The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-12-11

God is to be without hope in the world. If
it could be sustained against our public
schools they must be doomed to early and
emphatically deny the charge. We chal-
lenge an inspection of the police records of
our cities and the penitentiary calendars
of the several States, and we assert that
the smallest proportion of criminals comes
from that part of the population which
takes advantage of and relies entirely upon
the public school system for their educa-
ton. d" By their fruits ye shall know them;'
and if the fruit Of the public schools is a
race of honest, industrious, law abiding
citizens, the tree that produces such fruit
must be blessed of God.
The moral character of school depends
not on the creed of the directors, but upon
the life of the teacher. No honest work
performed by good man or virtuous
woman can be called goddess; much less
can the association of children with hon
est, God-fearing men, and loving, virtuous
women as their teachers, tend to render
them goddess. Religious dogmas cannot,
| indeed, be taught in our public schools
they are relegated to the family and the
church,-but religion itself must be the
pervading atmosphere of the school room.
Our public teachers being officers of State
which NEEDLES with no mans conscience
in things spiritual cannot teach the doc
trine of the Trinity; but they can teach
and they do teach, not dogmatically, but
practically, the responsibility and subordi-
nation of all, old and young, to one all
seeing and everything God" Our Father
which art in IIeaven;' they cannot teach
dogmatieally the doctrine of baptism, by
immersion or otherwise, but they can teach
and do teach that it is only the man that
hath clean hands and a pure heart" that
shall "receive a blessing from the Lord"
They cannot teach the dogma of the "Im-
maculate Conception" but they can teach
and do teach, aad have taught effectually,
honor and reverence for the purity of
woman, affection and homage for the holy
name of mother. The speculations of the
ology and subtleties of metaphysics, which
divide church from church and sect from
sect, can find no recognition in the school
room; but honesty of purpose, uprightness
of conduct, truthfulness of speech, piety
towards God, charity to man, reverence to
woman, kindliness towards the brutes, can
be, and often are, as effectually taught from
the lowly platform Of a village school, as
from the high altar of the most magnifi-
cent church in Christendom.
All depends on the teacher. If he is of
the right stamp, if he sets the right exam
pie, if he cultivates the right feeling, all
will be we'll, with the Catechism or without
it. " But if the teacher is not of the right
stamp9 If he is an unbeliever, or dishon-
est, or profane, or Incorporate? ?" Why,
he would be a bad man ia State school.
But would he be any better in church
SCHOOL, Would the formalities of religion
sanctify his disgrace OF what avail were
formal prayer from the lips of profane
swearer, or creed recited by an infidel, or
temperance hymn sung by drunkard?
Surely, in such case, the teacher would
do less harm if he were not compelled to
add hypocrisy to his other sins.
Time forbids me to dwell longer on this
point. AS public school teachers, we must
not concern ourselves with Meology;, but as
teachers, we cannot do our work without
reIig,on-the religion of the heart and life,
rather than that of creed and catechism
"For modes of faith let graceless zealots
fight;
His can't be wrong whose life is in the
right
When the cry against goddess schools -
comes up in Maryland, as it will come,
unless the signs of the times deceives us,
let US point, as our only and all-sufficient
answer, to cody life on our part, and
youthful generation growing up, under our
guidance, into God-fearing and law-abid-
ing men and women. And let us add that
the Constitution and the laws of Maryland
do not exclude God from the public schools.
Sectarian religion and partisan politics can
not be taught by public officers at the pub
lie expense; but religion and loyalty, love
Of God and love of country, are the very
pillars on which the temple of public edu-
cation rests.
1t may need the stimulus of opposition to
bring this great work of popular educa-
ton to perfection, and to develop the full
strength of American devotion to American
schools. For my part, am not afraid of
the issue. Truth is mighty and must pre-
vail. Let the storm come. We are pre-
pared to meet it. The timbers of our ship
are staunch and sound, her masts are firm,
her sails are strong. To her we commit
without fear the destinies of the present
the hopes Of future generations.
"Sail on! nor fear to breast the sea:
Our hearts, our hopes are all with thee;
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers our
tears
Our faith, triumphant DER our fears,
Are all with thee, are all with thee"