Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-02-11

ton, which shall require every State:
First, To establish and forever maintain
free public schools for the education of ev-
cry child;
Second, TO forbid in those schools tho
teaching of religious, athcistic, or pagan
tenets;
Third, To prohibit the granting Of any
school funds or school taxes to any relig-
ious sect or denomination.
We'll, we are glad that the President has
made these recommendations. 1t is better
TO meet the issues involved now than at q
later period. They were sure TO come. In
some cities and States they had already
come, and had even thus carly shown that
they were vital, and that they held within
themselves the menace OF the public tram
quilliiy.
But the sword which our soldier-Presi-.
dent yields is doube-edged one. Il
holds about as keen an edge for the Prot
estant as for the Catholic. The former will
be Obliged 10 relinquish his Bible as a
school book, while the latter will be COM
PEELED TO give up his plans for getting pos
session of the public funds for educating
MS CIllultu III lIt lultlNNlS VI Ills AluItu.
We hardly know which will suffer the
greater grief. Much as we desire, for the
sake OF the moralities which 1t inculcates,
the presence of the Bible in our public
schools, we can easily see that there can DO
no successful, or even rational, fight with
the Catholics in their attempt TO get hold OF
the public moneys for their own denomin-
ational education, until we come to the
practical conclusion that the State has moth
ing 10 do with religious education. TO the
Catholic, TO the Jew, to the atheist, and
we have the children of all these in our
public schools,-the compulsory reading Of
tho Bible is n grievance, n hardship, an op-
preston. 1t is one of the things we can
not reason about or reason against. These
people cannot DO made to see that the au-
thoritativc moralities of the Bible are all
that we are after, and that their children
will be tho better for them. To the Catho-
lie, tho Bible even in the Catholic version,
is book only 10 be presented and inter-
preted by the Priest; TO the Jew, the New
Testament contains the record or Il false
Christ and to the atheist and infidel, the
whole book is but bundle OF lies and SUI
perstitions.
One thing is certain, viz, that the claim
of the Catholics for portion of the school
money, 10 DO expended in schools, cstab-
lished and carried on in the interests of
their church, involves the existence of pub
lie schools. The moment single claim Of
this kind is granted, the whole public
school system-the education of all tho
children as a measure of State policy-will
so by the board. If the Catholic has this
privilege, the Protestant will claim 1t, the
Jew will claim it-even the iniidel and IA.
gan will claim it; and they will claim it
with just as much right as tho Catholic.
The claim is utterly and forever inadmissi-
bic. 1t is 50 preposterous that il can hard
ly have respectful consideration. Whether
it is crowded, in some quarters, simply for
the purpose of showing Proiestants that
their position on the Bible matter is I'M
tenable, we cannot tell. hut, surely, the
Catholics cannot seriously suppose that
their claim for division Of public moneys
can be granted. They ought 10 know that,
if the question concerning it were put to
the American people to-day, it would he
decided overwhelmingly against them.
Practically, the great question which the
President has presented TO the American
people concerns the Protestant Ear more
than ii does the Catholic. Ifsuch an amend
ment 10 the Constitution as he proposes
should be effected in all lis details, the
Catholic will gain all that it was ever in his
power to gain for his church from constitu.
tional provision or legislative action, viz,
the exclusion of the Bible from the public
schools. The scheme for a division of the
public funds was never procticable-was
never even possible. 1t is not likely TO b,
possible. y constitutional provision which
would make it impossible in. law would
not change the actual status of the matter,
so that the provision would leave tho Cath
Ollie just exactly where he stands to-day,
and where he will be likely 10 stand in this
country until the end of time.
And yet it is undoubtedly true that, SO
long as the Bible is reading book in the
public schools, lot only the Catholic, but
all unbelievers in the Bible, will have a
reason for complaining that the public
funds are used 10 teach their children a re-
ligion which they do not believe in. What
shall VIC do about it ?-wo whose reverence
for tho Bible was imbibed with the milk of
our Christian mothers-womeu who cher
ished the Book as the sweet, wholesome,
veritable Word of the Great God? 1t will
be hard for us to say that it must go out of
the schools. Well, would we be willing TO
see the Douay Bible put in its place? No?
Why nOtf Are we willing to force our
version upon the Catholics when we would
not submit TO have their version forced up
on usH Would we care 10 have only so
much of he Bible in the schools as the
Jew would accept? No? Then what right
have We to force upon the Jew that part of
our Bible which he will not accept
For ourselves, we must confess TO a
change of convictions upon this matter. 1t
has not been arrived at hastily. We have
been long and openly upon the other side.
In regard 10 the desir ableness of the Bible
in the public schools, we have no question
now. We never did advocate its presence
there, save for tie divine influe of its
Christian moraliLes. Wenever did suppose
that the Slate should teach religion. We
have no union Of Church and State in this
country, and we do not believe in it any
where. Only as a matter of wise policy,
and on purely moral grounds, have we ev-
CIR advocated the presence of the Bible in
the schools. AS the record of system of
religion which it was tho policy of the State
to force upon, or even recommend to, the
children OF tho nation, wo have not believ-
ed in its presence there. That the State
would be better with the Bible as an ac-
copied standard of morality in all the
schools, We do not think admits of a ques-