The New York herald., 1879-11-24
CHICKERING HALL.

PUBLIC EDUCATION SHOULD BE STRICTLY sECU-
LAR-LEcTURE By pROFEssOR ADLER.
vast audience hlled Chickering Hall yesterday to
listen to the lecture by Professor Adler Religion
in the Public Schools" The lecturer said:-We
demand that education in the public schools be
strictly secular. The Catholic complaint against
the schools is founded apparently upon the rights
Of conscience. They hold all knowledge devoid Of
religious admixture perilous. They urge system
Of sectsran schools be supported in part least
at the public expense. But NO man has any rights
Of conscience which trespass upon the rights Of
others. The Mormon is not excused because
poygsmy Is with him practice enjoined by re-
hgion. The sect Of the assassins was not justified
because with them secret murder was an article OF
prive his child Of secular knowledge Is limited by
the right Of the State to protect its own
iae child itself. But But Protestant Int iintermeddlins
with the schools Ia not more tolerable. The law in
deed says s Sa 1s ssad
illusory The King James version is In reality
commentary on the Bible. and In parts an errone-
Gus commentary. It is not acknowledged by the
Catholics who base their version upon the Vuleate.
nor by the Jews. who translate from the original.
authorities OF the Church have been forced to
acknowledge the tact. The Bible should not be read
In schools without ut least decided as to
selections because many parts OF 1t are not At for
innocent children 70 hear But any attempt at ltmi
tation would lead to endless controversies The
Bible should be excluded from the schools because
II read without comment its truly valuable parts
fail to be appreciated by the hearer. The alb
rupt. pregnant utterances of Oriental writer's
ana it must be forgotten that the Bible is
Oriental book-must be dipped into the fluid OF q
modern language and metamorphosed into modern
forms of expression before they be appreciated
aud assimilxted. To read the precious gems Of Bib
cal literature only in the language OF the Scriptures
lessen rather than exat their value in the
timation OF the young.
1--WE OBJECT"
But we object to the Scriptures in tho public
schools chiefly because they are maintained
sign OF Protestant supremacy. For 1t IL. have
shown the Protestant Scriptures that read In the
schools Religion indeed. never profits by using the
methods OF force; the sentiment OF devotion in the
children s not increased by these perfunctory
ciscs We charge that the law Of the State is unjust
selfcontrndictory when 1t decrees that the tenes
OF any particular Christian other religious
sect shall be taught In public schools and
books tolerated which are favorable or prejudiciL
to such tenets and yet excepts the Holy Scriptures
from its own provisions. But We charge that the
educational authorities of our city have beyond
what the law admits in allowing prayers to be
said and hymns to be sung which are distinctively
s tolerated In the interest Of the DOM
inant sect The doctrine OF the Trinity Of vicarious
redemption and songs OF the Redeemer's cross are
caused to be sung by the children of parents both
Christian and Christian who repudiste these doc
trines. With what right schools turned into
Protestant chapels? The American citizen IL slow to
STIR but the interest religious liberty in its full
est sense paramount to those of any party and
sud all parties will that perfect fairness IL
tho only means Of averting the most disastrous dis