, 1873-05-18

Sunday Morning, May 18, 1873.
RELIGION AND TIRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


The April number Of the Ne,o Englai.der Inns
sn article Che leading one in the number) by
the Rev. n. ". Patton, D. D., of this city, on
the "Religious Element OF Education and the
Public School System" The positions taken BY
DR.. Patton in this paper are mora " adSanced, u
IS the phrase is, than those held by the majority
Of the secular press on this subject. Although
not now presented by the writer for the first
time, they are argued in this paper with degree
Of force and precision suited to the high charao-
ter Of the periodical in which they appear, and
to the gravity OF the subject treated DR.. Patton
holds that the time is not I'll distant when the
question Of the right Of the State to tax indi-
viduals to support q system Of education into
which q particular form Of religion is woven
must bo met and decided. It cannot be STAYED
of much longer, and it behooves those who are
most strenuous for religion to examine the
ground vhereon they stand, and be prepared to
meet the issue when it comes. >.
The duty Of the State to provide system Of
education sufficiently broad to enable the future
voter to read and undaratand the ballot which
he casts, and also to perform intelligently the
ordinary and common duties OF life, is assumed
as one Of the a1ioms Of free government. Can
tho State omit to teach, at the same time, the
common principles Of morality, such Is truthful
ness, honesty, obedience to law, benevolonce,
with spelling, grammar, and arithmetic, lie at
the bssis Of civilization and free government,
and which ell religious sects aud dallnon-religion-
lists profess to hold in the highest esteem7
Clearly not These considerations are too i'm
portant to be neglected during the impressible
years OF childhood and early youth Can the
Stnte so beyond this, and introduce religious
instruction, supporting the same BY means
of public taxes, or at least maintaining
it in such way that no parent can
send his child to the, common school without
Danger Of coming in contact with it2 II yea,
what form Of religion shall it boz Il it ba
practicable to lump all Protestant sects together,
shall tie Roman Catholics BE- taxed to support
aorae form Of Protestant teaching? II it be
possible to unite all Christian sects together,
shnll the Jews be taxed to support some form Of
Christian teaching, aud 66fder that their
to sRednmazaTo mz5 aToid religious bias which they
deem pe1nicious and misleading2 Finally, shall
the Rationalists, who now number two or threa
millions in the United States, composed largely
Of German immigrants, be compelled against
their will to support any form OF religious teacl
ing ont OF the proceeds Of taxation, to which
they contribute according to their numbers and
their property? Dr. Patton finds nothing in the
Constitution to warrant the imposition of taxes
for such purpose, nor anything in
the principles Of equity to warrant the
exclusion =: Of q portion, however small,
schools uader penalty Of inocu1ation, in some |
3Srm Of religious belief opposed to their OWL
lhe case is as troublesome when confined within |
the pale Of Christianity as when it embraces the
whole population for then comes the conflict
between the various denominations, Roman
Catholic and Protestant, evangelical and un-
evangelical" =. +:.~~'~,
So much for the common schools. Il re con-
clude that Justice, no less than the spirit and
letter Of OUT Constitution, forbid the favoring Of
one sect above another, and thus logically con-
fine the common schools to secular and moral
tuition, upon which not only all sects but all
citizens agree, what about the State universities
md other institutions supported in whole or in
part out OF the public funds Can history,
2hilology, laH, ancient and modern Iters-
;ure. and metaphysics be taught with
,ut some kind Of religious or ir7eEgious
aas? AL these branches Of learning
re more or less interviewer with religion, and
siu receive. more Or less coloring from the in
t1uctor or the Textbook. The exact sciences
nay, perhaps, be- taught without such coloring.
instruction may be impaired without !
!. But these constitute only small part Of a
berA education The conclusion which DR.. !
'stton reaches is, that, although religious sects
a7e the privilege OF establishing colleges Of
heir Own, the State has no right, by the exar- .
ISL Of the taxing poTer, to build up institutions
h;ch shall dwarf and beEttle the voluntary t
nes, by virtue Of their greater endowment and I
'ore magnificent buildings, libraries, and sp- I
aratus. These State institutions, he observes, i
Immediately become objects Of strife among 7
,hgious eects; the sects rush into the arena Of c
oitics to get possession and control Of. them, y
ID, go far as. they are successful, they /,
apose upon all other sects the necessitv n
contributing to support, or at. least II
give undue strength and prominence Il
, form Of religious belief with which they are ! II
ore or less at variance. It must be admitted s
at this is the history OF most Of tho State uni n
rsities. The University Of Michigan is the p
II one which has acquired sufficient promi-: p
nee to oyerahadow the denominational COL n
;es; but the principle is all the same, whether g
. State university be great affair or only a 81
all one. ;. b
The evil and injustice OF which, Dr. Patton RI
nplains must bs admitted Nevertheless it is bl
tgated by the fact that the religious bias Of ri
nth Who have reached the advanced age re- e7
!red for admission to college is generally th