The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-05-06
-.,,d ,ro,,,ri he toc ernasculated todo

admirable paperWaa rcaa by ONE VI eiiS ,Ay ~,
eminent citizens in the State tDF, .. ~.
Minorl on this theTne |: !" Bible inStruction
In schools. - After some erordtan II begins
thus stIt must be acknowl lodged to pc one
OF the most remarkable phenesnena OF our
perverted humanity that atneag Shrisslan
people, and In a Protestant iana, such !
discussion should not seem as absurd as 70 9
inquire whether schooi-rooms should DE
located uRaeE acater or iadarhssoa.s cdserns J:
The, Jew, The Mohann1e the iolsoWeE OF
ConRucins and Of Brahsila, each ana an gre
careful 20 instruct the youth OF then peopie
In the tenets Of the religions they profess,
and are not content until, by darect ana
reiterated teaching, they have been ma maui
acquainted with at least tee oueline
OF the books which contain, rs they DeiieSe,
the revealed will of Deity: whence Gomez
it that Christians are so indinerent 10 guy
so Obvious, and go universally recognized
hy low and PAGAN ~ The absolute neces-
sity Of Bible instruction in schools is then
ARMED with Irresistible force. Yet, with
ali th;s snch Is the stress'oi the difficulty
which we are pressing, it betrays this able
writer into saving: az do not propose te
allnde to the agitating question OF the in
PRODUCTION OF the Scriptures into pu6I1t
schools conducted under authority OF COY
ernmept," But why not? II other scnooE
40 ioperatiyely need this element OF Blbie
instruction why do not the State schoois
Its necessity is argued from principles
which arc OF universal application 90 pelngS
who have souls. Why shall not the appit
cation be made to all schools! Alas the
answer Is: the right conclusion cannon pe
annlieato State schools. We claim, then, tllS
;s n cnnplete demonstration that the State
;c unfit 10 assume the educational 1unctIoh
The argument is as plain and perfect rs IN
that can be imagined. Here IS one paf'
which is absolutely essential to the very
vorkof right education the state Is eHect-
lively disabled from performing that part
'rhcn the State cannot educate, anu snouio
not nrofess it. The argument is parallel TO
This. In order to be q country physician II
il essential that one shall ride in all weathers'
A. cannot ride III bad weather. Then n
cannot be a country physician, and II lie IS
an honest man he will not profess to be.
whether the religious training IS esschtle
to all right education, let us hear Few more
Witnesses. Said Daniel Webster, in the
Girard will-case, commenting on the eNciu
sion Of clergymen from the propose
orphan college: "ln what age, by Wha'
sect, where, when, by whom, has rellslous
truth been excluded from the educatlon o.
youth? Nowhere; never. everywhere
and at all times, it has been and is REGARDED
as &c ssential. IL is of the essence, Me catotisS
of usefM instruction." Says Sir Henry
Bulwer: 81 do not place much commence
in the philosopher who pretends tnat tnt
knowledge which develops the passions !:
an instrument for their suppression, OF tna
where there are the most desires there L
likely to be the most order and the mos
abstinence in their qualification" The his
torian Froude "a witness by no means friend
" TO orthodoxy, quoting Miss Nightingale, {
philanthropist as Christian as wise, emphati
cally endorses her opinion, that the 'crdl
nary and natural effect OF the communlca'
ton Of secular knowledge to youths whose
destiny is labor is only to suggest the dc
sire for illicit objects Of enjoyment. Says DR.
Francis Wayland: "Intellectual cultivation
may easily exist without the existence Of
virtue or love OF right. In this case its only
effect is to stimulate desire; and this unre
strained by the love OF right must eventually
oyerturn the social fabric which 1t at mrs
erected.~ Hear John Locke: cit IS virtue
then, direct virtue, which is the hard ant
valuable part to be aimed at in education
= II virtue and well-tempereC
soul be not got and settled, so rs to keep ou
i'll and vicious habits, languages, and science
and all the other accomplishments OF educa
ton, will be to no purpose but to mace tn
,porSe or more dangerous man."
We propose now to substantiate these
views of the wise and experienced by az
guing that tuition in Christianity is essen
tial to all education which Is worth Int
names And we claim more than the adm1s
sion That each man should, at some stage o.
his training, and by somebody, be taugh
Christianity: we mean, i'll the fullest sense
that Christianity must be present elemen
of all the training stall times, or else 1t Ii
not true and valuable education. Some one
may say that this bread proposition is re
futed at the outset by frequent instances o.
persons who received, at least during par
OF their youth, a training perfectly non
Christian, and who yet are very useful, ant
even Christian citizens. The answer L
easy: 1t is the prerogative of merclfu
Providence, and the duty OF His children
to repair the defects and misfortunes OF Hi
creatures and to bring good out OF evil
| But surely this comes far short OF lust1fi
cation for us il we willingly employ faulty
methods which have regular tendency tt
work evil. Surely it is not cur privilege K
make mischief for God and good Christian:
| to repair!
| Let the candid reader, thens ponder thu
weight Of these facts. The human spirit i:
4 nlOnad, single, unit, spiritual substance
having faculties and susceptibilitics for dit
ferent notifications, but no parts Hence
when it is educated it is educated as O unit
The moral judgments and acts OF the sou
| all involve an exercise of reason; SO that
Is impossible to separate the ethical and in
tellectual functions. The conscience is the
supreme directive faculty OF the soul; Sc
that knowledge bears to moral action the re
lation of means to end. Man fulfls the ends
of his existence, not by right coSnltlons
but by right moral actions. Hence we arc
obviously correct in holdtng.that the funda
mental value of right eognitiOns is simply
as they are the means Of right moral acts
that is, the knowledge is really valuable
only as it is in order to right actions
Again: The nature Of responsibility is sucf
that there can be no neutrality, OF
tertium Quid, between duty and sin. "He
that is not with his God is against him." HI
who does not positively comply with the
eyer-present obligation does ipSo tacto vic.
late it, and contract positive sinfulness
Hence as there cannot be in any soul non.
Christian state which is not anti Christian,
| it follows that any training which attempts
to be nom Christian is therefore anti-Chris-
tian. God is the rightful, supreme master
and owner OF all reasonable creatures, and
their nearest and highest duties are to
Him. Hence to train soul away from Him
is robbery Of God which he cannot justify
in any person or agency whatsoever. He
has not, indeed, committed to the State the
duty Of leading souls to him as its appro-
pirate task. This is committed to the
family and to his Church. Yet it does by