Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-05-24

OUR CITY SCHOOLS.

takes very one-sided view of our posi-
lions, and betrays much alarm for one
bearing so great = name. Keep cool Mr..
Cosmopolitan Neither YOU nor / will
turn the world upside down, or seriously
shake IL with our theories. By the way.
Another of Very Manyn don't know
whether his views are in accordance with |
the platform of the great Republican par
ty or not. Being no politician, and bound
by no party trammels or purposes he
writes his own views. The next time YOU
pretend to quote my language, Mr.. Cos |
mopolitan," do 1t fairy, honestly. For in
stance, say: For the Catholic clergy
and their people, &C., TO demand the entire
exclusion Of the Bi6Je from oar common
schools, as they hare done in some places.
betrays want of delicacy," &c. You omit
the words italized above, and thus entirely
hide from view the act complained of. An
act of shameless efronteyy. Perhaps this
Is as fair course of argument as we ought
TO expect from one on your side of this
question.
r- With the old Know Nothing motto,
= Americans shall rule America we have
no sympathy. Other qualifications being
equal, we would not have the least prefer
ence given to an American born over a for
elgn born candidate for any political Of
nee, save those high offices of President
and Vice President of the United States
for eligibility to which the Constitution
requires nativity re. .t
But, If, by the motto, "Americans shall
rule America is meant, those shall rule
America who are thoroughly imbued with
STthe AD1eyfcfesf inst fttti0as, with, the social
9 and political principles chat are meridian
TO the American Republic, and who will
"- be true to these principles and will main-
tain them at all hazards, then / am for
tft1, % ao with al nay heart, # man
trusted with political power, be he Catho-
lie or Protestant, a Jew or Infidel.
Whether Catholic will do this DESPITE
thesppposed int erests Of his religion and
the authority and dictation Of his church,
whose head IS an irresponsible, infalliable
foreign, potential claiming supreme au-
thorlty over the conscience, Judge We.
You deny that this is Protestant coun-
try",,Very well. Suppose you deny, at
.scloudless noon, that the sun shines. Will
your an toto denial shut MS all up in
Icy ptian- darkness All historis. ali sta
fiscal tables of religion &C., even of Catho-
lie authorship and compilation, classify
TINS country rs the foremost Protestant
country on the face of the earth, That like
begets like is the irreyersible law of de-
scent. And pray, what people were the
orlglnators and founders of our institu-
tions?i The Puritans, the very embodi-
ment of all that is distinctively Protestant
people to whom the infidel Hume
said was to be traced whatever of civil
liberty there was in England. q b.
But when you say this is country
where all religious sects and denomna-
lions have an equal right" so say we.
Public schools ought to be free from all
sectarlan influences, open alike to the
PROTESTANT, the Catholic or the Jew That
is our doctrine precisely. In this country
all denominations and sects are equal be-
fore the law. The law protects all, and
nentner supports or aids any, except in To-
calities where the Catholics WELD the
power. Witness New York city. And
there the law, perverted and trampled I'M
der 1901, is made the right arm of sect.
But because our schools are ectdriun,
are common, shall they be Goddess? In
giving our youth an English education,
shall We ignore the Bible-the best and
most important English classic in our
language? Shall our youth at school study
the great masters Of eloquence and poetry,
butlgnore the Bible, which contains the
sublimest strains of the one and the most
hnlshed specimens of the other which our
race has ever produced? Shall they study
biographies and ancient histories, treaties
on mental and moral science, on the prin-
clples OF virtue and political WISDOM but
ignore that Book which contains the most
interesting and instructive biographies, the
most ancient and important histories in
the world, and from which have flowed
the elements of all mental and moral
science, and the principles of virtue and
wisdom ...t .t#H
In many common schools In our land
representing all religious denominations,
the Bibleis studied and recited Just as his
Tory OF geography is, TO learn its contents,
without any reference to the plan of
salvation, therein revealed, or the various
UNCONVENTIONAL tenets founded thereon,
and regardless of the question, whether
the teacher or teachers of the school
are OF one denomination of another, or Of
none at all, or even infidel in sentiment
This is as it should be. The Bible is in al
most every family in the land, and great
National Society is in existence whose
business IL is to see that this book is placed
and kept in every family in the land.
And surely such a book ought to be found
in every school. No course of education
ought to be considered complete without
it; No individual ought to be regarded as
adequately educated without knowledge
of 1t. 1t should be studied and recited
just as geography is. All this complain
ing of the Bible as a sectarian book of
J.. religious instruction as persecution, and
of the system without Sectdridn instruc-
ton as q goddess system, is mere twaddle.
Our common schools are open to all alike,
of whatever nationality or religion, as re-
CARDS both pupils and teachers. School
boards and commissioners, whose duty it
is to examine and certify as to the qualih-
cstions of candidates for position as teach
ers in our common schools and municipal
oil \ Axg l.. -