The New York herald., 1879-09-14
A PLEA FOR SUPERINTENDENT KDDLE.
To THE Eprron OF THE HEnALD:-


certain journals toward City Superintendent Kid
die. Such protest has already been made by three
fourths of all the teachers in this city, and has,
hope. found echo in every lover Of free religion
and free speech. But will ask you. Mr.. Editor
you who hear all sides-to put this communi-
cation in your Complaint Book Why has
the HERALD joined in the Journalistic hue and cry
against Henry Kiddle? He has. forsooth. become a
Spiritualistl He has simply changed his religious
views. Deny that Spirituasm is a religion. All the
religious journals have admitted it and have admit
ted his right follow mis- conscience in the matter
The plea that is not religion is. therefore vain
In court of law the testimony would be overwhem-
ingly against such plea. Being religion he has.
the constitution and laws. much right to
practice Presby yteran. the Protestant the
Roman Catholic has to practice his. The United
States constitution provides that mo religious test
shall ever be required a qualification to any
ofhce OF honor trust under tile United States" :"
When the late Henry Wilson was in the Senate he
contemplated the establishment Of national system
of education. II this idea had been realized. il
schools had been established all the country
with Henry Kiddle superintendent OF them. no
power could remove him for his Spiritualism. The
constitutional provision above quoted would shield
him from all the efforts that might be made
to dislodge him. In the Empire City and
freedom of religion prevail? The trainers Of
the constitution deemed it wise to guarantee free.
dom OF religion to every holder of public office
Are we to be less just than they were? All creeds
all forms Of secarian belief. equal under
public. OF course do not include such an insti-
tutlon Mormonism or that Of the Oneida Com
munity, because these violate fundamental prin-
ciples OF morality and recognized reg gons
by the religious press of the country. Many Mr.
Riddles enemies. whom routed by this line of argu
ment fell back on the position that he had perfect
.1,< hxa..p Sntl ali lei huf fl.uf l,o
should not have written book on the
subject Now. if he had become Presby-
he could have written what he pleased on the
Of his conversion to Presby yterIanism, Catholi-
cism to the doctrine of Immersion the might
be. and lew or none would object. Why then object
because he written conscentiously Spiritual
ism There is no more room for obJection for fault
finding tor persecution in this latter than in
any OF the former 1t may be said that Spirituaism
is offensive to all other sects and that other
can be mutually tolerant OF one another. but in
tolerant OF Spiritualism This might be good logic
in the days OF the inquisition. The fact is that
it makes difference to pupils or their
parents what religion the. teacher. the prin-
cipal or the superintendent processes, long as
no secaran or special religious doctrine is taught in
the schools. The principals and teachers in
schools represent the most varied creeds. No
objects to these teachers tho OF their
belief, because. matter no radical they:may be
in their religious views they know it is their duty
put those views aside when they enter the school
room. For many years this state OF things has
existed in our city. and yet not a single com
plant has ever been made that q teacher eu-
influence Now.
II the class teacher in daily direct aud personal
communication with the children has been
known to do this, how silly is the pretence that
the city superintendent who only sees the children
OF given class twice year, and then only
for few moments. has an opportunity and is
likely to convert the children to Spiritualsml
Everybody that understands the workings Of the
school system knows how preposterous this pre-
tence is No teacher no superintendent, ever dares
in the schoolroom to favor particular religion.
The bylaws OF the Board OF Education strictly
laid down in this respect. and are as strictly
vr11n nxuoA has hohr S1fnr Tod That IL r1a
erred in using his name and the title of his Office
in the publication OF his work 1t would have
Henry Kiddle had been investigating phenomena
and NANTES tations sucn us had hitherto engaged
the attention of the most thoughtful men OF
times. Philosophers. theologians and natural
scientists had given to that subject hours OF earnest
study. He simply followed in their footsteps. He
encountered phenomena which lie deemed miracu-
lous. He could not explain them by any principle
of science. by any law of nature. He pronounced
them miraculous, and attributed them to Divine
power. He made. in my humble judgment tho
blunder of his life; but he made it conscienousy.
and he probably has experienced novel happ in
his convictions. 1t is dangerously cinatng
belief that the spirits of our departed relatives
ut our and all heaven within our reach
Mer powerfully attracted by whatever borders
the miraculous. II 1t had not been for miracles we
should have had far less religion in the world. Now
who would for moment give the faintest attention
to anonymous account of so-called miracles
marvcls alleged to have been wrought through tho
agency of an unknown person? No one would take
the trouble read such work accept any evi-
dence OF the manifestations unless the character of
s the assertion that he ought to have kept his
and title from the book. Some persons may say
that his avowed object in publishing the work was
to convert many to Spiritualism, and not merely
to challenge the investigation OF scientists Well,
all then have to say is that whoever does not
derstand spiritualistic phenomena to arise from
purely natural causes has u right to believe other
aud right to convince others of the soundncss
OF his views IT his conscience 80 leads him. In an
able article on thls subject Of spirltualism that
ultra orthodox magazine the Catholic World declares
that spiritualists have right to demand explana-
finnG nf fhnn urIn e0s wit Hnvv.
this right be exercised not in the manner in which
Henry Kiddle has chosen to exercise III
Though feel aggrieved by the bitterness with
which few teachers have assailed HIM will say
naught against them. What injury he may have
done them ] know not, but surely lie never would
have recommended the removal of any of them
from office merely because they had changed their
religious creed and Puosneu paapn'es m % IN refer
the motives of any one. but l have noticed with
curiosity that the majority of the school people
whose consciences have been the most painfully
wounded by his book his old and deter
mined foes Would 1t not be better tor them to be
little charitable. and thus try to convince air.
Kidde that there is something in their reli-
gion that might induce him to return to itf
Will be bold enough assert that many of his in
yeterae enemies professedly Christians instead Of
mourning his loss from the fold. are seeking to take
advantage OF it, This is believed and has made for
him friends where lie otherwise might not havo
found them. Oncc establish the principle that no
superintendent can write religious book without
putting himself III jeopardy aud you enslave the
whole corps teachers. II air. Kiddle cannot pub
lsh his religious neither any teacher.
can any Comfnlsslouer protest axaiust tuls 4
claim tho right while am a teacher. to pub
lish q book on my religion without thereby
ming the risk of removal Hence signed petition
TO the Board or Education in behalf OF Mr.. kiddle.
/ rejoiced to the work incident to that memorial
undertaken by lady principals. The framing OF the
petition was = heroic act. / only wish 1t
worded moro strongly still. True, Mr. Kiddie has
resigned his office; but it would be only an act OF
repxraton all the that have been hesped
upon him to reappoint him. even II he should per-
sist in refusal to More than this, his
election would be the assertion OF the right of free
religion. This alone should induce the Board Of
Education to vote unanimously for his retention.
1t is needless to aliude to ,he difficulty Of
finding q man equally qualified TO fill the
position OF CITY superintendent His eminent MT
ness cannot be questioned. The HERAI.Dhas doubted
his literary ability. 10 be English literature is
not his forte; but let me say that he answers Pro-
fcssor Huxley's definition OF scholar-yiz., "One
who knows little ABOUT everything and great deal
about one thing" Even his educational documents
compare favorably with any that have been writ
ton for our board Of Education. 1 %