Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-12-15
THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.
The Opinions OF the American Press oh
the Question.

The public school question is at pres
ent attracting attention in every part I
Of the country. We present brief
summary of the opinions brought out
in discussion of this much-veXed sub
iect. II
The Cincinnati Commercial directs
public inquiry to the system adopted
in Prussia, where Protestantand CathO-
lie children are taught together. Allu-
ding TO the report of Rev. Calvin Z.
Stowe, who visited Germany with a
view to investigate the systems of
public instruction prevail
ing there, it finds therein evidence
that religious instruction of some
kind is not optional, but compulsory.
The teacher sometimes calls the class
around him, and relates in his own
language scriptural narratives, care
fully abstaining from casting Odium /
upon the tenets of any denomination |
of Christians. Nothing receives more !
attention in the Prussian school than |
the Bible. 1t is studied systemati- |
cally. Luther's Catechism is taught |
in all tho Protestant schools, and in !
the Catholic schools the eatechism of
that communion. Kay, in his work |
on the "SOeial Condition and Educa- |
ton of the People in Europe" is quo
ted as testifying to the fact that dis
putes about separate or mixed schools
are unheTed of in Prussia. All the
evidence shows that the Government
ordinances of Prussia provides for
nine branches, of which the first is
religiOn-mOrality, established on the
positive truths of Christianity.
The Boston IrdUelIcT sums the
whole subject up in three questions
Whether it is improper to place the
Scriptures before the laity; whether
private judgment, the very backbone
of Professionalism, is asham that ought
not to be tolerated, or whether Ameri-
can Professionalism, the giant child of
English PrOtestantism, is or is not
built upon a sound basis. The ques-
ton is, whether or not the increasing
and encrOaching adherents of Rome
shall dictate the character of educa-
ton in this country. 1t asks Chris
| tians if they are prepared to meet the
next question, since the dispute ill.,
I cludes two points seldom alluded to,
whether it is right to have the Bible in
| the hands of all persons who desire to
read it, and whether the English Bi-
[ BILE is 4 sound version or peTversiOn
of the Scriptures, which are the fOun-
dation of the Christian religion. If
they are ready to make such admis-
SiOns, concessions and declarations,
I they should show their sincerity by
excluding the Bible from their schools
and should take advantage of the
meeting of the Ecumenical Council
( to have their country received at once
I into the Romish fold.
A victory for those who oppose the
/ use of the Bible in the schools would
| simply be the preface for further ac-
/ tion. For its part, the TraUeIIer is
unwilling to make the confession that
Z thus far it has upheld a system that
/ grew out of falsehoOd, and that until
now they have deliberately eontended
/ against the truth as pronounced from
! Rome.
The Boston journal asks, "have
not the Catholic authorities already
J taken the ground against our system
of common or secular schools, so thai
the use or disuse of the Bible therein
will have no material bearing upon
the predetermined result 2" 1t pro-
ceeds to critieise the course of Arch
bishop Purcell, of Ohio, and perceives
a marked deviation from the policy
he first laid down, the result OF "more
rigid orders from his ecclesiastical sa-
I periors." Whether this is the case or
not, there is no want of evidence that
the Romish Church is manifesting
7 undisguised hostility 10 the common
school system. Archbishop Man
/ ning's ultimatum, published in Eng
land, is alluded to, showing that the
/ church must form its OlCR schools
The journal sees hope in the fact that
I the American Catholics are not united
I in the effort to enforce the idea of
| their teachers; and concludes by say
/ ing that zone thing is eertain-the
American people will not give up
| their common school system; they
might as we'll write theirown epitaph
| as a free nation. They will make all
proper notifications of the system,
| even all reasonable concessions, in
order to diffuse its blessings as widely
as possible; but give it up, they will
not. And it will not be wise to force
| the issue upon them"
The Buffalo Express says that the
! Roman Catholics object on the one
3
and on the other hand object TO the
/ schools themselves because they are
/ Goddess. The movement is the initial
preparation for an organized plan OF
attack upon the Public School Sys-
tenn. The key note Of the contest is
3 to be found in the declaration, taxa
ton for school purposes must cease. -
Pereeiving the signs of a bitter polit-
/ ical conflict over the question ap-
prOehing. the Express warns the peO-
pie not 10 be surprised into Oetraying
! their interests into the hands of traf-
ficking politicians.
The Albany Journal would be
thankful If the Catholic clergy would
! pattern after the honesty of Archbish-
op Manning, of England for then il
would be seen that the Bible is not
I the bugbear. If it were excluded to-
morrow, the war upon the schools
would be equally virulent the day
after. The simple question is, as the
/ issue now presents itself, whether our
/ school system shall remain as it came
to US from our fathers, or be broken
up and its funds diverted from their
legitimate uses and employed for sec
tartan purposes. Upon the question,
thus simply presented, there is unan-
unity. No denOminatiOnal instrue-
ton, in any guise, will be tolerated in
our schools. When the Catholics
make it appear that the exclusion of
the Bible from the schools will settle
| the controversy, it will be time enough
to consider the proposition. DOgmas
/ must be taught at private expense
/ ANY change in the school system will
weaken it immeasuTably.
The Rochester Democrat considers
the discussion ill-timed, but thinks 1t
all important that the fact be Kept in
view that if the Bible were at once
excluded, the Catholics would be no
whit less hostile to the schools than
they are now, but would strive just as
zealOusly as they are now striving to
overthrow them. The real question
/ is, shall our common school system
be preserved, or shall the funds be di-
! vided among the different denomina-
tiOns?
The Milwaukee Wisconsin supposes
( a case if the funds were divided up in
that State, it would not be long be-
fore the schools would languish, and
/ the system fall into ruins. The in
come of the school fund in that State
is not sufficient to pay the entire ex-
penses incurred. The enemies Of the
I system have nothing better to offer us.
/ Spian and Italy present the best ex-
| amples of Catholic education. His
I tory will have to be erased from the
/ memory of Americans before they