Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-05
THE BIBLE EXCLUDED FROM
THE CINCINNATI SCHOOLS.

THE CINCINNATI SCHOOLS.
About six weeks ago. proposition was
made by member of the School Board
of Cincinnati to exclude the Bible from
the public schools of that city. This
proposition elected very warm discus
sion, which was protracted up to Monday
night last, when hequcstion was settled
by vote Of the School Board against the
continued reading Of the Bible in the
schools. The resolutions, which were
adopted by vote of % TO Is, are as fol
lows:
Resolved, That religious instruction,
and reading of religious books, including
the Holy Bible, are prohibited in the
common schools of Cincinnati; it being
the true object and intent of this rule to
allow children of parents of all sects and
opinions in matters of faith and worship,
to enjoy alike the benefit of the common
school fund.
'Resolved, That so much of the regu-
lations on the course of study and text
books in the intermediate and district
schools as reads as follows: Opening
exercises in every department shall COM
mence by reading portion of the Bible
by or under the direction of the teacher,
and appropriate singing by the pupils,
be repealed. "
These resolutions were offered by Mr.
L. II. Miller, Catholic, but the Catholics
were not the only nor the chief opponents
of Bible reading in the schools. Rev.
Thomas Vickars, a UniVersalist clergy
man, who denies the Divine origin of the
Bible, led the attack against it. Mr.
Vickars viii be remembered for the sharp
controversy he mad with Archbishop Pur-
cell, a year ago. II was the Protestant
Bible (King James translation), of course,
over which the dispute was had. The
second resolution repeats the following
regulation in regard to the course of study
and textbooks of the intermediate and
district schools: ''The opening exer-
cises, in every department, shall commence
by reading a portion of the Bible, by or
under the direction of the teacher, and APP
propriate singing by the pupils" So that
appropriate singing" is also prescribed
as well as Bible-reading. There were
two clergymen in the Board-Rey. Mr..
Mayo and Rev. Mr.. Vickars One voted
for and the other against the resolutions.
The term of twelve of the members who
voted for the resolutions expires in the
| spring, and the Cincinnati Gazette calls
for an organized effort to defeat them.
In the mean time, an injunction has been
obtained from the Supreme Court of Ohio
against the School Board, restraining it
from excluding the Bible from the schools
| This takes the question directly into
court. Precisely the ground upon which
the case is to be legally contested, the
Gazette does not know. The decision of
the Supreme Court of the United States
in the Girard will case, has a bear
ing upon the question, and will have its
influence. Two points were clearly
decided by Chief Justice Story l. That
it would be against public policy to pro-
hibit religious instruction in an education
al institution; and, 2, that the Bible is q
religious but not a sectarian book. But,
says the Gazette, whatever may be the
result of the legal contest, an appeal has
been taken from the decision of the acct
dental majority in the Board of Education
to the people of Cincinnati, and this will
be fully heard during the next six months
and decided in April through the ballot
| box"