, 1874-12-22

as to 10 visionary md destructive. There
foro 1t Is TINT tho union OF Church and Stato
in thu nlattor Of schools survives tho prac-
ticat dissolution Of TINT union In MI other
respects; aud TINT Protestant England anil
Gernlany, aud Catholic Franco, Austrin, and
italy, support tho schools Ut tho various t1c-
nnninntions who insist upon tho union Of
SECULAR nnl religious instruction.
but tho American pcoplo cut loose from nil
these traditions, associationa, and institu.
tions Of Tho paat. They lnntlo tho severance
Of tho stn:e nnd tho Chu reh radical one.
TaSatiou by Tho staso, IN any form, for
Koctarlan instruction in any form, was pro-
fully Or legally DO compelled to contribute Of
hts money or Ills Goqds to support amy
scctarian society, or tcachor, or school, or
pay for thu instruction Of my person III my
form OF aogmatio religion. Tho experience
Of century has demonstrated tho wistom Of
this policy. Though at first there WIS some
reluctance in some OF tho older States to this
rigid exclusion of tho State from tho exercise
Of parental mud Scctarian authority over
The people, 1t las become the universal law of
tho American Republic. So complete was tho
severance between tho State aud Tho Church
TINT within the Inst ten years or longer the
moro advanced among Evangelical teachers
lsayo insisted TINT our Constitution is "God-
less one,"-a sort Of "Pngan contract, ,"-nnd
havo beon 1ahoring to lnvo ongrafted on it
distinct acknowledgment Of God and Of tho
Christian religion" at present, 50 FREQ is TINT
Constitution from any conmittaf i'll favor Of
any religion, or Of tho controversial points re-
1ating to tho Divinity of Christ and tho Trini-
ty, that thero is no person, Christian, Malo1n-
ctnn, Intidol, or 1sraclite, who 1nay not,
with clonr conscience, swear to support it.
Tho duty Of tho State in this country in the
1nnttor Of clucation is limited ono compared
with the accepted duty under the parental
dospotisms. 1t is TO furnish tho means Of Oh
thinning certain extent of secular instruction
to all The children, and this duty III supple
1nentcd with tho other Of compelling tho at-
tendance Of children on some school,-eit11cr
school provided by the stato, or ut such
other school MS the parent may select at llis
own cost. There tic power and duty OF the
sta:o begin and end. It has no moro author
ity to tax the people generally or individually
to support schools to teach Roman Catholi-
cism Or Professionalism, Christianity or Judn-
ism, Mormonism or 1nGtlolity, thnn it has to
tax them to build churches Rnl support
priests and ministers to toach tho people tho
various forms Of religious doctrine. 1t will
DO scen, therefore, TINT tho system of popu-
lar education proposed by this Roman Cetlo-
lio prclato is utterly out Of tho question, md
cannot be 1nado general without complete
revolution Of tho fundamental principle Of
American law,-the absolute severance Of tho
State in everything from the Church.
The complaint ,nado in tho name Of tho
Roman Catholics, Jews, Infdels, and others,
tlat4 in largo proportion Of the public
schools, Evangelical Professionalism is taught
with tho other studies, has reference, wo sup
pose, to the reading of tho Bible in those
schools. The Courts of Ohio, some years
ago, decided that thero was no constitutional
authority for reading tho Bible in the public
schools Of TINT State, savo by tho order Of the
School Managers, each Board acting within
theiy local jurisdiction, and that tho saino
authority might exclude it Just tho samo rs
they might chRngo spcller Or reader. We
arc not aware that reading the Bible, Or any
other direct or indirect form Of religious ILL
struction, is nlado obligatory by law, or
forms any part Of the common-school
system. Tho compulsory use Of tho
lsiblo, or any other book, aa a
religious instructor, or any other mode Of
compulsory religious tcaching, besides being,
lko Ill peyfanetory religious exereiEcs, wholly
profitless, is n violation Of the fundamental
principle thnt ihere shall he no Stota religion,
no official religious instruction, a1,d no tnxa-
ton to support religion or any form of re-
lgious instruction. The merit Of this r,llo is
in its absolute character. It is the very bul-
wnrlz Of tho coMmon.school system, md is
all that stantls betweon us md the 1ning!ng
of Church md Stnto as it prevails in othor
countries. II VIC will preserve these schools
against both tho ch11rchman aud tho ire
ligious, wo must maintain their independence
and thoir tolorntion, lenving to tle parent tho
exclusive right and duty Of directing his
childron's religious training.