Litchfield enquirer., 1878-12-12
The Bible in the Schools.

III the common schools 0f Connecticut h,
 been happily settled for the present at least. .
 far as New Haven is concerned. After fu
 discussion in every arena of debate, the Pulpi
 the Press, and the Platform, by the ablest me
 ef that city, popular vote by an everwheln
 ing majority has decided in taoor of the reter
 tion of Bible reading as daily exerclse in tn
 Common Schools of the State In that decis
 ion all friends of the Bible and the school
 themselves, and in wider view of it, of tn
 country at large, and the general interests a
 stake, will acquiesce with satisfaction. Fo | the question is not narrow one. It is one c
 the most vital issues of the time-one of tn
 hinge questions, in fact, on which swings tn
 gate of destiny for thls nation. The '.princi
 ples" or platforms" of political parties, &
 commonly forgotten when they have served
 the purpose of low expediency, have hat
 nothing in them going to the root of the evil
 of our times. Amid the crimes, the frauds
 the defalcations; the general swindlings, pick
 ings and stealings; state repudiation of honest
 debts; unblushing and almost undisguised cor.
 ruption of the ballot -box-the votes of thou.
 sands bought as easily, and often good deal
 more cheaply, than cattle and sheep are bought
 for the market :-the craze of dishonest cur
 rency sessions of our National Congress in- creasingly dlsgraceful for their vulgarity and
 venality; the ''shot-g gun" policy, and hatred, in equal parts, at the South, of the negro and
 0f fha o,1fh lon 1
 terrible mischiefs at work everywhere about us, whatever will counteract the evil, and es- pecially, strike it at it's fountain-head is of the utmost importance, and should at once, and in every town and village and city of the land, be employed. The evils speak of are exigent They are undenable They threaten the foundations of all our institutions worth pre- serving, and they who shut their eyes to them are 'fools and blind" AS we'll might the will lagers at the base of Vesuvius sleep at ease in their beds when the mountain was pouring down rivers of fire upon them, as we dream of security, and idly preach "peace" to our selves while these volcanic streams of death are rushing full-throated on the land!
 Now we claim that the reading of the Bible in our Common Schools is one of those agen. cies which directly and powerfully tend to stop these rivers of pollution by destroying their source. The moral influences that alone can save this nation are found, as nowhere else, in the Word of God. These, to be effectual, must be applied in all their power to those on whose principles of character and conduct, now rap idly taking their final shape, will depend the future of our country.
 But here it will be objected:
 l. That Common Schools are State insti tuition, and that it is not the business of the State to teach Religion. To that the answer is, that it is the paramount business of the State to do whatever the law of self-preserva- tion requires. The old Roman maxim "iSalus cioitGtis prinaG hr," is as true today as in the days of Justinian. It is enough to say that the church, family instruction, and the Sunday school, with religious literature, may be relied on to do the work. Vast numbers of children and youth of school age. between four and six teen, never go to any church, never hear the Bible read at home-would hardly knew Bi- ole if they saw one ;-belong to no Sunday school, and never see Christian book orpaper, much less read it, frem one years end to an- other. Are these hundreds of thousands to be eft to grow up and go forward unreached by hose principles of honesty, integrity, truth, md obedience to law, which alone can make hem safe members of society,"
 Besides, the reading of the Bible daily in Inc eeheels, '4ritiIOuo --.------.," ls aot teaching, in any proper sense. Simply l md reverently read, the Bible does it's own eaching. It is the marvel of that Book, and proof to candid minds, of it's divine origin, hat, allowed to come in, it shines by it's own fight, and, for all greatest uses of the Book, is, t the bar of conscience and in the forum of | he highest reason, it's own interpreter and preacher. Therefore we say that, for the Gfsty of the State, Bible truth should come in | s. prime factor in every system of instruc- ion for the young.
 ?. But it is objected, again, that the Bible is | sectarian book, and therefore it's reading in | he sthools should be prohibited. We meet his by emphatic denial. The Bible is no mere ectarian than the sunshine, or the atmosphere. t was made for universal use. It's truths are or everybody, at all times, and in every place. Men of all extremes of opinion have conceded ts value as containing the purest code of nor Us known to man. The Mohammedan and the lew acknowledge the validity and authority of he Old Testament. Those of most sceptical 'iews have admitted, and do now admit, that 10 book can be compared with it in the force md value of it's ethical teachings, in their gen. ral application to human life and conduct. | The Roman Catholic receives the whole Bible | s authoritative. All Protestant branches of | he church do the same. On what ground, | hen, is it claimed that the Bible is 'sectarian," nd it's reading in the schools objected to? If | he Book as whole and in all it's parts is sim ply and reverently read, without note or com nant, it will do it's own teaching, and the 'harge of sectarianism utterly falls to the ground. In schools where large numbers of Roman Catholic children attend, the Douay version might be read in frequent interchange with the version of King James, and thus all denominational bias will be obviated. Certain y the appearance of it will be avoided by adopting such course
 g. Once more it is objected that the reading 'f the Bible in the schools does no good be- ause so few of the teachers read it appreciat- ngly. The objection is a islander on thousands | cultivated and Christian teachers, men and | Vomen. The writer has been a school visitor or fifteen years, fourteen of them consecutive md has been personally acquainted with com non schools in different States of this Union no am able to state that have frequently | 'eard the Bible read as appropriately and ap- in thenn oc r a,,o, ho..a .. |