Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-06-29
1lailp Araue.
The Bible in the Public
Schools.
From the New York worIt

|
OF Public instruction of this State, has lust
promulgated his decision in the matter of
the appeals taken from the action of the
Board of Education of Long Island City in
exPelling children from its schools for non
attendance during the reading of the Bible
at the opening. The aperintendent's de-
cision is, in brief, that the bylaw under
which the board acted is not warranted by
law, and that consequently the expelled chill
dred must be re-instated. This conclusion
settles the Bible war 10 Long Island, al there
is no appeal from it except to the Legislature
| for a new enactment defining more strictly
the duties OF boards of education and the
proper exercises for schools in this State.
| In his letter Mr.. Weaver calls atten ton to
the fact that this decision is in accordance
with former rulings of the department. He
quotes his predecessor, Hon. Victor NJ Rice,
to whom public instruction is this State is
so much indebted. as saying Decision of
February 5, 1866:
A teacher has right to consume any portion
of the regular school hours in conducting relig-
ious exercises, especially where objection is
raised.
subsequently, Mr.. Weaver wrote
The object of the common col system Of
ton to all children over five and under twenty
one years of age resident therein. There IS no
authority in the law to use q matter of right
any portion Of the regular school hours in con-
Quoting any religious exercises at which the at
tendance of the scholars is compulsory. On the
other hand there is nothing to prevent the road
ing of the Scriptures or the performance If
other religious exercises b the teacher in the
presence of such of the scholars as may attend
Voluntarily, or by the direction of their parents
or guardians, if it b. done before the hour fixed
for the opening OF tie school or after the ds mis-
sal of the school.
This reasoning is certainly conclusive.
The object of the common-school system of
this State is to afford secular instruction,
and hence religious instruction of any form
cannot be given during the regular school
hours Nearly all the advocates Of Bible
reading in the public schools have lost sight
of the necessarily secular character of our
education, aud Of the further fact that pre-
cedents do not make law here. The read
ing of the Bible at the opening Of schools
no matter how long persisted in-does not
make il obligatory upon any teacher to read
it or of any scholar 10 listen to 1t during
regular school hours as fixed By law. In,
deed, the decisions of the successive Super
intendents of Public Instruction rather
show that it is incumbent upon both teach,
ers and scholars to dissent from such read
ing, as if n>t strictly Illegal still it was moi
eountenauced by law.
Taking it all in ali Mr. Weaver could
give no other ruling in the matter-snd il
appears for the interest Of all parties tc
calmly ACC 4iesce in it. The reading Of the
Bible at the opening OF the public schools
was confessed on all hands, even BY its most
strenuous advocates, to be mere form. 1
rarely took up more than three or four MN
u,es. Teachers ana scholars Eere gao
- when it was over. There was no solamnit7
in it. The passages selected for reading
we're generally those without any sppiica
ton TO character or needs. The most tia
could be urged in its defence was that i
WAS an soknowled gment, however vagu'
| and unsatisfactory, that education SHOULD
not be entirely secular-that it should be ii
some sense religious. This plea has yer,
little force for those who have watched tn
&ctual workings Of the system and not rea
soued 10 :oregone conclusions without fact
TO back them. Nothing could be less like
TO impress upon the youthful mnd the re
ligious lesning of secular education ths
the hurried reading OF a few verses from tn
Bible.
a. Taking it for granted tbat no effort will b
made to naify the upevintendenl's decisio
: BY legislative enactment, and that if there
such attempt will fail, it may not be inaI
$. propriste to add few words on the genert
question of religious training. The State
IS DESTROYS of producing good citizens, me
obedIent to the laws Of the community !
- which they live. The church-usIng thi
term to cover the vsrioas RELATIONSHIPS bC
v fore itself much loftier ideal. 1t propose
to teach men the ways of God, the hig
rules Of personal morality and the road t
heaven. 1t cannot. il seems, use State nj
chinery for this very lsudsble purpose. BIZ
;. it possesses all the avenues 10 the individuf
and the family. II can and should educat
the latter up 10 the point of teaching th
5. Young 10 its own bosom the elementar
hs truths Of religion. Too mauy people lea
almost entirely on the school-SuEday an
lie pubic-and on the church ia its variou
w capacities for making their children mort
ca and religious. This is al wrong. Tn
be father and mother, especially the latter. hsv
~ facilities for iustilllng into The minds
y, their children moral and religious truths,
: the presence Of which all agencies, whethe
Of church or State, dwindle into insight
canoe. To teach these people how to pro-
erly discharge their great responsibilities
the most hopeful field for the clergy, an
one in VIII h, fortunately, there Is no fear
: theological disputes. As to the options
reading of the Bible in the public schoo
= to which Mr.. Weaver aludes, we do n
think it worth while to refer. Matters
this kind never succeed when lett to volu
, tary action On the part Of teachers ar
: scholars If tbs hint Just thrown out is 70
lowed Protestsnts will have no need to i
ment over the virtual exclusion of the Bib
~ from the public schools aud Catholics Vi
he have Just cause to exult over the increase
rnnral rrnwth which THAR antinn In tbs N 2