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

Is admissible and is to be admitted and
used, as the word of God the fountain
head OF our State faith and practice, the
source whence proceed our laws, the bond
OF our social institutions, the origin of the
whole body of our liberties, and the very
cause and stay Of our civilization.
There are it is true, parts and passa-
ges in the Scripture about the meaning
of which men and bodies of men--all
earnest and conscientious in their belief.
have differed and will differ. There are
different modes of worship, there are va
rious practices in life, growing out of
these differences. And herein it is that
the State guarantees to each the. liberty
to differ; and, therefore, herein it is that
the limit Of school authority in religious
matters is found. None of these is to
be lnterfercd with nor is the popularity
OF the parents creed to be stricken at
through the impossible mind of the
child. All such interference is to be
sedulously avoided by the teacher in his
christian teaching.
| Here it may be said that not all teach.
ers are sufficiently catholic in spirit to
discharge this delicate trust. But this
is an objection to the present generation
of teachers, if it be well founded, and
not to the principle above asserted. As
well might it be contendcd that reading
or algebra should not be taught in the
schools becouse all teachers are not good
readers algebraists, as that the general
principles of Christianity must not be
taught in the schools, because all teachers
are not prepared for the task. In ascer-
tanning the true theory of perfect school
system and in attempting to put it into
operation, we are always to regard : it in
its state of perfection, and thus carry it
into operation, or as nearly thereto as pos
sible; and not to let it down or dwindle
1t into state Of ineficiency, or worse, to
suit present admintrative deficiencies.
| There is enough-thank God there is
enough-of common christian ground in
the Bible, for all sects to meet on and cul-
tiyate the spirit of christian truth, love
and brotherhood, without impaling them
selves on sectarian points or irrevocably
diverging into sectarian by-paths. Why,
the Sermon on the Mount of itself is an
exhaustless text whence the pure mind
of youth may be supplied with instruc-
ton of the best and most desirable kind,
and which may be studied and explained
without trespassing on the ground of the
mos jealous sectary. Other portions there
re,-parables, stories and sayings,-full
Of wisdom and truth, which all denomin-
ations accept in the same meaning, and
which no child can comprehend without
profit.
The other great portion of the chris
tian element in Education is found in the
instructions of the christian teacher-the
true christian teacher ;-imbued with the
spirit Of charity and love,-looking to
Heaven alone as the end, and not merely
striving to lead off into any of the vari-
Gus ways by which men seek to get there.
Realizing his duty to the child, to the pa
rent, to the State and to God,-he will
never belittle himself or betray the great
trust committed to him, by making of him
self propagandist, or of his office mere
church-trap. He will continually feel
that, in laying in the child's heart and
soul solid foundation of the general facts
and principles Of the religion of the Sa-
viour, he is doing his whole duty in this
respect, leaving forms of worship and
sectarian creeds,-since they must exist,
to the control and selection of the pa
rent feeling, however, thatif the found
alton be sound, the superstructure, what
ever it be, will be all the better for that
soundness.
In few words, we would say that the
christian element Of education in a COM
mon school is to be found in the Holy
Scriptures and in the catholic teachings
Of the christian instructor avoiding in
the use of both, all sectarian dogmas, but
insisting on theleading principles of Chris
tianity, as the great rule of life for the
citizen of republican State.
And herein we apprehend there is no
violation Of the constitutional or legal
rights of any. Where there are unbe-
levers in the christian or believers in any
other system, all they can rightfully claim,
is, that nothing save what they believe
shall be directly impaired to their chill
dren in the public schools. Hence, these
children are to be exempted from all stud-
les of this class distasteful to their parents.
But that all such studies and exercises
shall be excluded from the schools, be-
cause distasteful to them. is demand