, 1877-02-11

mnch is to be included under the name
noa sn:s,o ~ y. the Jews limiting the Word to tht
~ ~ Testament, the Protestants adding thu
~ ~ Tsstament, and the Roman Catholics
ns* +;no also upon the Apocrypha Further
's t,ey have not reflected upon the fnc1
H. H. here is by no means perfect agreement
pe. .rhat is the morality inculcated in the
~. - Christian interpreters have Otter
1 ,;nsa that it sanctions polygamy, slavery,
e i d;yozce, while others utterly deny the
su 49,, Some affirm that it prescribes
.seo1euuity Of Judicial oath, and others
-. that It condemns MI swearing as i'm
~a+s1 @ This expositor thinks that it allows
u' ss,f defense in case Of an attack; but an
..her is sure that it commands non-rcsist-
~. One finds in it prohibition
w.. .on,y of ill fnlsehood, but of every net by
~ s:,h smother may be deceived in the judg-
-nt uhich he forms while the next inter-
~.,s, -I thinks be discovers warrant for acts
r s,nnopriate deception and even for benev-
s,.,t lies Many hold that higher morali-
~ ~. ;. tsueh. in the New Testament than in
ss ola; 50 that it might make considerable
Tssrenee from which part the teacher mnde
~ s,lections, especially as he could not be
.1,ored to offer explanations and comments.
r;s mt 50 certain, then, that alf schools
-on1d extract from the Bible the same spe-
t;6e uor:lity, any more than the same the
olog.
arst they necessarily be left without any
-o,,1ity? Surely not. For the leading
,o;nts Of our system Of social morals
xr,e not originally derived from the
p;h,. but from nptural conscience
The Mbls nowhere processes to teach
~srscity. and honesty, and kindred
x;1ues as new ideas, original with the
.6ters It always appeals on these points
!, tbs consciences Of those whom it nd-
dresses. whether they be Jews, Christians,
y, c,beethen. Paul expressly argues, in his
Thistle to the Romans, that every man, aside
fn,m revelation, has the law Of God written
r, his heart. Indeed, part of the evidence
.t,t the Bible is the Word Of God is always
ascsred to be that it teaches pure moral
;tr-that which men see to be uch,-which
;nn}ies natural standard with which we
oommrs the Scriptures This is corroborated
br vhst Ne know Of the best class of writ
inrs u otber religions. A morality as to
bunsn intercourse almost exactly parallel
With thst incu1cated in the 'Decaloguc is
:sught III ancient Egyptian, Persian, Indian,
Chinese, Greek, and Roman works, aud is
therefore part Of the common inheritance
Of The race, and belongs to civilization.
L is The basis Of modern legislation,
and is the cement Of society. As the
Stste is founded on it, the public
school, Us one Of the institutions of. the
State, cannot ignore it. There is not the
sast 1snger that any teacher will fail to IL
alcate truthfu!ness, honesty, industry, pu-
ity, obedience to parents and to rulers,
courtesy, kindness, and all the virtues ordi- |
,arly embraced in the word morality. Such I
futes are the essentials of human intercourse,
ne universally admitted to be binding, are |
ct forth in al literature, are the. common
ax Of society, and are involved, as We have
zen, II the rery exercises of the school
|sef. Though few may practice them thor
ughly end always, and many may wink at
heir violation, they are in the theory Of |
serybody- dy-ske?tic or believer, jew or Gen
le. It is quite g-oundless alarm to fear
1at Il the public schools are seculnsized, by
10 railing out Of distinctively religious exer-
ses. they viii therefore lose the moral
ement,