Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1875-12-03
Beecher's Performances.
From thc Now York Sun !

From the New York Sun
Plymouth Church was artistieally decorated
on Thaussg living Day, AMI every avallable
foot OF space was occupied The text was a
part OF the sixth verse OF the thirty-third
chapter of Isaiah
"And wisdom and knowledge shall he the
stability of thy times, and strength Of saliva
ton"
Mr.. Beecher announced rs his subject
"The Common Schools OF the Country" And
he said that the democratic wave spoken Of
By De Tocquevile had not yet run its course.
The people stood in the month Of April look
ing only at the experience of the February
and March of tie past, and forgetting the
rich aulumnal harvest of the future. When
that time arrived people must charge their
views on the pocy of conducting The com
mon schools There should he no class or
distinction among he pupils ''Your Ounces
and mine" said lie, ''should sit side by side
on a level with oneanothcr. There mnst be dis
tinclions but they should be snch as the
spelling book The arithmetic, aud the copy
book make, and not what wealth or social
position demand. The common schools
should he so comfortable SO fat, so rich so
that no select school could live under their
drippiags." This sentence Alr Brecher de-
Iivered with enthusiasm, and it drew ont
a round Of applause and the preacher enjoyed
~ nc "t'a 's''e' 80 titE"'tS N"ti'Pelie"
TO pause, he aAse OF new outbreaks, ana alter
an unusual manifestation he said Two
Years ago me huerahce OF INIT sentiment
would not have met with the approval OF your
feet, which ii does now
lie spoke Of excluding The Bible from the
public schools, advocating Il earnestly rs the
ohiN lar loHeY ~ WAS not ii'F' ne Sala' %
cohfei y Jew 10 DAY taxes 10 support schoolS
where we New Testament, IN winch he d'd
not oelleN {, was read every DAY 70 ms chi'-
dren Ne''hef was i"ir 10 nus HaHah
oaihoile "roihef 10 ulA MN 10 SAS'alh system
O thhhe education IN ~hich me PROTESTANT
bloie was eensiAcuoasty used. ~ was MOI
f'Eht, eltnef, shohtd Cdiholfs gam me as
cenathcF 10 afhl,s u Slnte. 10 tax frot'st-
ANS ~ support OF Staoois where 'tte Doaay
version o. we scriptures was fesd 10 me
foPiiS' ar pay tfta nc lhe
nolo. 'but, shld some, VIII thls NOT
make our schools goddess es. ~ one sense
lust rs y hd' OF lnFhil'Fe eS'hof!Sh'heht =
GOD Less ne sch0ei5 are mol feiie t0os lhsN-
Unions ana should not ne made 50, any
more than store what Wonld YOU think OF
man gong into tnrnture mann'ac'ert
and asking the proprietor. 20 You mike
chairs , es. DO you make hedsteads
yes. 10 you N IKE Bioies No, SIR.
We'll, fheu won patronsZe Yoh our
concern IS goddess one The congregation
laughed at the Illustration.
There We're persons Mr., beecher tXldained,
who thought our foret'ihers were godlfss be-
cause the word Goa was not IN the Gonstith-
ton The same persons eoniendtd for the
Bible in the public schools. This WIS
Pharisalsm run mad. There were mother ;
work, chnch work, and common school work
IN the education OF man; and each was
separate from the other. lie believed in in
ruicatlng principles OF honesty kindnrss,
virtue, charity. and the like, the fundamental
principles OF true morality, but not seeiar1-
anism or even Protestan'ism There We're
topics that belonged exclusively 10 The differ
ent churches aud we're not properly part OF
common school education
Enthusiasm, he further explained, was an s
sental element in this controversy We have
had religious enthusiasm, enthusiasm, of
patriotism, and why not enthusiasm OF edu-
cation. One might as well try to march a
triumphal procession through rat hole as TO
attempt to squeeze into any one institution
all the elements Of an education. The forge
that made the sey'he was not the grindstone
Gallon and There * irtellectnal education and
there is spiritual ejneation. but Won cannot
confne them All 10 one institution Never
tbeless children onqh, to he tauoht something
If the,nseIyes as ven as of oeogra,,hv and
grammar uWbile We teach Them abont the
hills and valleys and pnlf STREAMS If genera
,bv wn sbonla also tasrh. ,hem abnnt the
hills and valleys and qnlf streams here y said
he slatu,ing his hand nm his breast
TIE Mess Of The Land he said was coming
over tn the nosition If excndinr the EibIe
fro,,, tho rop'n,o,, erbooIs Thav wopla holm
swell This enthusiasm thai was rs essential TO
Tho sarcess Of tho rpa,snre nc far.,a,tat;on
was 10 make wine Education was essential
to the best welfare of the State. A nation