Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-03-12

It's Use in the Public schools-A Voice
from . New York Pulpit.
On Sunday last, at the request of hi;
congregation, Rev. S. M. HagemaI
preached discourse on "The Bible ir
the Public Schools" in the First Pres
byterian Church, in Williamsburgh
N. Y, from the text found in Jeremi
ah XVI, %. He said that the United
States of America was the first and on.
ly nation on earth founded on religious
principle of Protestant Christianity, land
the first and only nation on earth that
had created system of public-school
education; and our twin cities were the
first in the United States to start free
public schools. New England was
Jealous in the start, but burdened hel
children with the cost of the schools.
Should these two cities be the first to
decide the destiny of the Bible in the
public schools? He considered the OBJ
jections. The Romanist says: 81 don't
believe in the Bible. will not let my
children heari it in the public schools
I will not support the public schools y
ANSWERS
to these objections were three-fold:
First. Individual conscience is SUI
bordinate to the collective conscience
when that conscience acts on enlight
ened Christian principle and mora
truth. A nation Is less apt to be mis-
taken than a man or set of men. In
America the majority is the monarchy
Off free people. :
Second. Roman conscience is as to
the voting masses shrouded in base su.
perstitiOn, and unfit to arbitrate on the
question. When ROmanist comes tC
heaven and sees the Bible written out
i'm its Divine Author he will have to
say, if he persists in. this thing: 81
don't believe in the Bible! don't
believe in God. l have conscience.
l cannot come in!"
Third. They do believe in the Bible.
They receive all the books we do, and
receive twelve more that we do not.
The second objection of
THE ROMANIsTs
was the financial form. The Roman
ist says he pays taxes, and taxation en-
titles him to representation, and de-
clares that he will not pay for what he
does not believe in. The answer to
this objection is twefold. Taxation
implies citizenship, and citizenship in
wolves the right to representation. Let
the ROmanist show, as a citizen, that
the Bible is not the general good, ana
we will not require him to pay for it.
But till he does, though an Irishman,
he is an American, and a citizen, and
must pay for public good. The kO-
manist saws: "Give US our proportion
of the public-schoOl money, and build
us distinctive parochial schools" In
reply to this we say: This violates flat
ythe State constitution, which reads:
ssThe capital of the public-schoof fund
shall be preserved inviolate." You
must repeal this, first, by a Legislative
act. We rannot, as enlightened people,
afford to nay for the thirteen cardinal
errors of the ROmish Church. They
aim, he said, not at religious reforma-
ton, but at political power. They are
unit. They are
They aim to break up the entire sys-
tenn of the public schools. They be-
gin in this country as in their own with
the poor, the ignorant, whom they can
lead blindfolded through the world!
If we were to stay the monster we
must begin, in the public schools, where
the masses meet and the poor came.
There were others besides Romanists
that objected TO the Bible in the public
schools. They are those who say the
family is the teacher of the child. ~
will teach my child at home" All
children had not got a home. All
homes had not got Bible. All pa
rents were not believers. Again men
say: "Why mix up the Church with
the State?' Answer: The Bible is no
less a revelation of morality for the
State than of religion for the Church.
Good citizenship is the highest interest
of the State, but there can be no good
citizenship without right education, but
no right education without morality,
but no morality without religion, but
no religion without the Bible. These
were the limits Of logical argument;
and, in conclusion, America was foun-
ded on a principle of political Protest
antism. 1t was protest itself against
any other form of religion. In the uni
ty of truth, Christianity was insepara-
bic from culture rnd Bible basis of
learning. The Bible contained within
itself the factors of education. The
Bible was the finest classic in the En-
plish tongue. The common school
was intended to diffuse knowledge.
The Bible was Gods gift to all. The
national conscience demanded 1t; So
ciety demanded it; it was a national re-
sponsibility to all.