a course of training so expensive that the
countryside is well-nigh bankrupt bec