New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-02-28
rR. ouEEvER ON TnB BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

| Italicized, should vote slavery INTO NeOIdshal
IR. CHEEvER ON THB BIBLE ~ SCHOOLS.
The Education of the Whole People, everywhere
most important is, in Democracy, an imperative ne
cessity To he led by the blind among treacherOas
ptfslls, over dizzy nights and beside unfathomable
cbssns involves perls only less formidable than those
Of unlimited Despotsm. Whatever elements of weak
ness or mi-eLief may be discovered in political
system fOw directly rom the incompeten,y OF por-
tiop Of our people for the momentOus duties thereby
deyolyed on them; and cannot remember an in
stare. where our Government has been popularity in.
PEELED into wrong wherein il was not manifest
that the mischief bad been done by large majority Of
cur uneducate& voters Oyerrung majority OF those
WHO had e1oyed the advantages of at least rudmental
instruction If the education of every child we're III
e1orably required and enforced, and each adult mi
g1atnq to our shores subjected to similar re-
QUESTION ss qualification for voting, in lieu OF the
present exactOn of five years resdence the basis OF
cur political fabric would be as nearly perfect as HUI
Insnty in It's present estate will permit
Now the Education of the Whole People otherwi
thar by a comprehensive, StSte.supported system OF
! Common Schools has been abundauty proved imprac-
ticabe. They who assert that the Educanon OF Chll-
drer 6eyoyes on the Church. should be left to the
care Of the parents respectively cannot controVer the
general fact that just far as Education has hsen
cared for by the State has it been general and efficient
while wherever the State has left it to individuals vol
uptary associated or TO clerical impulse and guidance
very large proportion of the children of the poor and
pOyerless have been suffered to grow up in ignorance.
If there be in exception to this rule not aware
Of IT.
The Patriot the Liberal, tie Philanthropist, the
Conser, alive the DeyOtee would seem to be equally
Interested in demanding that the State shall make
careful and ample provision for at ast the elementary
Education of All For though the DevOtee, OF what
ever creed cannot hope to have the tenets or his ah
e1pounded and commended to the children Attending
Common Schools under a Government which Is wisely
interdicted from the establishment of State Religion
he should nevertheless be satisfied view of the fact
that tie Con mon School plows up the ground and
prepares il for the seed which il is his or his Churchs
dutI TO cow Tie modern Sunday School, as at hrst
established was devised by Christian phlanthr'pist
for The purpose of teaching the children OF the poor 70
read so that they might aerward be indoctrinated IN
the great truths of religion The Common school has
since superseded h. use the Sunday School, 90 that
the latter is now devoted e1clYively to the direct
incubation Of religious and moral lessons And til'
seems to Us the natural and proper solution OF the great
problem Of Universal Education m communities where
radical dyersites Of faith exist Let the Common
School for thirty hours of each week, instruct the
Children in Reading Writing, Grammar, Geography
Arithmetic &c and let these children, thus qualified
to receive and apprehend religious truth be instructed
in religion OIL Saturday Sunday or during any other
than school hours on other days, by such clerical OF
other teachers as their respective parents or guardians
NAV prefer and Indicate
But shall there be no religious exercises in Common
Schools Our choice would be that q brief prayer
should be offered and select portion of Scripture
read by the teacher and hymn of praise to the rather
of All sung by the entire school perhaps the two
former at tie beginning the latter at the close oil the
DAYS lessons But we recognize the Rights OF Con-
science as above all considerations Of choice or con-
venience, and we should most strenuously protest
against these any other religious exercises In ah!
sci COL where they would CRATE the religious con-
vctions sensibites, il you please preudices' oil
any portion Of the pupils their natural guardians
Rather let every exercise of religious nature be re-
United to other occasions than have one parent feel
that tie faith he cherishes is endangered or under
mined by The incucA.ons or discipline of the Common
School whoever this shall become the school Of a
predominant Church, OF of local Majority then viii
its usefulness be fatally undermined and its hold on
the confidence OF the people be seriously weakened
The Reverend Doctor George B. Cheeyer holds the
ory very different from this In his view. those who de-
sre to have certain religious exercises IL Schools have
ss good right 10 insist on their introduction as those
who object such exercises and whose faith would be
assaied thereby have require tLeir exclusion. 10
other words if there were sect who made pork-est
ing part Of their religious exercises aud they
majority it would be perfectly right for that majority
TO force their pork eating into school where
a minority Of the children we're Hebrews, and insist
/ that those children should swallow the pork or be
/ kicked out of school Nay: if we do not missppre-
bend the Doctor he believes the porkestng majority,
ifthey were orthodox in their faith would have BET!
ter right 10 make pork-eatng common school e1er-
else than tie minority would to resist il. Hear him:
The case stands thus You either know this book 70 be
the Nord of God, or You 20 not il not then you are
tpescsd in solemn farce in teaching Il any where ss
God Word. But # yea do know il 10 be God Word,
then you have right TO put book Of fables on 81
equality with t;-you have right TO permit the plea Of
another console against H. % prevent you from
violating il, wherever you have the proper opportunity
and the power Ii you know this book 70 be the Word Of
God YOU cannot without elarng inconsistency which
fatal 10 the claims OF God Word admit the conscience
of a MOhsmmed.n or Pagan as Of equal authority with
/ the conscience Of Instructed out Of Gods Word
The conscience which commands the worship of idols
no; 10 be treated with the respect the conscience
which commands the worship Of God. you say that il
YOU are instantly driven 10 the dreai eonelu
sions fatal 70 the very existence Of Christian society"
Surely no one can fail to see that here is the assump
tion of an Established Religion already exiting in the
lsnd whose sdherents have rights under our laws supe
ior 70 these OF al di'senters and VT Cbsevcr pro.