The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1869-12-23
The Bible in the Public Schools.

gerly grasped at, by the public mind.
And among the important questions,
which agitates the public mind at the
present day is the exclusion of the
Bible from the Public Schools. On
the one side is arrayed, the Catholic
and the Infidel; the other side every.
body else. Although the Romanist
and the Infdel differ widely in their
views respecting the Bible, yet they
form an union in the effort to expel It
| from the Public Schools each having
distinct end in view. II
The In6del opposes the Bible be-
cause it embodies the vigor of Chris
tianity, which he dislikes and de-
nounces Gods displeasure against un,
godly sinners, which, notwithstanding
their effort to disbelieye, would rather
not hear, on account Of the pabgs of
remorse that it may occasionally awak-
en- in their conscience.
Probably it would be more agreeable
with the modern Pantheist to have the
IIindoo Shastersi Introduced to our Pub
| lie Schools, than the Bible of the Chris
tians. But what would be the conse-
quence, if our country would adopt the
doctrine of the Pantheist, Spiritualist
and Atheistl The result would be
just what it was in France about a half
"a century ago. The scenes of Paris
and Lyons would be re-enacted in New
York and Cincinnati The course of
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, would
be impeded by the drowned bodies of
the ministers OF religion, as the river
Seine was in the time Of the French
Revolution. sJ s...
But 10 turn our attention to the Ro-
manist, we may ask why does be unite
with the Infdel to expel the Bible from
the Schoolsi He acknowledges its in
spiratiOn, and claims il to be the basis
OF their religion.
1t seems that the object of the Ro-
manist is to make the. Public Schools
unpopular. They believe and claim
that doctrine discipline, morals and
religious atmosphere must be kept
united, and made to penetrate and sur
round the Schools at all times" In
this, they and the Protestants agree.
But they believe "that the youth should
| be instructed in some form of Christian
doctrine" They say that "to read the
Bible, to young children without note
or comment, is to abandon them to
dangerous speculations, or to leave
them dry aud barren of all Christian
knowledge"
1t is fact that there is, perhaps,
scarcely q sect or denomination Of
Christians, whether of the Greek, Ro-
man or Protestant Churches, but what
has some particular system, by them
termed the analogy Of faith, which they
Individually hold in the greatest rev.
erence. And when any of these meet
with passages in Scripture which they
cannot readily explain consistently with
their hypothesis, they strive to solve
the difficulty by the analogy of faith
which they have themselves invented.
but allowing all their assump-
tions to be founded in truth, it is by
no means consonant with the princi-
pies of sound Divinity, to interpret
Scripture by the hypothesis of any
church; because the sacred records are
the only proper media of ascertaining
theological truths.
It is not the reading of the Bible
without "note or comment" especially
by the meek, unprejudiced minds of
youth, that gives rise to dangerous
speculations." But it is the study of
the Scripture to confirm some precon-
conceived notion. Having prediction
for some part only, person is apt to
place the sense upon the text which
comedies with his own sentiments,
rather than the truth; and to make
every part correspond with the analogy
Of faith which he has invented, rather
than with the whole system Of religion
as taught in the Gospels.
All the accumulated illustrations of
former aud later Commentators are to
be brought to the Bible as the standard
and not the Bible to them. The
Romanist admits, that every child in
leaving school, should go forth Chris
tan child. That intellectual moral and
religious culture and education, should
be realized proceeding harmonionusly
in our Public Schools. But how is
this result TO be accomplished. Is it
BY excluding the Bible from the
Schoolsf Certainly not. Religion, in
the language of Mr.. Guizot, ''is not a
study or an exercise 10 be restricted 10
a certain place and q certain hour, it
is faith and law, which ought to be
felt everywhere, and which after this
manner alone can exercise all its bene-
fetal effects upon our minds aud lives +"
Mr.. Gnizot is right, continues The Ro-
manist. sIt will not do to devote six
days In the week TO science, and %
depend upon Sunday Schools for the
religious training Of the child. Il i
the religious atmosphere, which sup
ports the young soul" But how are
we to have correct religious training
without a Bibk-the only fountain OF
pure and undefled religion. How are
we to have ''religious atmosphere
without that central luminary of the
spiritual world to invigorate and en-
liven! Shall we depend upon the in