St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-21
THE LIVE QUESTION.

week, and related to the expediency of
combining religious with secular in
struction in the public schools. The
fact that body composed of the most
eminent educators of the country
thought it worth while to devote so
much time to discussion of this ques-
ton is an evidence of its growing i'm
portance, and rather indicates that the
time is near at hand when the people
in their sovereign capacity will be
called upon for an expression of opin-
ion. The two phases of the question as
it will be presented for popular discus
sion and decision, are first, is religious
instruction in the public schools expedi-
ent? and secondly, if so, what should be
its character and limitations?
Public attention has recently been
directed to this subject by able articles
in several of the leading magazines,
which were written by such eminent
prelates as Cardinal MANNING, Cardi-
nal GIBBONS and Bishop KEANE. On
the other side DR.. THOMAS HILL, eX-
president of Harvard university, Dr..
MINOT j. SAVAGE and Prof. HARRIS,
the editor of the Journal of Speculative
Philosophy, have welded their tren-
chant pens. At the annual convocatiOn
of national educators at Baltimore last
week Bishop KEANE, the eminent
Catholic clergyman Of Richmond, Va,
sprang the question by reading an elab
crate essay, especially prepared for the
occasion, and which succeeded in pro-
voking one of the most interesting
debates of modern times.
Now that the question is fairly an
issue, which will have to be faced in the
near future, it is but just that the public
should understand the precise situation
and be acquainted with the arguments
that the champions of each side rely
upon in support of their respective posi-
tions. The advocates of an intermin-
Cling of religious with secular education
hold that, inaSmuch as the soul is of
more consequence than the body, relig-
ious training becomes of greater i'm
portance than secular education, and
that inasmuch as God has given us
heart to be formed to virtue as we'll as
head to be enlightened, it is just as es-
sential that the moral faculties should
be trained as that the mental qualities
should be improved. 1t is in substance
a revival of the doctrine taught by GUI-
ZoT, the eminent Protestant writer of
France, who insisted that to make popu-
lar education truly good and socially
useful, it must be fundamentally relig-
ious. 1t is held that the only efficient
way to preserve the blessings of civil
freedom within legitimate bounds is to
inculcate in the mind of youth
whilst at school the virtues Of
truth, justice, honesty, temperance,
self-denial, and those other funda-
mental duties comprised in the Chris
tan code of morals. While Cardinal
GIBBONS is convinced that the religious
and secular education of our children
should not be divorced, he admits that
there are some difficulties in effecting a
combination of religious and secular
education in the public schools without
infringing on the rights and wounding
the consciences of some of the pupils. 1t
works admirably in the denominational
schools, but in the schools which are at
tended by children belonging to the
various Christian denominations. and
by Jews also, and even by those who
profess no religion whatever, it be-
comes grave problem, beset with diff
cultieS.
Those who hold that it is inexpedient
to introduce religious instruction into
the public schools base their argument
upon that fundamental principle in our
national life, that rights of private con-
science must be respected, and that
church and state must be entirely sepa-
rated. They hold that it is not the
states business to save souls; that, the
state itself being secular OrganiZa-
ton. its work must be purely secular,
and that therefore it is none of
the states business to undertake
the work of teaching anybody's
special religion. The jurisdiction of the
state is confined strictly to this world;
and, consequently. it has no power to
engage in the work of preparing persons
for citizenship i'll heaven. The only
thing that state has a right to be in
behavior as long as he is citizen of this
world: and inasmuch as there are good
citizens of all religions and of no relig-
ion, it would be an MUST, as well as an
unwarranted assumption of power, for
the state to determine whose religion
was right and whose was wrong, as
would have to be done in case there were
combination of religions and secular
training in the public schools.
Prof. HILL, eX-preSident of Harvard,
takes rather intermediate ground in this
discussion. He concurs with Cardinal
GIBBONS to the extent of recognizing
the necessity for moral training. as well
as intellectual development. He, too,
recognizes the difficulties to be encoun-
tered in adopting any special system of
religious instruction in the public
school. Yet he believes that, as meas
ure of public safety, the govern
ment has the right and the
power to enfore religious instruc-
ton. He holds that the state must,
for its own sake, make good morals and
good manners the first and highest al m
Ill puOIlc euucaUlOn, ana Unat, as gov
ernmentS are formed and administered
for the protection of individuals and
property, it becomes necessity to edu-
cate children to reverence the rights of
others, which can be done only by
leading them to recognize higher pow
ers than human; in. short, by teaching
them, according to Christian precept, to
walk humbly before God. And yet he
would rely upon the teachers them
selves, rather than upon any law or
rule prescribing religious instruction,
for the installation of moral sentiments
into the minds of the nunilS