Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-12-04
To the Citizens of Ohio.
By request we publish the followin,

AT Convention of the citizens of
Ohio, held in Xsnia, ON the 10Th and
3Oth days of July last, committee was
appointed to urge before the Conven-
tion now engaged in revising the Con-
stitution of the State, the necessity for
such declarations in that instrument as
shall suitably acknowledge the relation
of all civil government to God, HIS
Son and his law, and efficiently pro-
tect the Christian features of the Com
mOnwealth from the overthrow with
which they are threatened. This COM
mittee consisted of Prof. o. n. Stod-
dard of Wooster University, Judge
NJ. B. HaganS of Cincinnati, and the
Rows. J. p. Lytle of New Concord, III.
H. George, of West Geneva and P. G.
Prugh of Xenia. In fulfilment of their
trust they this week send to all parts
of the State, the following petition:
To the Constitutional Convention of the
State of Ohio: ... .sa.
The undersigned, citizens of the State OF
Ohio, respectfully petition your honorable
body:
l. That the following clause is the Bill of
Rights in our present Constitution, viz, RE
ligion, morality and knowledge, being essen
tial to good government, it shall be the duty
of the General Assembly. to encour-
age schools and the means of instruction"
may be allowed to remain unchanged.
. That such religious Acknowledgements
may be placed in the preamble of the Consti-
tuition as shall indicate that this is Christian
Commonwealth and shall place all the Chris
tian laws, institutions and usages of the gov
ernment on an undeniabls legal basis in the
fundamental law of the State.
The State of Ohio has the unenvia-
BILE reputation of having given more
judicial decisions unfriendly to the
recognized connection of American in
stitutions with the Christian relie ion,
than any State in the Union. Her Su-
preme Court once decided, against the
uniform voice of the highest judicial
and legal authorities in our land, that
Christianity is no part of the common
law of the State, or of the United States,
Bloom Us. Richards. 2 Ohio State, Re-
ports, 3s7.) And few months ago the
same court startled the Christian COM
munity by u decision which reversed
the Judgment of the Superior Court of
Cincinnati affirming the lawfulness of
the reading of the Rible in the common
schools of Cincinnati. The decision of
the lower court was based on the clause
in the present Constitution which the
above petition seeks to retain un-
changed, and proceeded on the ground
that the schools of the Commonwealth
were by the Constitution declared to be
for the promotion of "religiOn and NOR
ality" as we'll as ''knowledge;" that, in
a Constitution framed by Christian
people, the "religion and morality"
referred to must be supposed to be
Christian, and that the Book i'm which
this religion end morality are taught
must therefore be proper to be read in
the public schools. We believe this
reasoning to be irrefragable, but the
Supreme Court set it aside with the
6rnsque remark that "the word relig-
ion cannot be supposed to mean any
particular religion" and that therefore
press sanction for the Christian features
of public education in that State. This
shows the propriety of the second part
of the petition, which asks for such ad-
ditional acknowledgements as shall
suitably declare the Christian character
of the Commonwealth and defend the
Christian features of her institutions.
Some such amendments are impera-
lively necessary to preserve the Bible
In her schools, and other Christian ele-
ments in her public education, from
speedy apd ignominious expulsion at
the bands Of the minority who now as
sail them. We urge on all Christian
citizens into whose hands these words
may fall, prompt and energetic coop
GRAFTON with the above named commit
tee. fl.....