New-York daily tribune., 1854-03-30
THE nJBLE IN TIE SCHOOLS.
pos. HENRY g RANDALL IN REPLY TO REV osoh0E
n. cyrEyER ON THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS
corr,,~n yrIaoz. xouaay March 90, les

CORTLAND VILLAGE, Monday, March 90 1854
Ia GxoKss w Bs.DyosD, Gs~ber 81 ne ssIt> Senate
Ny DEAR sre: have iust received the work entitled
Right Of The Bible in our Common Schools by George b.
Cheeye- d. u which you were kind eDoGgt 10 iorwdfd
10 ne have as yet only rad the Pffee the tone and
ttmor OF which do not very .trongly solicit further
reruseI Tie arcuu Of candid opponent is al ways
tiled to respectful consideration bst whea direct Hsrp
AID suppreoIs are recAlessy resosd - =
e outet-sde the besis Of the whole arguDent-i con
dtr il tine thrown away wsJe through three hundred
p-ges OF supersueture erected such foundation VI
both Of tbeee hind: Of deyie6ons from fairness and fran
Aetrst has DR. Cheever bsen paipably and inispuaoy
guilty in respect my Official action as STATE supefin
t.n6ent Of Common Sch oi in The Pfefs,e 10 his BOOK
il certsIy unpleasant unu.us for e TO speak
thus OF the conduct Of acrgyan The necessity H's'
painful one But when clergyman steps aside ron Ms
profession to oosIsey and Larsy acagn lot only h1eof
r.ctIss, bu the nt,gri'y Of eJrdicai dooH-when nc
fs6es records 10 form for his alta S-he mast
be trt 1ted you would treat any other man under Ike
Circumstances.
DIR Cheever in speaking Of supp sd aifemp 10 e1ciaae
de Bible from the Common Schools says
The tubie Kind beginning 70 be awakened on ih'1bse
While tLos sb.es Ps'Ds trcas9 TIE pr We axe d ON 70 70
snsry sion OF the sts- -
o. o. ts eiIs. o. b be su,e .rep-e.enr-d Yet me
on 20 , ~, ,. s.' s In na
srd mr. on school system ast neither me
nut ,ven prsyr oeerd IN sesos h9urs h - b4aA
then er rely The te osspoiie Unauthorized Illegal
The points the above TO which WI first call your st
to- ton arc the MS taken in their natural order hs
nv decision ~ State Superintendent in DE Of Qnglcy
ys Clifford was based erPaTte sta.euents-that the
facts in the case entirely isr to eaDd
queuy that my deoson did great inj lstce to ndi
yduals Thee naked and unexplained assertions would
convey the ida and doubtless intended 70 convey tho
deo that not only guilty Of an mi jus;ico to in
dviduals' but that intentionally at al events
reckes by Improperly acting on one sided and there
fore inadequate testimony Here well marked instance
OF suppression Of the truth With intent to Isead or DIR
Cheever writes profound ignorance Of the rules and cu
TOM of tie tribunal M action in which he confidently
ASSUMES 10 pass Judgment on II has been the uniform
tom OF the state Superintendent r the period they we're
fst invested with judicial powers TO answer and express
opinions all payte statements memorials complaints
involving question Of school lss drawn up in decent
ard proper lana uage and submitted 10 them The pubhed
and unpublished records fhe school department are flied
with such opinions delivered by Flagg, DIX Spencer
Young and the Other SuperiDendents aud they contain
some Of the important adudcaons in regard TO the
rules end principles of school law made by these Off
GERS This proctce of hearing and answering erParte
statements was probably first adopted to the trouble
the consumption Of time, end he neghborhood exaspera
tom which formal appeals every trivial question arising
in school disircts would lead TO- Ard it is practice
which has worked well In eight out Of ten it nip.
controversy in the bud The Of the Superintendent
sudousy made broad enough to the points Of la
involved in the case that ii the facts dsco
by the comp aiming party both parties are enabled to
see hat principles he case VIII be decided II iormh
sppesl the Superintendent taken And permanent
iriuice IL done TO individuals because any applied
TO their conduct in such CAGES applied c0ada0aaiy A
a. "a .I4.4l lauI Ioar
right and that his antagonist hiss been wrong rice
ters0 grotidcd has allegations 10 he Department are true
And either party always if they deem of sufficient
importance vindcate themselves from ase accusations by
bringing the oets IN the case in issue, by aPpesl
In the case Of Qaighy Ggord, the usual
in every particular adhered TO- clergy and like Dr.
Cheover Doctor of Divinity. made complaint alleging
that the religious rights OF members Of his church had
been gIoy invaded by school teacher His charges
couched in decent and proper aDguase-were clear and
specific in their import and demanded if true the acton
OF the department certainly could no. make up my mind
that because tie complainant Roman Catholic
pre, and The aeerevd parties poor Irish labo'ers
that they thereby lost any of the legal rghs should be
deprived Of the ordinary official ootes extended to all
other citizens saw too that great principle was involved
in the case-one frank and firm espcsiion of which
and had long been impersively demanded owing 10 the
efforts from different quere of just such short sghed and
restless enthusiasts Dr Cheever 20 swamp our schoo
system with their sectaran dogmas was not blind my
friend the danger of sdudicating where the prejudces
ard passions q. well the earnest beliefs Of ages ay piled
up mountain high on either eide Of the queston-.be TO
be brough, down by foot fall avalanche like the head
Of the rash explorer will not say
The danger. .elf va. lure alone"
but ths viii say officer to discharge the
duties Of my Office to the best OF my ability saw what
those duties were in the present instance plain before me
never before had lodged any question presented me
in MY capacity Of Superintendent. made up my mind
instantly and unwaveIrgy snd contrary the advice of
some well meaning friends to be gored the horn of
of the erea. churches of Christendom rather
pected on that of Iol rather hsn shrink from my duty
There was one feature sboat the case which coafess
encountered with more reluctance than all of is dangers
To give force and application TO great prncpe-to show
the practical consequences Of violating i'll compelled
10 speak in terms OF harsh Of the conduct Of
person .rlo might Be ~noccs-and that person
knew that DR. QIgley with the purest intentions nigh.
have been misnformed knew that the feeling. OF an in
noctnt and delicate woman would be deeply wounded by
being dragged into such unpleasant ncore!y though the
censures applied her only conditional her guilt
and though even full vindicston should follow But the
mportsnce Of the admitted of no alternative And
trusted that II the teacher was innocent speedy opporu
nifty would be given an ssue Of fact brought before
me by appeal vndca,e her publicly she had been
ctnsured-I would have done it t-snd had it been
made to appear that the attack on her q
ton or utterly causeess one l would have done
j, in a way that would have proved lssiag les
son to h,r sssailsnts She belonged to wealthy
aud influential family Among the circle Of her rels
,ives and neighbers. highly respectable lawyer
She could 20 the Town Superntc uden also tor informa
ton The legal steps to bring issue of fact before