, 1876-10-22
TRANSPARENT s0PH1sTRY.

TRANSPARENT soPH1sTRY.
As the discussion proceeds, it IS lncreas~
| ingly evident that those who advocate the
| retaining Of religious teaching and worship
| in unsupported public schools are COM
| PEELED to rely on sectarian prejudice and
personal infallibility, instead of calm and
| impartial reason. Their views OF rehglon
are demonstrati7ely right, and the civil State
should accept them as the basis Of Govern
| ment. and should teach them in the public
schools. Being satisfied Of this fundamental
| position, they care not who objects or pro-
tests, because no man, and surely not the
State, is bound to be Influenced by those
| who talk absurdly. This is short argu-
ment, and very conclusive to those who be-
lieve in infallbility, Romish or Protestant
butnot to others, who, unfortunately for these
logicianB, are likely to prove the majority.
They are certainly such in this city, and that
among the most enlightened classes. Indeed,
the more enlightened men are, the less are
they inclined to yield to this claim Of lnfal~
libility.
The latest presentation of it occurs in g
labored eight-column communication to the
Northeastern Christian Adcocate, Of this city,
in its issue of the 18th inst, by the Rev. DR..
J. B. WALLER, the author Of the wel-known
book called " The Philosophy of the Plan OF
Salvation" He heads his essay with "The
Bible in School" but the contents are deVot-
ed to setting forth what he styles It Catego-
ries Of the Reason, showing that Revelation
is necessity in order to the moral culture
of the human mind" He presents, in fact,
an epitome of his book to show the evidence
of the necessity for the Scriptures and OF
their adaptation to the worlds spiritual
| wants; and he says: at follows, as neces-
sary inference, that the efforts of the Rev.
Dr. WILLIAM ". PATTON and other able
writer's to exclude the Bible from the
common school are unwise and hurt
full" Having established, to his own salts
faction, nine positions which involve the
supreme importance Of Christianity, as set
forth in the New Testament, he declares that
it follows: 'sThat to exclude the Bible from
the common schools is crime against fam
lies and against the State, because it with
holds the only efficient means of cul6Vating
the moral faculties of the children, upon
which depend order, and law, and progress
in society and in the State"
As the entire fallacy Of this argument, SO
far as the conclusion just quoted is con-
cerned, does not ct al occur to its author,
who quietly dreams that he has made DEM
onstration Of wel-nigh mathematical neces-
sity, it Will probably escape the notice of
many others who are less reflective. And
yet nothing can be more obvious to logical
mind It has two points OF fundamental
weakness. The first is the assumption that
we have right, because conviction is
clear, and even undubitable, in cur own
minds, to compel others, who are not
convinced, to act upon it. This is falacy,
out Of which it is exceedingly difficult for
many honest people Of decided opinions to
deliver themselves. They k7aoso Aa<y are
right, and others ought to submit. The case
is too plain for argument, and they are not
bound to regard other mems obtuseness or
obstinacy. But they forget that each party
is equally sure that it is right, and is amazed
at the stupidity and lack of candor Of the
other Each man is, indeed, SO sure Of the
correctness of his own view, especially in q
matter touching religion, that often he is
ready to die rather than to relinquiEh it.
There have been martyrs by the thousand to
Judaism, to heathenism, to hoham1nedan-
ISM, to Christianity, and occasionally to in
fidelity. Under Christianity itself there
have been these death-testimonies soleu1nly
given, in turn, by Roman Catholics and
by Protestants, by Prelatists and by
Puritans, by Baptists and BY Quakers
When We converse with men in
private, we find them perfectly as
sured that their religious position is
impregnable. Here is Roman Catholic that
has no more doubt that his Church is infal1i-
bly, correct in doctrine than he has Of his
own existence. He kno1os that Professionalism
is false. But here comes DR.. WALLER With
such an equally intal1ib1e assurance that
Professionalism is the true system that he is
ready to base the action of the civil State
upon it, and to ignore Romanism! He says:
"The Bible has always been the badge of
Professionalism. This common school, with
the vital principle of the God,senss involved,
WIS Lne Culel itHaCy u tuoSe IloLSStAuLS
who originated our free institutions. They
established, as part and preservative OF our
democratic institutions, Free schools for
all and the Bible in school as the hope Of
national prosperity" He does not 1emen-
ber that precisely the same argument is used
continually in support Of the State-establish-
ment Of the Ronlish Church III Spain, Of the
Lutheran Church in Germany, and Of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in England
Each country has received from previous
generations a religious faith which it
so surely believes to be true and
indispensable to public morality and
welfare that it establishes it by law, to the
discredit and often to the persecution of
those in the minority, who reject its pecul-
iarities- I'VE know, and have demon
strated, that We are right" is the common
basis Of all intolerance and bigotry, and that
DR. WALKER now adds another illustration,
BY proposing to enforce his *'categories
I +1xe, u,