Assembly Reports.—The Assembly Reports at the time of writing this note have been issued to the press. They contain many matters calling for comment but we refrain from doing so until our August issue when as usual the proceedings of the Assemblies will be reviewed.
Ross-shire County Council and Religious Training in Schools.—At a meeting of the Council held at the beginning of May it was resolved that when applicants for positions as teachers came before the Education Committee they should be asked definitely whether they believed in the Christian faith, a question which at present was not put to them. Mr. C. W. Murray, Lochearron, said prospective teachers should be asked whether they believed in the ordinary teaching of Jesus Christ. Sir Robert Brooke, Bt., Midfearn, convener, concurred, saying they could not expect children to be taught properly from a religious viewpoint unless those who instructed them were absolute believers in what they were teaching. Colonel A. F. Mackenzie, Ord, said the suggestion by Mr. Murray was very desirable, especially in view of the abominable atheist movements which existed in these days. The suggestion was adopted, and it was also agreed that teachers who were non-believers in the Christian faith would be ineligible for appointments. This is a move in the right direction and it is to be hoped that other County Councils will follow the good lead given them by Ross-shire.
Sabbath Excursions in the North.—At a meeting of the Northern Presbytery held at Wick the following motion was unanimously agreed to:—“That this Presbytery strongly protest against the action of the Traffic Commissioners in granting the application made by the Highland Transport Company on 21st April to run excursions on Sabbath from Wick and Thurso to John o’ Groat’s during the coming summer. It is with alarm that the Presbytery view this further disregard of God’s Day in the North for financial gain, and to the inducing of many
to regard it as a holiday instead of a day of holy rest. Again this Presbytery strongly disapprove of the terms used by the legal representative of the Highland Transport Company in his criticism of objections presented to the Traffic Commissioners by the Lord’s Day Observance Association.”
Significant Figures.—From an article in Life and Work (May) by Rev. Hugh Stevenson we cull the following paragraph: “But the drop of 40,000 people in 1931 Census means vastly more than being the first Census showing a decrease during the past 130 years. The decrease of 40,000 has taken place alongside a reliable estimate of a 44,000 Roman Catholic increase during the ten years and making their total now 645,000, or $13\frac{1}{2}$ per cent. of Scotland’s population, though the Catholic Directory for 1933 simply puts their people as ‘over 607,900.’ It means for the first decade on record the Protestant population has had a decrease of 84,000 at the 1931 Census.”