The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-10-25
Tha PpbIIc school System.

lo,e IN regard to the reading Of the Bible
In he Public Schools, and is "nearly con-
yIpcedD that the only possible way of
solving the embarrassing question is to d.
vide the School Fund between Protestants
and Catholics in proportion "to the mum
Der Of children which they respectively
have to educate"
1t seems to US that the Times should
have gone q little deeper into this question
before announcing anything in the way Of
conclusion. The subject, as the Times
proposes to dispose Of 1t, is full Of possible
embarrassment for the future. 1t is not q
simple problem as to whether It is best to
divide the School Fund between Protes-
tants and Catholics, but whether We are
willing to carry out the principle ID Its
logical manifestations and divide 1t be-
tween Protestant sects according as they
may petition for 1t alter the example Is
once set of dividing it at all. 5r
The Jews do not hold a faithin CON-
mon with either Protestantsor Catholics.
On the contrary they are widely separated
from both: more 80 than Protestants and
Catholics are from each other. Yet the
Jews do not ask, and never have, for q
division Of the School Fund. They send
their children to the public schools where
the New Testament Is read in their hear
ing every day, notwithstanding the book
itself is an offence to them, and yet they
make little or no complaint about It.
They pay their taxes for the support Of
the public schools the same as other peo-
pie, and II like many Protestants they
prefer to send their children to private
schools, they still pay their taxes all the
same.
Now we contend that to make an in
vidious distinction in this matter is not
only violative OF the rights OF the Jews
but oil all classes Of people whose con-
sciences may be sensitive on the subject.
Veal know that some Episcopalian PEG.
plo entertain pretty high notions on the
subject Of education under church innu.
ences. How are their rights to be dis
posed Of, once we set the example Of cat
eripg to anybody's preudices against the
schools? It will not do to draw line
OF refusal any where. When once we
draw line Of concession to any body
we must accept the, dilemma in which
we place ourselves.
We are not of those who think that the
reading of the Bible in the public schools
is matter Of anything like the impor-
tancc that some people attach to it. We
are very sure that It does not to any ap-
probable extent shape the religious nor
even,the moral training Of children. Boys
andgirls gettheir religion and their morals
at home,, and in the Sunday Schools,
and in the pale Of their social cir.
Giles, but not at the public schools
by reading or listening, under COM
pulsion, to chapter every day. The
exercise to them is entirely formal, and
there Is more indifference in regard TO 1t
than any other exercise OF the day. And
yet a great many people cling to the idea
Of overriding the prejudIces oil Catholics,
or Jews, or anybody else, and compelling
them to conform their prejudices to their
own. In our opinion their zeal is not &c.
cording TO knowledge, and results in very
littleif any good to the community.
But then supposing that by common
agreement the Bible was not read in the
schools, and public opinion is tending in
that direction we think, what then? Is
that concession satisfactory TO our Cathol'
&c fellow citizensp It ought to be, in our
opinion, but 1t Is not. The trouble, If such
we may call y with them Is that they be-
lieve in religio-secular education, II the
expression Is not contradiction in terms,
In other words, they do not believe In
studying the languages and the sciences
by themselves, disconnected from religious
influences, and especially their own church
influences. Text books in their opinion
should conform as far as possible to the
accepted ytenets of their faith. This Is
their decided position in reference to ed
ucation. ~ " '''
Now there Ia no way Of meeting and
compromising with this sine qua on their
part without yielding tho whole ground
and consenting substantially to an aban-
donment Of the public school system.
And this Is the point to which we call
the attentions Of the editor of the Parkers.
burg Times. His concession would be a
fatal weakness and one that the common
welfare demands that we should resist
firmly to the end. The public school
system Is In the nature oil great magma
charter. 1t is the invention Of modern
civilization. To abandon it would be
like abandoning railroads and tclegraphs,
Its strength Is in Its comprehensiveness
and Its comparative freedom from class
influence Of any sort. The rich and the
poor, the Jew and the Gentle, the Greek
and the soythian, all meet on common
equality, and by the attritlon otmind upon
mind andprejudiCeHg prejudice, they
lose their narrowness and take onbreadth
Of vision. .-. .r
The common schools have nurmrcd the
spirit Of charity and tolerance that char
acterizes our age. They have contributed
to break down the Pharisaic tendencies of
human nature. We must not impair