The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-01-13
The New Constitutional Amendment.


The author of the article below is the daugll-
ter of the late Governor Vinton, of Ohio, who
was for many years a United States Senator
from that State, and the compeer of Clay,
Webster, and the galaxy of statesmen who re-
f1ected renown OH their country in their day
and generation. She is a lady OF rare accom-
plishments, of wonderful classical attanments,
and has had her mind enriched with informa-
ton gathered from a long association with the
educated and refined of European nations.
| Mrs Dahlgren is a convert to the Catholic re-
ngion, having reached her convictions after
careful research and prayerful investigation.
| The article as taken from the Washington
Sunday Herald. is written with great fol ce and
beauty, and by publishing it you will confer a
favor upon many Of your readers, NJ.
The First Magistrate of the Country has for
mally recommended in his official capacity, 70
| the highest law-making power, ia constitution
| al amendment. which shall establish and for
ever maintain free public schools, and forbid
| ding tie teaching in said sohools'of religious,
| atheistic, OF pagan tenets." We would remark
in the first place, that TO ''amend," and veto
"forever establish implies a paradox which
| of its own nature destroys perpetuity. Weare
loubly fortunate in this country in having not
only written instrument called ssrhe Consti-
tuition - but we also have, i'll common with
England. general ruling sentiment, and,
through it, an Interpretation known as 'scon-
mon Taw," that defines and sesiablisi,es the
written text. 1t was one OF the inevitable
misfortunes brought about by our late fRatrici-
DIAL war, that it was deemed essential to intro
duce Unconstitutional amendments in order to
meet the new phases incident to reconstruc-
ton. In looking to any change of our Consti-
tuition in the future, the continuance of our
liberties requires that the admirable balance
between the conservative and the progressive
clement should be equally preserved, and with
out the existence OF pressing need, it is obvi-
ously neither wise nor patriotic to ssamend'' that
sacred compact which has hitherto preserved
our political alitonomy Can such urgent ne
cessity be said to exis,? Is it not rather fatal
step to attempt to enchain the conscience OF
any portion OF our citizens by involving our
charter OF rights in the tranmels of polticalin
trgues? Nor yetfis this proposed amendment,
as matter OF fact, really practicable. For, let
us suppose that we have, establishedin perpetu-
ty, as law, a system of education 'sf0rhidding
the teaching OF religious, atheistic, or pagan
tenets,p we ,villat once find that we have stul-
tilted ourselves as nation by the passage OF an
lmpfacticable, and. by its own express terms,
an absurdly contradictory law. For, alfknowl
edge must be either OF good or of evil, and can-
not be simply negatives or protesting. Ii We
decree to ignore the positively good, by the
very fact of such election the positively bad
must take its place. There is. there can be s'no
middle tenn in this memorable logic of the
human soul. The instant we set aside religion.
atheism, and In its. train, paganlsm, Mustusurp
the vacated place. The absence of the one es
tablises the other. The aggressive infidel
hordes that fill the country know this
perfectly well. Like the false mother who
came to Solomon, they are eontent II the
child be rent asunder, but the Christian mother
weeps i'm bitter silence. for she can only think
OF the destruction of her beloved" The ques-
tion occurs i: Are we to he Christian nation
or a pagan nation? We cannot agree that we
will be neither the one nor the other. We will
find it absolutely implacticable to ignore the
higher law in this. question. Upon the divine
law all right Of governmental laao is based, and
if we make laws to Danish divine law in any
direction, we endanger Just so far the perpe-
tuily of our existence. Il sophism, framed
;nto q laao Is no loh ger an abstraction, but be-
comes an incarnate evil Of rast poaoer.
1t is a mistake to suppose that it is possible
TO define by law the exact boundaries OF knoWl-
edge to decree that this is Christian or that is
Pagan. Tho moment the lisping infant has
mastered he s.primer,' some text book must
succeed. based upon ideas connected with our
Christian civilization. While even the rlldi-
mentary branches cannot be entirely dlscon-
nected with the teachings OF Christianity, the
nrohlem becomes more and more difficult as we
ascend. The classics cannot be reached with
out making direct comparisons between an
Gent and modern civilizations; thai is, between
Christian and pagan forms. study OF history
involves the causes OF the fall and decline Of
nations. and in this connection religious per-
turbations mark an important feature that can
not be overlooked. So with the problems OF
ethics involving morals, and the metaphysical
distinctions of intellectual philosophy. The
examination, the discussion, the patient analy-
sis of al! these tenets, forms either the religious
or the infidel mind.
Shall we decree nation to such hopeless,
helncss ignorance? Are we to define by con-
stitutional amendment that we may learn to
read. but must read nothing; that we learn to
write, but must write nothing, and then call
these dwarfed institutions, thus swaths d in
Procrustean cradles, ''public free schools? ?" If
we really desire Il true system OF '.Jfree public
schools" which shall be open to every con-
science, let us have schools based upon the fear
of God-schools just and equal, as various us
our churches-where the Isralite may read his
venerated Old Testament; the Catholic those
sacred Scriptures his faith has SO zealously
guarded for centuries; the Lutheran his pro-
Fasting translation of the Bible, and each sect
that version of that Sacred Book upon WHICH
alone rests that knowledge wherein is wisdom,
All shutting out Of the Bible is virtual oon-
cession to pagansm.
The hearts of this nation are generous and
honorable. There exists great confusion OF
ideas, and wrongs grow out OF mistaken views.
But the Catholics OF the country know that
they can safely trust the public sense OF JUS
tice. They have submitted for many years to
unjust taxation as regards their public schools,
IN common with Isrealites, Iutherans, and 9TH
ers, WHO cannot use them n their present