The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-11-16
From the Chicago Inter-Ocsan, 18Th.

60 Defeated by 10 to 3.
From the Chicago Inter-Ocedn, 18Th.
The regular meeting of the Board of
Education was held last night, President
Richberg presiding. The following in
spectors were present: WEIGH, Reed,
Smith, Oleson, Kohn, Covert, Bluthardt,
Sullivan, Olinger, English, and Hoyne.
THE BIBLE IN THE SCHOOLS.
A communication from the members of
the Methodist denomination, in regard to
the Bible in the schools, was read. The
letter is as follows
CHICAGO, Nov. 9, 1875.
The following resolution was unanimously |
adopted by the Methodist Preachers Meeting Of
this city at their session, held Nov. 8, 1875:
RssoLUed, BY the Preachers Meeting of the |
Methodist Episcopal church OF Chicago, that in our
opinion the removal Of the Bible from the public
schools il unfavOrable to the cause Of Christian
morality and we hereby most urgently request the
Board Of Education Of this city to rescind their re-
cent action excluding that greattext-book OF morals
Permit me very respectfully to submit the fore
truly, T. p. MARSH, Secretary.
Another communication from citizens on
the subject, and largely signed, was read
as follows:
the word Of God, the textbook Of all Christians OF
whatever name creed the teacher OF pure morals,
observance Of which not only qualities us for
Christian life but for the duties Of good citizenship,
the friend Of civil liberty and the bulwark Of our
Republican nstutions,a and believing that the read.
Ing OF the Bible In our public schools 1s In Itself
emnently proper, and Is intrenched by the customs
OF the past; hereby urgently request your hon
orable body to rescind your former action whereby
the Bible was excluded from the public schools Of
Chicago.
THE PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER'S
also submitted the following letter on the
same subject,
To the Board Of Education:
The Presbyterian Ministerial Association, at their
meeting Nov. 8, 1873, unanimously voted requesting
me, secretary, to forward to your body petition
requesting you to resciud your action excluding the
Bible from our public schools. The reasons which
move us to this request have been so fully given
and are SO widely known that no recapituiatIon is
here required. They also instructed me 10 inscribe
the names Of members voting for the request,which
are hereby appended:
George c. Noyes, chairman, r, W. Patterson, j.
Monroe Gibson, Arthur Mitchell, II p. Davis,Jacob
Hurd Jonathan Sewell, William Brobstrom, A. e.
Kittredge, D. 3, johnson, james McLoud, W, c.
Young, w. G. Mcclure, Samuel w, Dutiied, T..
Wells, Walter Forsyth, D. J. Burrell, Z. N.
Barnett, j. Ii. Van Doren, f. Curtis, ]. IL. Walker,
The petitions were all referred to the
committee on rules and regulations.
Inspectors Oleson and Kohn, of the COM
mittee on rules and regulations, presented
the following as a majority report on the
Bible question:
Your committee, to whom was referred the COM
municatiOns with reference 10 the reading of the
Scriptures and repeating the Lords Prayer in the
public schools, having had the same under advise
ment, beg leave to make the following report:
That under the old rules of the board In force at
the commencement Of the present school year the
Scriptures were read and the Lords prayer repeat
ed in the public schools; that at the meeting of
the board on the 18th day Of September last, the
board by unanimous vote, ten members out of fif-
teen constituting the board being present, and vot-
ing, when the vote en-, after mature deliher-
alton in the committee Of the whole, adopted the
revised rules Of the board now In force, by which
the reading OF the Scriptures and the repeating of
the Lords prayer in the public schools of this city
were dispensed with; the board having acted fully
In the premises, and the board having also at that
meeting refused to reconsider the vote by which
the revised rules were adopted, Your committee
IL OF the opinion that the subject matter of said
1ater and as snc6 nbiacs o up as an
10y the committee on text books aud course of in
struction, II reference be made to our committee;
that the communications be placed on file.
Respectfully submitted,
INGwELL OLSEN.
Inspector Clarke presented the follow.
ing as the minority report on the same sub,
ject:
port az follows: While recognizing the fact that
the great body Of taxpayers who support the com
of various religious creeds and while acknowl
edgng the justice of the claim that is made tina
the public schools should not be the medium o
ctaran religious instruction, yet, believing that
the same great body Of taxpayers recognize God o.
the supreme Being and the Bible as His word, ant
the source and standard of the highest morality
and believing that the public schools are esab
lished and fostered by the state for the sake of &C
curing thus an improved citizenship and q high
er state Of society and believing that in thus un
dertaking the education OF children the conduct o
the schools should be such as will promote in tn
end the best citizenship, and believing that chill
dren led by some simple daily exercise, to the rec
ignition Of God as supreme, and to reverence TO
His laws will best ain to the end sought; name
ly abetter citizenship; and believing that this
ogniton of God and His word is one Of the PLANES
points OF separation between civilized and bal
barous nation, your committee recommend tha
the use of the Bible reading exercise be r.
stored In the schools In this city and 10 meet tn
views OF as larg portion Of the community
possible, the Old Testiment only be used, and thu
the committee on rules and regulations be instruc
ed to prepare rule to this effect.
or the Committee on Rules and Regulations,
Inspector Hoyne moved, and Inspecto
Smith seconded, the adoption of the ma
jority report.
Inspector Oleson moved to lay the M
nority report upon the table. Carried.
Inspector Reed thought that the Issu
should be met and settled to prevent il
coming before the board. As long as n
vote is taken people will continue to pet
ton the board.
Inspector Oleson said that rule of tn
board required that to reconsider a subieC
motion must be made at the next subst
quent meeting of the board. A motto
had been made according to the rule, an
had been laid on the table. The commit
tee on rules and regulations made its RI
port, and the board as committee of th
whole adopted the rule as amended. ii
did not think that under the rules of th
board the motion could be reconsidereC
Each member has fixed opinion. and if
motion is hereafter to be made, they ca
express their sentiments in their votes.
Inspector Sullivan thought it unfortu
nate that the matter had not so come u
as to take direct vote, and to get at thi
he said that he should insist upon the ave
and noes on the minority report.
The members generally assented to tn
expressions of Inspector Sullivan.
Inspector Covert did not think that tn
majority report was a fair statement of th
case. The amended rule was adopte
without any argument. When it was sal
that the vote was unanimous he wished
understood that he dlssented from til
statement. He had never favored it. III
protested in his own behalf against tn
statement that it was unanimous.
Inspector Oleson, after long speech, i
which he discussed the original vote upo
the question, said that it was not for th
committee to advise a course to be pursue
in regard to this matter. He wanted
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