The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1853-03-12
For the Minncso,ian.

MEssRs. EDfToEs VIII You permit a reply
to an article in your paper of last week from
Rev. E. ID. Neill, of st. Paul.
! For the Information of your readers it NAV
be necessary to state, that the writer was for
mally introduced to the public, in the Pioneer
as 1.-THE Pastor of a small Baptist Church in St
Anthony
1t may be unnecessary to say to the public
that the Rev. F. d. Neill is the Pastor of the
large Brick Church. Presbyterian n S. in St
Paul beside being Superintendent of Common
Schools in the Territory of Minnesota. These
facts kept distinctly before the mind. all will
perceive that the contest between us is a very
unequal one, and that if | fall by his hand. Il
will not be as though 'woman slew me- Mr..
Ncll complains of me for misunderstanding one
section of his Report of January, 1852
In his article in the Pioneer, he presents his
views on the use of the Bible in Common
Schools to my entire satisfaction. Still there
stands the section in the Report. which seems
to look i'll another direction. How about that
will give the scctiOn:--
"The Superintendent has aimed to select such
reading books as will be unObjectionable to any
of the various classes of citizens. A fruitful
source of difficulty in our Public Schools. has
been the reading of lessons from the Protestant
version OF the Bible. 1t is believed thatupon
examination there will be found no extracts in
u, a
arouse any religious prejudice. If the State
ever expects to have her Schools receive the
support of the entire community, those who
have charge of public instruction cannot he too
careful In excluding works that have a sectari
an bias; and the good of every shade of reli
glous belief should watch that no instruction of
that description be instilled by the teachers,
Inc common sense of many others beside N.Y.
sell inferred from this language that the Sinner
intendent designed to call the Bible a sectarian
book, and exclude it from the Public Schools
ms view is disclaimed. The Superintendent
never studied our logic which makes such a
conclusion Well, how does he explain the
report, which says the .Protestant version has
been fruitful source of difficulty in our Public
schools &c. In the Pioneer, he comes nm In
TINS Protestant version, and darts off, takinr
refuge under the sectarian versions of the CATH
ollcs and Baptists. This will be Door sboid
Tor HIM. Mr. Neill is better posted up'' in R;L.
heal literature than am if he can Law his band
on baptist version of the Bible in CbrStnn
aohi; In the MlnnesOtian, he is careful not to
touch me point at issue and goes on a crusade
10 .ile holy Land, hunting after nv ancestors
hr: Neilis assurance that the gentlemen
rom 81. Anthony is not of the ancient he finds
IS Wholly gratultous. If the gentleman at ST
Paul can show that his ancestors zoo wears ,oo
were engaged in better business-a more how
L LauSs rescuing the Holy Land from the !
, ,anus Vi lhhcels, am content to be eternally
A'I r. aoeu because my own were crusaders.
ne says my logic often causes man to fall !
r mo dilemma and feel that it has f,oo horns"
n'S' IL seems to me, is Mr.. Neills mishap pre-