The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-10-27

week before the Evangelical Alliance at ST. Louis NO.
where it is expected two days will be devoted to It's
discussion. The paper bore traces. in ample quota
tions from hundred sources, of the care and study
the writer had given to the theme. Philosophical
religious statistical and political writers were fire.
quently called upon to bear testimony to the
validity of the views expounded. The purpose OF
the essay was tn prove that purely secular
education was vicious and that the moral and intel
iectuai development OF the child should 30 hand
Non-sectarian education. the preacher said, was
msnomer aud in support of his assertion he quoted
Webster in the Grard will case. II not intended
by those who advocated that moral and intel
lectual education should be co-exstent. that any
special form of creed should be nculcated. What
was claimed he said. was that onesided intelec-
tuai education was OF no account in the develop
ment OF man. and that the exclusion of all religious
color from system made 1t Intellectual for the pur
pose tor which it ordained.
APPLYING THE STANDARD.
AFTER enumerating these general grounds he took
up the present common school system, and sub
mittcd it to criticism by his standard. just
announced II the training in the public schools il
to be made honestly non-religious. the Roman
Catholics and atheists claim it should be. the
text books must be revised md trimmed, SO that
all matter with religious tendency shall be
eliminated. When this is done. the books will be
ments of education How. he asked. can history
moral philosophy be taught without something of
religion being dragged into the study? Religion is in
fact, part OF history, and 1t has been intimately
associated with politics and diplomacy in the past
that to talk of one is to speak OF the other Even
the study of geography when the political divisions
of the world considered presents the
phases of the inseparable nature of religious and
intellectual education. The enemies of the
present system also claim that the gov
eminent of the schools should be
sectarian Now. this means that those who teach in
and control the schools should not belong to any
creed. IL those who govern the schools have
creed they must be atheists and this is to what the
claim of government is reduced. In support of his
assertion that to educate a man without re-
lgion was to arm maniac With
sword. he quoted John Locke. The same authority,
the preacher thought, was responsible for the idea
that 1t is doubtful II purely intellectual education
Is elevating The legal aud so-called coustitu-
tional objections to religious element in
the training in public schools
sidered, and dismissed with the remark that
sane man would maintain that it against
the genius of our government TO open school with
reading of the Bible. This question of the right to
puted until Immigration brought to these
countries with their peculiar views. As freedom
to all was guaranteed, it would plainly be
unjust to force the children of these
people to listen to the Bible they did not elect to
do so. That they do not wish to do 50 is no reason
why those who do should be denied the privilege.
1t was plain that majority great majority
of the American people wanted the Bible read.
Therefore. under the theory of our institutions.
the Bible should be read and those vino did not wish
to listen to it could absent themselves during tho
reading. Surely an American citizen might make
his claim for right III the matter without being
charged with violating the constitution.