Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-11
RELIGION IN SCHOOLS.
ID Instruction Discussed By
-Four Learned Men.

Pvolc Opfnaon, the eclectic journal Of Wash
ington, will tomorrow publish papers from
the pens Of Cardinal Gibbons, Rev. DIR. Thos
Hill, ex-president of Harvard university; Rev.
DIR. Minot J. Savage of Boston, and Prof. W.
7. Harris, editor Of the journal of Srec,slafice
Philosophy, on this question: lis religious in
struction in tho public schools sxpedient2 II
SO. what should be it, character and limita-
tons9"
WHAT THE CARDINAL sArs
Cardinal Gibbons says that an education that
improves the mind and memory TO the neglect
Of moral and religious training is at best but an
imperfect and defective system. II is, he saws.
eminently useful that the intellect Of our youth
should be developed, and that they should be
made familiar with those branches of knowledge
which they are afterward likely to pursue. 1t
Is most desirable, too, that they should be made
acquainted with the history Of our country, the
origin and principles Of Its government and
with the eminent men who have served Il by
their statesmanship and valor But il is not
enough for children to have a secular educa-
ton; they must receive q religious training
Religious knowledge is as far above human
science as the soul is above the body, as
| heaven is above earth, as eternity ia above
| time. By secular education we improve the
mind; by religious training we direct
the heart. The religious and the Sec
vorced from each other without inficting a
fatal wound upon the soul; they must 60 hand
| in hand, otherwise their education is shallow
and fragmentary-a curse instead Of blessing
Piety. says the cardinal, is not to be put on for
state occasions, but is to be exhibited in our
conduct at all times. Our youth must put in
practice every day the commandments of God
as well as the rules Of arithmetic. Then he
asks. how can they familiarize themselves with
| these sacred duties il they are not daily incul-
Gated? The cardinal then quotes from Guizot,
an eminent Protestant Frenchman, as follows:
''It is necessary that national education should
be given and received in the midst of a relig-
ious atmosphere. Religion is not a study or
an exercise to be restricted to O certain place
or hour" The cardinal then continues: "In
this country the citizen happily enjoys the
larges liberty. and / should be sorry to see
his freedom lessened or infringed But the
wider the liberty the more efficient should
be the safeguards to prevent it from being
abused and degenerating into license. To
keep the social body within its orbit the GEN.
tripedal force of religion should counterbalance
the centrifugal motion Of free thought. The
only way to preserve the blessings of civil free
| dom within legitimate bounds is to inculcate in
the mind of youth while at school the virtues of
truth. justice, honesty, temperance, self-denial,
and those other fundamental duties comprised
in the Christian code Of morals. The cate
chetical instructions given once a week in
| our Sunday schools are insufficient to supply
the religious wants OF our children. 1t is
! important that they should breathe every
day a healthy religious atmosphere in schools
In which not only is the mind enlightened but
| the seeds OF Christian faith, piety and sound
morality are nourished and invigorated. The
combination Of religious and secular education
is easily accomplished in denominational
schools. To what extent religion may be
brought in the public schools without infring-
| ing the rights and wounding the conscience of
some OF the pupils Is grave problem beset
with difficulties, and very hard to be solved. in
| asmuch as thos schools are usually attended
by children belonging to the various Christian
denominations, by Jews also. and even by those
who profess no religion whatever"
ARGUMENT OF DIR. SAVAGE.
The Rev. Or. Minot j. Savage begins his
paper by defining the term religious instruc-
ton" He says that, thinking of God as i'm
mnent in the universe, one may feel that he
| is facing and dealing with the divine reality
whichever way he turns. Like this is his own
feeling, SO that, as he views it, no study and no
school could possibly be goddess" ANY in
struction, then, that is true, he says, viii, in
the broadest sense, have about it a touch Of
religion. Whatever else or more any one NAV
believe, he could hardly object 10 this. In
meeting the claim of most religionists, that
morality and goodness depend on their par
a careful study reveals the fact that moral
codes have been arrived at as the result
of mems attempts to find out how to live
together in society, and it seems quite possible
| to him, therefore to teach the essential prin-
ciples of right and wrong-so far pertains to
this present life-without any regard to the
particular theological tenets Of any particular
religion, and sums up that, by religious in
struction in the public schools, what is really
meant is sectdr-idn instruction, or the teaching
of the peculiar beliefs of some particular part Of
the religious world. Whatever claim, he says,
the Anglican or Roman church may make as
to not being a Sect II is evident that, from the
view of the Protestant or Jew, they must be
regarded as sects. The question then is. Mr..
Savage asserts, whether any religion or more
than one shall be taught in the public schools.
DIR. Savage then argues as follows: 'In the
case Of those who believe that the salvation of
their children's souls ia at stake there cannot be
| q more odious tyranny than to compel them to
submit to a teaching that, to their minds, en-
tails such horrible consequences. So far as this
goes my sympathies are with the Romanists as
against the teaching Of any form Of Protestan-
ism in the schools And in the case Of those
who do not believe that the endless welfare of
their children is at stake, compelling them to
submit to the teaching of a religion they
don't believe is a waste Of time and subjects
them to the influence of what is regarded
true learning, impart false theories of
life and duty, and SO interfere seriously
with the happiness and progress of this world
if not of the next In either case, then, it is q
tyranny. Dr. savage then goes on TO say that
it is none of the states business to engage in
the work of saving souls in the next world.
There are good citizens of all religions and of
no religion, and the only thing the state has
any right to be interested in is the matter OF a
mans behavior as citizen of the world. The
state legislature or the national Congress NAV
compel such popular education as fits q man
intelligently to vote 40 . measure Of public
safety. But the national Jurisdiction is con-
fined to this world. DR.. Savage concludes
as follows: "Once grant, then, that it il
none OF the states business to save
souls, and it follows with inexorsble
logic that il is none of the states business TO
undertake the work of teaching anybody's
special religion. II o Calvinistic father wants
to teach his boy Calvinism nobody questions
his right to do it But most certainly he has
no right to teke money out Of my pocket (by .
tax or in any other way) to do Il with. And
the same holds true OF the Romanist, Jew, or
agnostic. The principle then 10 90 clear az
daylight. The public school, supported BY the
equal taxation Of people OF all beliefs, exists
and has q right to exist simply and solely for
the sake OF such education as fits for citxenship
and so il for the public good. The church and
the home give ample scope for all individual
peculiarities Of belief or theory. The public
school 10 for the people and for all the people.
Let u be kept true TO its own high and sacred
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