The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-01-17

passed far cut Of the reach os tho pea,os Of that
society And SO il Cannot fail 20 bs. W. must
increase but they must decrease; W, INST be vida
spread and progressive, x'enSive with the city
they local and stationary. ". fresa aai
new, the pride and ornament OF the Sly
they old, undesirably situated. aai dscayiag;
we the favorites OF the people. part o. the go.
vernment, and in harmony with tae institutions Of
which We are part-they, . c.cse corporation.
penetrated BY no popular influence, and subjee.ei to
no popular control or visitation Even nov. Ia.
government schools that started on so doubtful a
career are the greater ayofite, aai the schools o.
The society, excellent they aai they very
excelent-are looked upon as having still the o1or
OF charity abou. them They are not, in fact,
subordinate or inferior 20 our schools; still their
teachers. as we'll as pupils, seem to consider i.
kind Of promotion to pass inso our schools It ia
certain that sooner or later must be swallowed
up by the government system How much better,
then. that their schools should rot iwoiIe out Of
existence and die in their hands, bu. that the 80
ciety, with generous and patriotic desire to in
prove the general system, should so merge their
schools in it, in their best condition IS 60 bs
fairly entitled to portion Of the credi. for making
them what they shall ultimately become There
have been indications that gious animo5isies are
unfortunately again TO be excited IN connection
with the schools. The common schools have been
charged, in several influential Quarters, with inf
deity. They have been denounced IS Goddess
schools, and said to be obstacles to the baaSed in
huences Of the Divine favor because seotarian rolf
gion is not part Of common school Instruction
The relation OF religion 20 our institutions of
Interpreted The basis Il system is not hat all
secis should alike be patronssd by the government
but that the government hai 10 thing TO dc any
Of them. Religion Is the to which conla,t; the
individual with God, and Is ackroW edged aud ey-
pressed n such acts Of worship az are beloved
to be acceptable to lin Il i DO MT voGn
.aIy and sincere, i. j. NO -ellgsoa. Hence it
Cannot be compelled: ana being the Highest
object Of conscientious -sga.i, tdere eau be
no greater oppression taan 60 compel one TO Oh
serve, or to propagate a system Of religion which
he believes to be false, Hence "a. compulsory sup
port. by taxation o. any ysigjon, is the greatest
violence that can b lone 20 conscience. II ought
net to be taxed TO ;appor. sven one false religion,
surely ought no. 10 support twenty, as should bc If
the religious sects allowed 20 participate, o.
such, The public school money; aadit is quits plain
that there can b: no common schools /! sectariaa
peeuliarites are to be taught II them, the diff
terert sects are allowed = apply the school moneys
to se,tarian purposes Tie American people, of
al denominations, would take Up ARMS 90 prevout
The establishment Of gave.amea. rsligiou. Who
can al4 10 see that making the schools positive
lgious agencies is but the f-st 5tsE towards placing
them under eeclesia5t!c gvaEd.a2ship and sup7e-
macy Htsctar.an religion mus. be ssugat in the
schools, who can deny that tAe teachers should be
the ONT. ministers u religion. AMI, then bow
easy to Insist that ne sacred ctlce eAo1d uos be
subject 10 seerla9 coatso', ara t3at Tie school CHI
must also b. member, OF .Ae sacred professions
ard tben We should Aaya religious .ets and quslii.
ca4oAs lor once, aAa sec:aIian luminosity viii aod
It's ase1I ess primary ana general elections and
the truths Of God and duty all Conscience viii be
settled By the popular majority Of he ballot box
The stronger sects will outv0te The weaker, ar1
viii soon determine that nothing csa b, more lattu-
dnaIiaa ard sacrilgeous than hat .ne state should
support all sorts Of hsgesies by o general taxa
ton, aId that the true religion atone 3hould
be supported, ara The otle-s tolerated.. II ia notto
be believed that any 81 GU citizens desire this
t1at It is possible in this cit. bg. tle history Of
mankind shows that tae very nature Of The sacred
calling, aud its relations &c God ana man, arc such
that, when diTs city patroliZod by Inc state, by
IL
and by almost impeIeagtblc ard steatAg or3g.ess,
it binds thousand sGa.l cofii-wach cav. really
10 connection with .eligic1-a-ouas tas secular
interests Of the community, subjugatng them 70 an
ecclesiastical supremacy which y,srIts il religious
establishment more or less oppressive and UNEQUAL
Ana what have the usual Studies o, the COMMON
schools TO do with religious PEI 2i.a1is:s5 and why
should there be an attempt By false charge Of
inddeity, to impair The confidence OF q religious
community in schools which. = ID, very respect
deserve their highest regard Neither TIE achools
OF religion or Of religious Instruction, but
frieDds of both. Religious Instruction -aua:
be given to tie young or they Vii indeed be God
less ard infdal-but religious instruction s IN rs
nature, purpose, and tendency il 'ersat from seou
lar instruction. and It is best taught Dy rs appro
pirate teachers. in times ard places best Cited o-
its purifying Influences. The ce-Tel lbs its pre-
per oi ganiz&tion and sunot3nariss-it: ordinances
sacranents rituals end cGeeds, To- he purpose C
pointing ua TO the path Of III daty, aad Soepio.
US IN 1t The morning aIi evening pray,r-the
SILuey ~CGoC1-tne S3tecE aticaI eGGQoA--sAe blEla
esss-tht lasts and testiTalE-an3 the public teach
ipgs Of the truth. cannot these incline the young TO
religion. but must the schoolmast4- also, without
ordination, conservation, uretion, be required to
be ninister ofTtGgion, AMI 20 perform that duty
which especially beloDgs 10 The sacr.i profession
n one would think that the musical gamg! or the
FIVE positions Of the dancing caool should be mixed
W with religious Instructions, aor hat the t.acl
irgs Of the mechanics shop aad the factory, tis
laboratory the blackboard, and ths professional
ol,e, should always NJ the SO ne tine an place De
attonuated with a.tcnism and creed nor DO he
common lessons Ct the schools e uiIe L. Ch.!iren
arc in school six hours day five iags il a week,
for eleven months in year, ~lch, af.e. allowing
Fights hours for sleep, is brt oas.forrti Of the
tlIHe ard three fouSths Of al their vali7y hours
thus left within the reach OF the sacrsi Influences Of
religion. there be any religious denomination whe
arc willirg to admit that parental and sanily n
stIuction and example. The church. aad is oflcers.
ard teachings ard rituals, curing e.toII.a as Of
the timc are lot able . Withstand he silent Gs-e
sies Of horn books and g-aGua-a, during he
other fourth they win End It diiuculs % persuade
marythat their religions the pscia :a7oitsofGod
II is not so. 1t Is transparent tallacy that there
is anything in learling-no matter how rldinentai
or how profound-.hat IS inconsistent with religion
ard five did not know that theIs is 10 error in
philosophy or religion that haa not been entertained
by the strongest, the most cultivated ard the sim
ceTest minds, We should not believe that arp Friend
Of true religion would thus scanjalzs its sacred
power and influence. Who can believe, IN til, age
OF the world, that it is recessay q exercise I'd null
uplicaton table to east cut devils from orthogra-
ply, etymoloey, syn.ax, ard prosody, and to pro.
tect the youthful mind against hsresies and inf.
deity that Turk in Ienmanship ard arithmetic.
year since, found it necessary 10 call the attsn-
tion or the Board to mistaken AMI uIdeaerTsd
charge CT dangerous extravaganza. made against
the common school systtm Of ne city. by our pre-
sent excellent and ygant cLisf magistrate, in ais
annual message; since which time. committee Of
this Board, In ignay abe and cG17inciog report,
which has been print d and widely circulated, fully
proved the great economy cf our system, AMI the
Injustice Of the attack Ii his message, recent.
y delivered, not in so direct terms, but By the
plainest implication he has, without touadlsion,
charged the system with increase Of expenditure.
fer This year over the last, Of %2l7 1S -, -aole
than iorJ five rcr cent. ]: is certainly much 10 ae
Iegrttte thai his Honor The Mayor should hay.
been thus twice led into error and by pointing to
the tckool system above, have thrown upon rs, f.r
two successive years the necessity OF masinS such
important CORE ctons. !, cannot be presumed that
he desires unustly to come in co1aict with 90 inpor
tart 4 bra rch Of The rLlin sn-rica tha sckcnls