American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-08-24

OF his religious sentiments, be disqualif-
ed to hold any office or place of trust or
profit under this Commonwealth. Thus.
while the largest liberty consistent with in
dispensable conscientious obligation is Civ
en-, this section also most evidently shows
that all persons fit to hold place of trust
in the State are expected to have settled
religious sentiments" at the same time
that 1t fixes the extent to which tolera-
tion in this respect shall extend. And
the same is the case in regard to jurors and
witnesses.
But to return to the direct Legislative
recognition of Christianity,-acts passed
in 1905 and 1874, with various others
since, prohibit all worldly employment
or business whatsoever on the Lords day
commonly called Sunday, works of neces-
sity and charity only excepted" And so
rigidly have the courts enforced the OBJ
servance of the christian Sabbath, that a
contract made on that day has been de-
cided to be void, and persons who consci-
entiously observe the seventh day or Sat
urday as their Sabbath, have been punish
ed for working on the first day or Sun
day.
The christian matrimonial relation
that Of the marriage of one man to one
woman is also protected and enforced by
law, and that to such an extent that Nor
monism, SO far as relates to polygamy can
not legally exist amongst us, much less
the free-love enormity which altogether
ignores marriage for life
In short, so thoroughly christian is our
statute book, that every command of the
Decalogue is thereby enforced, except the
second and the tenth, aud these are omit
ted for the reason, no doubt, that the Sec
ond (inrelation to craven images) involves
a question of opinion ON which men may
honestly differ, and the tenth a matter of
mere motive or feeling which is beyond
the reach of human law. As to the first
commandment-that announcing the be-
ing and aoleness of the Deity,-we have
already seen that it is reiterated in the
Declaration of Rights and enforced by
several acts of assembly; and, so fully
does it seem to have been the intention of
the Legislature to establish the Laws of
God, that even the fifth commandment
Chat which enjoins honor to parents) tho
apparently on involving sentiment, is en-
| forced, so far human tribunals can con-
troll the feelings, by compelling the child
to nourish and support the parent, even
to the second generation, when poor and
unable to work.
But it would be as tedious as it is un-
necessary, to enumerate all the marks of
Christianity impressed by law upon our
State institutions. They are all thorough
ly, eminontly, primarily christian. That
fact is as obvious as is the other great
republican fact of our system, viz: that
while we are Christians as a people, we
have and can have no established sect a9
a State. And this last is the fundamen-
tai principal to be kept in view and to
guide us, in the process Of adapting to
and adapting in, our public schools, the
Christian element of instruction.
Hence it follows that whatever infor-
nation is proper for child at home in
christian family, and which is christian
in its nature and tendency without being
sectarian, is not only proper for the same
child in the public school, but also that
its inclusion in the course of instruction
in the public school is obligatory. For,
how else can justice be done the child?
The State is christian State The
school is State school designed to rear
up intelligent, well informed and chris
tian citizens. IF therefore, the State, or
its agents the Directors and Teachers,
neglect this element in his education,
which would not have been neglected had
not the State interfered and taken him
from the home school, the State is guilty
of the deep wrong of requiring from
hlm, in adult life, certain publications. or
actions, which it deprived him of the
means of preparing for in youth. This
point admits Of no successful denial and
it is time to come directly up to it, and
to do our duty in the momentous premises.
But, finally, what is this christian ele-
ment?
In the first place, it is that knowledge
of the great facts of the christian system
of religion, which are alone set forth in
the Scriptures of the Old and New Tes-
tamen.s Hence, the use in the schools,
in such form and manner as the discre-
tion Of Directors and Teachers shall Sc
lect, of the Bible becomes imperative
for this indispensable knowledge is deriva-
BILE from no other source. Hence, also,