The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-03-16

really helleYn That corruption WOuld lenVe
our shores N trials NJ causes we're TAKEN
from the hands II twelve good andi rue mem
chosen from our fellow citizens by lot aud
placed In tic hands Of three or four good"
Indges2 Afe Judges never corrupt Many
n page Of history modern history at
thnt--must be plotted out " we are ever to
sublect Ourselves 10 such u deluslom Why
was trial by Jury ever originated II not for
lhe purpose of protecting the accused from
tho Injustice of corrupt judges Jurors
may certainly be corrupted, but 90 abolish
the system on that account would be ike
prohibiting all but pine frame houses,
because brick houses with I'm roofs some,
times burn down. We have but TO look at
the great number Of cases decided by Iuries
In order to learn that in spite OF all the
faults of our Jury system II has worked
and still works as well rs can be er-
pected Of any merely human institution
When everything else becomes perfect
the Jury system Will also BE- faultless. In
the meantime, for my part refuse 10 ac'
cept the improvements offered
Mr"J. l.. "hopes to lind salvation rom
MI civil. moral and social evils in the edu-
catisn of the masses" The education Is
10 comprehend the morals of Christ. for
"eyen Mr.. Payne says .ChrisCs morals have
never been eXcelled." Mr. Editor, | am one
of the old fogies who still believe that every
word Of the Bible from Genesis to keyela-
tons was written by inspiration or God'
But if there is anything oppose 1t Is the
introduction of KS or anyb cse's morals
into the public schools. | am fanatic for
liberty OF conscience. II is the pearl Tor
which | am willing to sacrifice all other
privileges. claim it for myself, L claim IL
| Tor every other human being, no matter
what his faith may be. And it is this pearl
of which -. L. To- ANONYMOUSLY proposes
to rob us by compelling our children TO
learn what he calls ',Christ's moral S.
| public school Of my district, must l send
nav children to him for instruction in that
Which l regard as part of religion be-
cause he saws Christ's morals have never
| been eycelled? What would become OF my
religious liberty? What would the. lsraelltes
of Dallas say if they were to be compelled
| to commit their children to. my care Tor
their moral education after had acqualnt-
| ed them with my views of the subject? But
here comes y. H. T." and tells me !he, is
speaking only of morals and not of creeds.
| NV friend falls into two errors. In the first
place. he supposes that morals can be
taught without religion. A greater. mis-
| take was never made. Not even history
can be taught without BENG
colored by the teachers G.tso,ic re aHS
| IL
history of the sixteenth century, or hear
the opinions OF a Presbyterian and of a
| High Church Episcopallan on the history
of The English commonwealth, and you Will
see that / am right. How then are morals
to be taught without being shaped by the
teachers religious opinion, II TINS Is moi
even possible with history? Now If the
compulsory education, in the morals OF
Christ" initiates against our liberty OF con-
science, even if both teacher and scholars
are believers in the whole Bible, what is to
become of this liberty if the teacher to be
an Israelte or Tom Payne, or if the
teacher be Christian and the pupil the
child of a Jew? An orthodox Jew may be
as good and as patriotic native citizen as
| any Christian; what right have we then to
play the tyrants OF his conscience by com,
| pelllng him to have his children educated
| in the "morals of Christi"
| But even if We grant the possibility OF teach
| ing morals without religion, We may well ask
where ~. J.. p" discovered that nation
or part of it can be morally regenerated by
mere knowledge of the requirements OF
Christian morality? Neither history, nor
| experience teaches anything of the. kind.
| Rousseau was not nnacquaintea WIN the
"morals of Christ" and yet his children
went to the foundlings' hospital. Voltaire
| knew the "morals of Christ" as well as any
body, but that did not keep him from steal
| ing wax-candles from the parlors of his
acquaintances to say no more. Tom Payne
SAYS: "Christ's morals have never been
excelled" and he could at one time praise
| Washington as the Savior of his country
and then turn and BLACKBOARD him as
man had never been blackguarded before;
| Guiteau learned the morals OF Christ, and
what good did it do him?
| Iflearning morals is to do any good at all
religious principles, faith, creed, must
take possession of the heart and act as the
perpetum mobile moving man to do what
| he knows to be right. But to teach rell,
gious principles in our public schools and
| to make such education compulsory, is to
connect the state with the church-a mesal'
| lance that can produce nothing but slavery
and persecution. We have plenty Of
churches; let them teach morals. But our
public schools have nothing 10 do with
morals and religion. They may teach the
civil laws, but there they must stop. II
| love of money had not sucked the vitality
ont of our Christian congregations, they
would never think of casting the care Of
| their children on the state to have them ed
ucated at the public expense, like paupers,
by every Tom, Dick or Harry that chooses
to earn few dollars by teaching, but would
rather establish parochial schools, so that
| their children might receive sound, sclen-
| tifc and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS that
would tend to make something more OF
them than smart business men.
Much more might or rather should be
said on this subject, but this letter has al
ready become.too long.