Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-06-02
The Bible in Schools.

The Protestant view of the question &c
far as we understand is as follows:
The New Testament in its whole scope
and spirit teaches the necessity incum
bent upon every one to acquaint himself
with the law of God as declared in the
Sacred Scriptures. This acquaintance if
to be acquired in any and every accessible
way. Therefore the reading of the scrip
lures in modern civilization is just as much
duty as attendance upon the preaching
of the priesthood was in the early days Of
the church. If in the times before Christ
the Jews were in duty bound to have re-
course to the oral teaching of the Bible, il
was because reading was not practicable
but now that reading is practicable to the
poorest man the duty to read comes with
the ability to read.
It is denied that the Bible must be read
with any limitation or modification by
comment or annexation. The very essence
of Professionalism is the affirmation of the
right and the duty attaching to every in
dividual to read the Bible and to strive to
understand it for himself. While it is
not held that a man may not seek in other
sources for help in Interpretation, it is
denied that he is bound in faith to any
other Interpretation than that which
comes to him from prayerful and diligent
enquiry.
It is held that education is a civil duty.
It is in the interest of the State that
common schools are established and main
tanned. The education of the child is not
to be left to the discretion of the parent
The State holds the right of compulsory
education. That is, the State has a con-
ceded right to say to every parent in the
commonwealth, "you must give your
child a common school education he
must be taught to read and write and
cipher. You may have this done in q
private or public school; you may teach
him at home This much of education
he must have" This much of education
the State holds to be essential in order to
useful and intelligent citizenship. Now
the Protestant argument holds that mas
much as the Bible is the foundation of all
good civil government no education OF
the child for the purposes of citizenship is
complete which does not include the
Bible. They declare that the Bible is in
no sense sectarian. That it is the COM
mon moral and religious code of all Chris
tians. That the reading of it in schools
trains the nascent citizen most fifty for
the duties of citizenship-sinee the Bible
does but set forth and amplify the
deacalogue-the basis of civil government;
that the reading of the Bible does not en-
danger the soul of any body, young or
old that no one can read it and learn
anything to his damage that the habitual
reading of it in schools engrafts into the
youthful mind reverence for the book
and its teachings; that the morning
prayer and chapter tend to check vice,
engender reverence for religion, to instil
morality and lay broad and strong and
deep the foundations of intelligent and
useful citizenship.
There underlies the whole Protestant
argument the feeling that, though not in
form, yet in substance, this is not only. a
Christian, but a Protestant country.
Therefore, Professionalism seeks every
where quasi official recognition. To as
sert the Protestant doctrine in schools, is
to assert it in civil affairs. This assertion,
confirmed by the public assent, is vir-
tual affirmation of Professionalism. The
Protestant holds that civil, as we'll as re-
ligious, liberty is best assured in Protest
ant civilizations, and that Roman Catholi.
cism embodies the ideal of central and
self-asserted authority.
The Protestant holds that, inasmuch as
in this country Professionalism is the pre-
dominating creed that, inasmuch as it
has the power, through the domination OF
numbers, to order and enforce the order
to adopt the Bible as text book; and
that, as the Bible, in the civil aspect of its
teachings, inculcates the soundest rules Of
governmental is fit and right to have it
introduced into schools.
In regard to the Catholic plea, that to
read the Bible in schools is contrary to
their creed and the rules of their church,
it is asserted that this is only pretext set
up by the Catholics for claiming part Of
the school fund to found what they pre-.