Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-05-12
Tha Bible in Schools.

6DIItN thkE&aN III u lNeo h'N- -
paper YOU refuse to publish an article opposed
to the introduction Of the Bible into our schools
on suspicion 7 it was based upon lhiidt
grounds. We are not about to say, " stop our
paper!' bat We confess that the refusal to
print, strack us as l.ardy worthy the position
Of tic freeman, claiming (4nd We hope not
unwoithily) thc largest lihrty Of any paper
in TIE Stit' o., no! Mr.. f., never dis
trust The steel If truth; the readers OF toe
freeman have fait, il her ultinat. Triumph
Il do not t,!l1w, tlat opposition 10 th' miro
ducti,n Of tn Li',la into + scro Is. il .Ir'-
sitiun g. the looS l. it the rr'rr p ace t"
teach it is tie qIas' N. Fyr olir, W. t. mi.
not. t. the first pacc, the teachers ar" not
emp te"t t. tca:h it. IN the sc'nd place, II
"i! Ia AZ appl' If yera.s;rg Gscord am III,
tha diff, Mt cts-e.ch claiming t. b, lis trur
expodnd,rg, and the vvry people who ara most
strenuous f,r its ntrodUctI m. will he tie most
dissatisfied and fcSsy. |, app'ars to lie that
the great disparity Of opinion among Doctors
of DHnity, sAoaId settIs the question OF the
competency Of oar teachers to instruct in Bib.
Heal lore. Youths, from fifteen years and up
wards, called upon to expound the book Of
ag q, requiring a..profound knowledge of differ
ent languages and the peculiar idoms of those
languages at different periods of the world
, ;s kho t,,bl tnnIono,, Il
to'sectaranism under existing circumstances,
and if not explained and understood, of what
use is it to the pupils? We do not send oul
children to school to repeat words like parrot
we wish them to understand phdt they read
For this purpose we have series oil books
adapted to the capacities of our children, and
these books adopt the morality of the New
Testament, are written in style easily under
stood and are free from those disparities and
seeming cont additions which appear to obtain
! in the Bible.
In the Freeman of April 18th, you say" You
would not have the Bible used in schools Us q
reader--that is--as book to be read through
by course but you would have the " day
commence by reading selections from the Bible. .
But who is to make the I" sclections?" The
teacher, of course lie is Protestant, and
Commandments. and compels bis Catholic pu-
pills to repeat them, at the end of lash, contra
ry to the conscientious mjunctions Of their pa
rents, and all Boston is in an uproar.
Or, may be, he belongs to some Of the Prot
estant sccts-a Unitarian, if you pease-anc
his selections are favorable to his peculiar tenets
and he so explains them to his pupils-nov
what? District No. l-ninc. tenths Trinitarlar
is now in hot wdter. The teacher must b.
expelled, or put on his good behavior No.
has employed Universalist, and he too ex
plains the Bible to his pupils as he understand
it, CAS- every honest man should,) and now al
Evangelicansm is in arms against him. Per
chance an Infdel is employed in No. 3, and HI
submits to the exercise in school, but ridicule
the Bible to his pupils, and now all Christen
dom is in commotion.
adage-" An ounce of prevention is worth {
pound of cure, '-forcibly applicable, in oul
view, to the Elliot School in Boston, at thi
time. You think the teacher there was right
Somebody was wrong. You say" 1t becam,
question of discipline entirely distinct from
any intolerance But suppose the " disci
rlinc p" was in direct opposition to the policy o
our Government, the free liberation Of all re
ligion? Then what is to be done? You wst
your son to learn Algebra the teacher insist
upon his learning Grammar-whose preroga
tive is it to decide? Was the disciplinary powel
underived and absolute, or discretionary, witt
the teacher in the Elliot School, that enjoineC
the exercise of repeat ing portion of the Bibl'
at the end of the lash, and at the expense o
his neighbours conscience? IF discretionary
did he, think you, follow the golden ruler
We are no admirer of Catholicism, but w
love Justice, and hate Despotism, whct hel
Catholic or Protestant
Since writing the above, notice in your las
issue the decision of the Elliot School case, will
your comments thereon. You say: " If The
priests have gained nothing by this tuss-a
they most assuredly have not-they very likely
have learned wisdom, and will not be in hast,
to repeat SO foolish a proceeding" Undoubt
eddy they have learned wisdom, but not o
that kind " whose ways are ways of pleasant
ness, and whose paths are peace but of thu
kind that % stirreth up strife " and bitter ami
mostly. We apprehend that if the case wa
renewed, and the Catholics placed in the ascen
dcncy, that the " Bull and 90 Ok would b.
shifted, with an " it, and the = luss y woull
be on the other side.
The golden rule of {" doing as we would b.
done by" is n blessed rule, and had the Prot
estants in Boston practiced 1t toward thei
Catholic brethren, they would have done NOR
towards producing true veneraton for the Bible
than despotic power will ever be able to do a
the end of the lash, or point of the sword.
We have not word to say in disparagen,cn
of the true merritt of the Bible, but we doubt
all things considered, whether Its introduction
into our schools will subscrye the interests o
true religion. B. r.
| a~o~s--------
Tue Close OF Holy WEEK AT HAvANNA.-
Purs.r D ,nison, of the steamer Empire State
communicates to the New York papers the fol