Evening journal., 1888-12-07
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
Tho Bible In the Public Schools

10 the Editor Of EVENING JOURNAL.
You refer in your issue of the Sd inst.
to the late sermon of Rev. A. n Keigwin
as "an interesting" production. itseems
at least very peculiar. As the subject
treated is now or sure to come before the
people Of this country for adjustment,
permit me some comment anent the ex-
tracts from the sermon you have pub
lished 1t reads to me like an insidious
advocacy of dangerous policy. No per-
son is true patriot who desires to move
in the least towards destroying the secu-
lar character of our state on general gov
eminent, or one hairs breadth in the
direction of the sacredotal with the civil
power. Such union has proved destruc-
tive TO the liberties OF the world for
ages, and the wise fathers of this country
drew the constitutional line Of demarca-
ton between the two. bold and strong
The guarantee of liberty of conscience to
oil lies at the base Of our united pros
perity, and il is towards as in this line
The world is reaching for refuge,
instead of looking backward.
Let no one therefore either ignorantly or
designedly gttempt to smirch our glorious
banner in this regard. To enforce, by
legislation, the reading of any sectarian
Bible in hepublic schools, be it Catholic
or'Protestant king Jamess version or
modern revised) Mormon, Bhudistic or
Chinese, will be a deserving of the ad-
vanced guard of the age and a retreating
towards the beggarly elements Of seetar-
ian contention.
Allow me here to extract some remarks
contained in a highly respectable and in
flucntial journal, commenting on the
subject in question:
The state should strenuously resist
any attempt on the part of the Catholics
to secure a division of the public school
fund for the support Of their own schools
To meet all attempts of this sort, whether
made by Catholics or any other denomi-
nation, every state and the United States
should have a constitutional provision
prohibiting taxation, or the use Of the
public funds for the support of any sec
tartan schools There can be no halfway
work in such a matter as this Either
the public school system must be put
above the reach Of all sectarian control,
or else it must be entirely abandoned and
education be given up for such voluntary
support rs can be secured for it. No
Republican government, in this age will
take the latter course. So to do would
be suicide. The only alternative is
system of common schools, non-denomi-
national, non sectarian, supported by the
impartial taxation Of all citizens
IF such tax be RENTED to citizens Of
one denomination who may choose to
establish a school of their own, impair
tiality win demand that it be remitted to
all others when requested. and the in
evitable result would be. the. destruction OF
the public school system, on which the
safety of Republican institutions rest.
Now If we attempt 10 discuss the
merits Of your reverend gentleman's
sermon as logical advocacy of the use
of the Bible in the public schools This
may be said
The proof is not apparent that the
Catholics desire to desire to destroy our
present school system They only object
40 all parents have d right to object who
do not desire their children S minds to be
impressed with sectaran ideas that they
do not themselves approve of. No
matter whose ideas are true-whose are
false-the principles of religious liberty
are alike at stake. The public schools
are not branches of any church 0rganiza-
ton, nor amenable to the peculiar sectar-
ian notions of any party ar division of
the body polite
Much as we may disaffect the supersti-
tions of the Catholic Church, let Justice
be done TO them and to all. As to clear
ness from superstition, other churches
have little to boast. TO provide the chill
dren of our citizens with liberal eduea-
tiOn in letters and in science-in all that
may be termed positive knowledge by the
maintenance of schools tremendously
conducted, we have but to treat all alike
and keep those schools entirely free from
sectarian bias. J. G. JACKSON,
Hockessin, Del, Dec Z, 1888