, 1876-02-17
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.

e. Z. Donney. In hts lecture before tho Coliego
Of Law on 'tThe Ordinance of t7S7," made a
nav point In tho discussion Of tho educational
question and Of tho uao OF TIM Bible In the pub-
lie schools, which has no slight importance at
least in these Northwestern Statos. Ito first
pointed out that tho Ordinance Of 1897 "for
the government Of tho territory of tho Unitod
ssatcs northwest Of tho River Ohio" wae adopt
Cd by tho Congress Of tho Confederation in
July, whiic tho presoCt Constitution OF the
| United Ssutos was not adopted until September.
The ordinance therefore nntodhseB tho Fodcral
Consultation by two months. II prorides that
"Reltgtou, morality and knowledge, being
necessary to good government and tho happiness
OF mankind. schools and Tho meapa OF educa-
ton shall forever be encouraged" This Ia ono
or tho provisions which tho ordinance declares
e. ~, 'shall DO considered as articles Of CON-
pnct between the original States aud the peop!o
md States in tho said territory, and forever re-.
main uualterablo unless By common couHont,n
This Is COMPACT therefore, which absolutely,
according e ita terms. required tho consent Of
tho North"oatern States, and Of alt tho
people 10 each Of tho Northwestern States to
repeal. No language that could havo beon
Adopted would Lave gonc 10 for In ouching It
as utterly frropoalAble. No amendment OF tho
Federal Constitution, or Of my State Coustitu-
tion, will touch it, for tho acceptance by both
parties, the United statos and the State OF V,r-
ginih Of tho ordinance Of 1887 az an irrovoca-
Virginia ccdcd tho torritoryto tho United States,
and on which the United States permitted
State Government to bn orgapzed. Uy our
htate Constitution the ordinance Ii made part OF
tho Constitution, but unlike most festulea In
the Constitution which arc inserted by choice
au'l might bo changed. this Ia inserted By COM
pact and could not be omitted,
Tho lecturer then proceeded to point out that,
whtlo philosophers aud oven re'igtonlsts might
mean many things BY the torn religion. tho on
liEhtenod jurlste of Ameriea and England had
noyer disagreed rs to it's moaning. It meant
that which at tho poEiod OF tue mao OF tho term
IN the ordinance WAS, in a literal and historical
sense, mcaut by tho word. viz: not Buddhism,
ConfncisuisM, or. Darwinisu,. but Orthodox,
Protestant Christianity IA thon hold by tho
class Of men who. for the sake Of roigon rather
tlIan civil hbotsy, had founded the Colonies. 1t
laa been 10 interpreied by Judge Story In tho
celebrated GoEard College caso, and By tho Bench
generally Wheroyor the question had Ariaen. All
this amounted to a compact that Tho State Gov
ornfuonsa northwest Of The Ohio should forovos
encourage Orthodox Protestant Christianity as
essential to tho wel!.boing Of Tho State nud BOO.
pic, and as enc Of the objects for which schools
and tho meanB Of education we1o to bo nj oyded.
It was for this Christian education TIM. our Con.
s'sat9a Of ;1sls provided tbst Yes. 70 in
10. should DO appropriated to school pu1poscs-
not to tcaoh tito religion Of Ions. nor to omit
religion from their tcuchinE, but to teaclJ that
Which WAS historically known as toligiou wlou
the ordnance Of 17S7 Has adopted.
Tho uso Ut tho King James version OF the
lble In tho public schools, therefore, to 10 read
without mute or commen1, M religious and cl,t-
cattonal excrcIse, was not an innovation or
ususpntlon effected by the cunning or ambition
OF nov Hoct or party bnt WAS tho apontaneo1s
and lnHtIuctiyo act Of tho people IS whole, In
carrying out tho compact contained la the orli-
nauce Of 1857, that schools should forever en-
courage not merely knowledge, nor even
morality, bus raligion, nB our fathers uaed tic
word, meaning Protestant and Puritan Christi
anity, tho Historical fnith OF that date Il
Mas az intuttlro as the use Of the same King
James bible III our conrtB Of Justice,
81 the solemn wltueBs OF eyery oath taheu by
Judge, Sheriff, witness, aud juror. II FecoR-
nizeh tho fact which IL aa truo to-day ~ 1t was
then, that while moro knowledge furnished Tho
mlnt with standards by which to Judge between
tho trno md tho fase, il furnished no standards
n1 right nnd wrong except those OF expelloucY.
IAeso htBhur standards aro found only In con-
noct1on with religion. IIcnco tho uao OF tie
Hiblo in tho public schools, tho plain Hing
James version, 10. by tho ordinance OF 1887, de-
manued ns thing necessary to good goyoya-
ment. aa d pBaEe which cannot be ropcaled with
out violation OF tho Constitution, until auch
repeal DO sanctioned by all tho original thstnou
Staten, and by all tho pcoplo OF tho seyeral
Htatoa formed out OF tho territory embraced In
thib remarkable ordinance, which, having once
boon our bulWArk against the aEgressions of
slavery, 10 lilly ndnpted now 70 protect US
against tho threatened overthrow Of that jl,et
relation which our forcfathers ,ntondoa should
o1tBt hetvecn rcllgi9n and tho Hthte, Whoreln
religion Bhou!d hhyc no coorciyo powor but
should bo actively protected, aye, nnd pro,pul-
Batcu BY tho State through tho common schools.