The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-03-26
The Bible in the Schools.

The Question of the Hour on the Bible and
the School Fund, by Rufus w. Clark D. D.,
Is an able If not an unbiased contribution to
one Of the most vital questions of the day. 1t
deserves the thoughtful consideration, it
would be too much to say the unqualified az
proval of all who wish to see our institutions
perpetuated, The infalibility of DR.. Clark is
not yet recognized and it will not therefore be
deemed impious to dissent from some OF bis
conclusions. He depicts in strong and faith
full colors, the war open and concealed, which
the Roman Catholics are making upon our
common schools. 1t is time for the public
mind to be reused to resist the insidious at.
tacks which hostile priesthood is making
primarily upon the common schools. ultimate.
ly upon our institutions themselves. T. is
not too much to affirm that unless the Amer
lean people show themselves equal to the
emergency and offer prompt and concerted
resistance to the aggressive movements of the
Catholic clergy, the permanency of our
schools is in danger. They are men
OF too much sasagity not to see
that the tendency ,of education in
the common schools is to make men follow
their own judgment rather than that of the
Pope. They do not mean to relax their hold
upon the consciences of Catholics without a
struggle. Their object is not really to exclude
the Bible from the schools: that is but a pre-.
text. Their real object is to overthrow the
common schools by dividing the school fund
and to have Catholic children trained up to
know nothing of which the priests wish them
to remain ignorant. The Freeman's Journal
(Catholic) of Dec. II says: "Let the
public school system 60 TO the place
from whence 1t came--the devil" The
Tablet Of November goth says: "Ex-
clude every sectarian exercise, and wholly
secularize the schools; let them teach moth
ing of religion, but be confined wholly to Sec
ular education; what is the result? The sys-
tenn is even more Objectionable than before"
Such is the spirit and aim with which Cath
olics are attacking our public schools. They
would have Catholic schools, Methodist
schools, Baptist schools, but no common
schools. They know, and can any one fail to
rec, how effectually it would cripple the edu-
cational forces of the nation to divide them
into multitude of insignificant and isolated
fragments. When seven millions of our people,
doubly powerful for single purpose by their
unity and concentration of strength, are ami
mated by such purposes, it is time for the
people to be on their guard. These designs
against our institutions must be firmly vet
discreetly resisted. With so many diverse
nationalities seeking an asylum upon our
shores we cannot maintain our national uni
ty without the assimilating influence of our
common school system. DR.. Clark has done
the community service by placing the facts
before the public in so vivid light.
But when he goes further and insists that
or schools should be made an engine for pro-
pagating Christianity in terms he is not equal
ly entitled to our sympathy. What is this
but union of church and state in a disput-
Cd formP system which in theory was bur-
led long ago though practically some traces of
It are still left. Few will probably deny that
any system of education is radically, and ia
tally defective which does not aim at the cul-
fure Of the heart and the refinement of the
moral tastes. 1t is the business of the state
and function which it cannot safely disre
gard to see that the young are educated to the
duties and responsibilities of citizenship and
no literary institution, though established BY
the voluntary efforts of individuals or associa-
lions, has right to claim exemption from
State supervision. Nothing can be more i'm
portant than to have the young i'm
spired with love of truth, with
sentiments of philanthropy, patriotism,
temperance, industry, &C. Whether the Bi.
BILE shall be the book used to instill these SEN
timents into the young must be determined
by the circumstances of each particular COM
munity. Where people are unanimous in de-
string it there appears to be no valid objection
to such course. But if there is opposition,
the State has no right to enforce the use OF
sic Bible entire but only of such parts, if any.
Is are in the opinion of those whose business
It is to judge in the matter, directly subservi-
ent to the discipline of the moral faculties for
the duties of citizenship. This is not enough
to satisfy Dr. Clark. But further than this is
not the business of the State to CO. Its proper
function is not to save men from He'll or to
educate them TOR Heaven, except so far as
ell moral culture may have this tendency.
1t is the genius of our political system to leave
all hey ond this to the efforts of voluntary as
sociations. Religion has never gained by be-
ing connected with the State. Granted that
the human soul destitute of religion Is some
thing monstrous, yet there is one thing even
more monstrous, and that is soul with its
symmetry cramped and distorted in order to
ut it into the mould of state theology. The
infidels and bgots which this system has sent
over to US from Europe ought to warn us
against its adoption here. Bigotry is what
such system might be expected to produce,
but it seems almost paradoxical to affirm that
the Germans who are so remarkable for their
irreligious tendencies were trained up under
the Bible and the catechism. Yet such is the
fact, and it ought to warn the friends of re-
hgion that the Bible, when made an engine of
state is shorn of its power for good.
The Case Of Collector Bailey.
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