New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-09-03

tbs necessity of Religious Education. They
bone 10 drive wedge here which will split
our Common School system into fragments.
Some of them (like our friend of the Free
mans Journal) are in earnest here-shey
really believe all Education perniclous but
that which is thoroughly imbued with the
dogmas Of their respective churches. 9th.
ers care netting for dogmaS, but good deal
for dollars. This latter class we shall not
tale much trouble with, on the point of Re
lipion If we doctor them at all, it will not
be BY q plaster on the conscience for COM
plant of the pocket.
But TO the earnest sticklers for Religious
education, we say: Ask US any thing that
does not involve the overthrow and de8truc-
ton of Schools Free and Common to All,
and we will go with you. But you must
see that, as the world is, as you are, Reli.
gious Education must be sectari0n Educa-
tion-for very few Of you are willing TO
have your own children imbued with such
ideas Of God and His laws as are held by
other denominations. That is to say: 1t
you are Catholic, you would not consent that
a Protestant should teach your children
Religion; if you are Trinitarian, onltaTl-
ans teaching could not satisfy you; Ii you
are Orthodox, you would not have your chill
dren taught the character and ways of God
by a Uniyersalist, no matter how highly
you might esteem his character or abilities,
But in your schoel district Of three miles
square there are probably people Of all these
different persuasions, and the rights of any
one are, in the eye of Republican law and
Eternal Justice, equal to those Of any other
To undertake to start school for every
creed is TO break down the Common School
system, and render Universal Education im-
possible. Two or three of the strongest
scots in township might school their chill
dren ct great inconvenience, and have them
regularly drilled in their several creeds and
catechisms, while the poorer and weaker
sects in that locality would be shut out from
any education whatever.
If we are to have Common Schools at all,
whether Free or old-fashioned, we must
agree to teach our creeds elsewhere, and de-
vote thirty hours per week to Letters, to
Science, and to such moral inculcations as
all good men concur in. Love God with
all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself'
we believe no teacher will give ofense by
impressing this precept earnestly and con-
stantly on his pupils, and if he succeeds in
impressing so much deeply on their minds,
he will have done very well.
Is the Religious opposition to our Com
mon Schools reasonable3 Christians of all
seets wish to Undue the minds of their chill
dren with Religious knowledge, to which
end Bibles, creeds, cateshisms, tracts, SER
mons, .yindicaions, hymn,books, &C. DC. are
printed in millions and Sunday Schools are
all but universal. all these presuppose and
REQUIRE considerable measure of intellec-
tuai oulture-just such as our Common
Schools are now supplying When Sunday
Schools were first started, they were neces-
sarily devoted in good part to teaching let
ters, as they still are where Common Schools
are unknown; but we obviate all this and
devote the Sunday School otis more appro-
pirate Office by the education of the Common
Schools. What the Compon School teach
es the Sunday Schoolrequires do Bibles,
tracts, liturgies, hymn-books, nc. &c. Is it
well, then, for Religion to quarrel with the
Common Schools because they merely fit the
young for the ministrations Of its proper
functionaries without grasping their func-
tions2 Might not our Colleges as well de-
nounce the Common Schools for failing to
teach Greek and Hebrewe
"a Farmer grossly, shamefully pesverts
what the Syracuse Address says of the un,
fitness of "SucA parents"-that is, parents
who grudge the expense of schooling their
children-into q general dent notation of par
ents as unqualified to judge of the intelleo-
tual needs of their children. We take back
nothing of the doctrines of that Address
modify nothing. We say there are parents
who squander inidleness or lavish on vicious
appetites many dollars per annum, and then
pretend that they are mable to educate their
children properly and We say that the edu-
cation of no portion of the future rulers and
mothers of our State should be measured by
the liberalty of such parents The State
must provide for its OWE well-bsing, though
individual citizens be careless Of that and Of
their personal duties as well. But it does
moi follow that man viii keep his children
away from Church and Sunday School,
where there is no charge, because he would