Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-10-05

when his opinion was asked, leaving the
parties who were concerned, to adopt it or
not. As for authority. he had none TO use,
and used none. 1t may seem then, to fair
minded folks, generally, that Mr. Rankin
might have done well 10 have confined his
attack to the Board of Education, and have
let their Secretary alone, instead of mixing
them up together in his loose and undiscrim-
mating attack in the way he has.
There are many reasons why the Bible is
unsuitable for general class reading book
in school. From its ancient grammatical
forms, its short divisions into verses, and
other peculiarities, DO other book common in
the community is more likely, by class use,
to form bad habits of pronunciation, general
and particular, than the Bible, though pas
sages may be selected which, under a COM
petent Teacher would be excellent exercise,
to practice advanced scholars in reading
in learning TO read the Bible well, which so
few persons do. There is an inevitable ten
dency to desecrate the Sacred volume by hay-
ing it put on par with other reading books
about the school house. 1t is hook to qp-
peal 10 on the highest and hottest topics-a
book to be held in special reverence by young
and old Thumbing and tumbling it about
the school room like any other book, expos.
ing it to be used by the light-minded and
vicious, to pick out and ma ko use Of, not for
good but for evil, many passages. which,
properly enough having their place where
they belong in the sacred volume, ought
never to be exposed to be 50 used, (as they
certainly will be in public SCHOOL,, would
be great lessening of its good influence on
the young The Board do not specify these
reasons, though quite likely they were be-
lore their minds. They said all that was
necdul to be said, ri-., that leaving tie
status Of the Bible in our schools
lust where it had been was
better than to place 1t where its use
might seem to be compulsory on some whose
parents would be opposed to its use that
in 50 leaving it, its influence for good would
be more real and substantial than could be
expected under different conditions
The CONCLUSION which the Board arrived a:
viii unques,ionably meet the appreciation Of
tho people Of the State, very generally-this,
too, irrespective ofwhat the Constitution and
Laws Of this State have to say on protecting
the rights Of conscience That the Board
had no power to do any thing which should
compel the use Of the Bible as a reading book
on all scholars, whatever the wishes of
their parents might be, is beyond dispute Z;
that they did nothing to interfere with any
power Of the sort, if any one supposas 1t to
have existed, Is equally So
It is impossible to 20 over in detail what
Mr.. Rankin has said on this subject 1t is
confused and desultory. to a remarkable
degree; but this much can be made out Of it
He assumes that it is right to compel all
pupils torcqd the Bile in School because our
ciyilpohty is rroieSsedly based onthoprinciplcs
Of the Christian Religion, which is no rea-
son at all. He claims. too, the conscientious
views and positive authority Of some parents
p, Tho ,,,.-,r. -,.,r;.h.4au,,;u- ~. -.
Bibjo o,,5, l.le mad. a r,,J;n,, I,7l s.r,,l
and thar al scholars should 10 ,,.,n,,,,., -
Use it. This sentiment l. flat yoperV in its
oh,r,..or -ono a. I..s -, t-;.,,.
forth I- , ,r,.eat,,,+ minister IF tho ,1sIol
The Roman Catholic rriest who f,r5ids the
parent to allow his child to read the Bible in
school, and tho Protestant clergyman who
saws the child should be made to read the
Bible in school. whatever the parent wishes
or believes aboutit arc much nearer together
than pcrchlnce they think for. Neither Of
them can find in the whole teaching Of the
Savior OF his Apostles, any thing to Justify
his position
There is quite a display OF references by
Mr.. Rankin to treatises on law aud moral
science, to reports Of cases in Maine, Massa-
chusetts &c, which, however pertinent they
may be to tho cases and places where they
were put forth, have no bearing on the real
points of this case, and to what in Vermont
is the law On the subject
Mr. Rankin sums up his objections to
the present position" of the Board in sev-
en- distinct paragraphs, not one of which
will stand moments examination. livery
one contains mis-statements of fact, or false
logic, by which it is made worthless. lie
says they have made" through their Secretary
a GvosiJudioidl Interpretation Of the Bill Of
rights, when neither they nor their Secre- |
tary have done any such thing) which, if
sustained, would allow "Mormons and Hin
dos to practice tho denominations Of their re- |
igious system in the State that their
position, if consistently carried out, will |
wholly exclude the Bible from our schools,
"render State Legislation on the subject Of
schools, a nulllty, &c.