The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-03-05

| leui u ever exposed DuG we need the sym.
pathetic care OF our best people to defend
us from evil. and to raise to the highest point
its moral tore.
Of course we want no unreasonable pro-
scription; no union Of Church and
State; no form Of sectarian propapapd.
ism; no interference with the conscien.
tious scruples Of anybody; but we do want
peryading our school system the sort OF per.
sonal influence that comes from sound prin
Piles, pure morals, the fear of God, and ths
love Of men.
Furthermore, remark that it is mistake
to suppose that because we cannot teach re
| HgioH,i in detail in our public schools the
| whole field Of moral and religious truth and
duty is shut out. 1t would be wholly un
natural-indeed, 1t would require wonderful
| ingenuity-for the guardians and teachers Of
schools to conceal the great items of their
religious faith, or the principles and motives
by which they regulate their daily lives. As
to those moral truisms by which every con.
scientious man regulates his conduct, there
! is no check upon their introduction and ap'
plication every hour in the day. hope to
see practical ethics Systematically taught,
even in our primary schools.
When we pass into the domain of dldact1c
and devotiDnal religion We lind greater dlfh-
Guilty /; and even upon this point am per
suaded that something satisfactory Will yet
be agreed upon. Iregard the present as
transition period. Even from my standpoint
as q Protestant can see that in some States
both Jews and Catholics have had just
grounds OF complaint in respect to the man.
ner In which their religious sentiments were
dIsregarded in the public-school regulations.
| we have no right to require their children
10 listen to the Protestant Bible or to Pro-
testant prayers, and have no right to curtail
their educational privileges when they seek
to avoid what violates their consciences. But
| practically we have had no trouble with this
| matter In Virginia, and do not see that we
! need ever have. There are no general laws
and regulations on the subject, and hope
there will not be need for any. Every local
| ity is allowed to manage the matter for itself.
| l gather no statistics In regard to the local
usages, butmy impressions, that with few
exceptions religious teachers are allowed,
| if not encouraged, to exercise their discre.
ton in respect to religious exercises. In
some places religious exercises are pre-.
| scribed; In many places they ore practiced
without prescription; and ] baye heard o
| no trouble or complaint anywhere.
think that all might agree tacitly at least
upon these rules: 1. Where there is no OBJ
] lection, let there be Bible-reading, singing
and prayer. 2. Where all is notpfacticable
have part. 3. Where there are parents who
object to the presence of their children ai
| such exercises, let the exercies be put frs
| or last in the day, and such children be ex'
cused from attendance upon them. 4. II there
| is likely to be serious trouble and contention
| in. regard to the exercises, let them bt
omitted, at least until they can be conducted
in peace.
| But when peace has once been firmly
established among the contending parties
over the whole land-Hhen The spirit of injuS
tice has been exorcised-and when respect
for each other and for each others rights anC
scrupes has become the settled feeling ano
has begotten mutual confdence-then MOI
only will the present sensitiyeness pass away
but all parties will wake up to the fact tina
,they have great deal of precious truth ii
common, and all will be glad to have i
taught to their children when they 60 ou
and when they come In, as we'll as Wher
they lie down and when they rise up.
There are certain great truths with regart
j to@the Deity and his moral goVernmen
which are constantly taken for granted, ant
| which might be taught Systematically. Ii
| fact, there is class Of moral and religion;
truths which are necessary for the harmo
NOUS development of knowledge, as well a.
of character, and these will ultimately hole
an unquestioned place in every scheme o
sound education, private and public. Bu
public sentiment has notreached the stage @
advancement necessary for the full develop
ment of this branch OF public education. A
few more years Of rotten Legislation and Off
cial corruption, such as is seen in many part:
| Of the land, and the moral and religious ele
ment in education will be evolved in some
natural form, on which all men Of high tone
will be glad to unite.
This whole matter Of public education
is now one OF the grandest facts o.
the civilized world. The results will bt
prodigious for good Or for evil. To my
vision. the spectacle is full of rich promise
My only concern arises from the apparent
want OF sympathy toward it on the part o.
| the churches. But the churches cannot
afford 10 stand aloof On their own account
Just so far as they do will their own iDfu
ence ever the masses be weakened. On the
| other hand, the schools cannot afford to be
| without the sympathy OF the churches
which are, under God, the source Of all the
| good there is in the world. The children
must be followed everywhere by those who
care for their souls. And the prayer Of
Gods people should so up increasingly
| that this mighty instrumentality Of public
free education may be thoroughly sanctifed
uurrrNcs t1orRT TEsTERDAY.-In the