The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-08-18

But let that pass and now 10 another
point. Referring to the statutory provision
above quoted-giyen authority ito adopt all
requisite measures etc.-the judge says;
d" II the rule prohibited the scholars from
hearing mass or attending other religious
services Of the Catholic church or other
wise keeping this festival, and provided
for their exclusion from school IL they vio-
lated it, then the committee by making it
would assume to control the free exercise
of the rights of worship, and by enforcing
it would deprive the children of the ora
tors, and perhaps the orators themselves,
of a civil right II seems 10 us that the
Judge admits away the whole case here.
The committee did make the rule that chill
dren should attend school so and SO, know
ing the rules of the Catholic church they
attempted by its enforcement to keep " the
scholars from attending mass" and from
keeping this festival" and because the
children and their parents regarded what
they considered the laws of God rather
than of man the committee expelled, that
| is excluded, the children from school. II
this is not clear case of assuming tc
control the free exercise OF the rights Of
worship and if it docs not deprive the
orators and their children of civil right
we know not where such case can bt
found. But the judge refuses to restore
the children to school, because this ruiz
does not appear " to be made in refcrcnct
to any religious worship But it il
made to apply with terrific force
to religious worship 50 far as ont
hundred and twenty children were con
cerncd. We do not know whether the rul,
that man is presumed to intend what hi
acts must necessarily result in will appl,
in this case or not, but IL the men maxim!
the rule possessed ordinary intelligence
they must have foreseen such cases as this
and if they did not provide for them it is
fair presumption that they intended the re
suits which necessarily followed and, il So
that it was an attempt to control the fire.
exercises Of the right of worship, and wa
therefore void so flr as it applied to case
like this. We TO not pretend to say tina
Judge Wheelers decision is not law, bu
we do not believe that is. Il it is law, Their
is no such thing as the right to worshi
God according to The dictates of ones cor
science in Vermont If it is law, then an
school committee have the right 10 max
rules which will disregard every natura
civil and religious right man has, if the
are only shrewd enough so TO frame thei
that they will not appear to have bee
made with any such intent. But we sha
not believe it to be law, we shall not b.
leve that any school superintendent, con
l m;ttee or teacher have the right to exp
> children from school because the religio
of their fathers and the dictates of the
conscences require them to attend religiol
worship, until the supreme court of We
mont say so. We are protestant, and l
catholic, in a religious sense, but we dee
c ly sympathize with them in this matter,
y this attack on their right to worship &c
o according to the dictates of their own co
II sciences and we trust that they will agta
IS the question in the courts and elsewhe
VI until the rights of conscience are freely a
ii mitted throughout the whole land.