The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-05-17
I am bound by the Majority 1fso. what
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has become of the Constitution
But my critics say that conscience will
be violated if the reading of the Bible is
prohibited in the public schools; that if
teacher conscientiously believes that he
ought to read the Bible, and conduct pub
lie worship in the schools, and is prohibit
ed from doing 50, then liberty OF conscience
is not guaranteed to him. 1t is strange
that four of my critics have seriously pre-
sented this argument. They are intelli-
gent men, and it is strange that they did
not distinguish between conscience and
license.
1t does no violence to the teachers con,
science to saw "You are simply school
teacher. We do not require you to teach
that the religion you profess is false, nor
will we permit you to use the public-schoo
room to teach any religious faith or wor-
shin You may worship as you please,
privately or publicly, if you do not inter
fere with the rights of others" Now, is
his conscience interfered with? Certainly
not. He might as we'll urge, that his next
neighbor, WHO'S Jew, should allow him
TO 90 into his house and conduct religious
worship, because his conscience prompted
him to do so.
| will notice only few other criticisms.
It is insinuated that / am an enemy of the
Bible, and in favor of its overthrow; or,
that | am cooperating with the Roman
Catholics to overthrow the common school
system.
answer by saying that [ am, and have
been for ten years, Superintendent OF
Protestant Christian Sabbath School, and
have served four years as Director of the
Public Schools in Aledo and If there
ever should be contest in this State, by
| Catholics or others, to overthrow our COM
mon school system. or to establish Catholic
or other religious schools by taxation, l
will be found on the side OF the common
schools.
What would deny to a Catholic, l
would deny to any other, church or religious
body. | would just as strenuously oppose
a law which would give my own denomina-
ton the right to use the public schools
funds to propagate its religious faith. And
have no rights that will not be willing
to guarantee to Jew, a Roman Catholic,
or an in6del. 1t is said that my theory
will Danish all books that refer to the Chris
tan religion. and Professor WY1ie says that
IWebster's Dictionary will have to be ex-
cluded because the word God is contained
in it. What nonsense, my friends! You
ask to have the Bible used as book of re.
ligious worship, and to teach religious
faith. You claim tor it what you do moi
claim for any other book. Now, say, i
you introduce the Methodist discipline, Of
the thirty nine articles to teach religious
| faith, you are violating the constitution
, but when you introduce Webster for thu
: purpose of defining words, or McGufey'
readers to instruct the children to read ,yol
are not using them to propagate religious
: doctrine, but for a secular education,
would not object to my child being instruc
, ted in the history of any and all religious
, denominations but to indoctrinate then
in any of these, in the public schools, l op
, pose. A knowledge of the Koran and it
contents would be proper, but if used as
book of worship, or to teach that its doc
trines are correct, would be Objectionable
J But the question is asked: why legis
late on the subject?" | have fully an
, swered that, think, in my second article
which will be found in the Banner Q
March r.
In that article, showed that the consti
: tuition of Illinois did prohibit all religion
worship in the public schools; but that tn
: legislative enactment would correct tn
abuse of violating it unconsciously by man
: teachers. My critics are inclined to believ
t that there need be no law on the subjec
D but, there is none. If there is no law a
= lowing it then it is violation of law tina
: it is used for worship.
j The board of directors of school di:
e trict are not clothed with any other power
j than those conferred on them by the sta
n ute; and there is now, somewhere, Law
S full authority either for,o against religion
e teaching in the public schools.
t | will, in my next article, close by giviu
It the Cincinnati school case. with the opiuic
b of the Ohio supreme court, as it is a lea(
e ing case onthe subject, and it is very abb
t discussed by the learned judge who gay
the opinion, and supplements what | ha,
s said. /. n. BAssETT.