The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-07-10

Il
upon.
"Nor shall any man be compelled
to attend, erect, or support any place
of worship, or maintain any minister
against his consent, and, "Nor shall
any money be drawn from the treas
ury for the benefit of religious socie-
ties, or religious or theological sem
inaries." Sec. IS, Art. I. Note the
first of these prohibitions: No man
shall be compelled to attend, erect,
or support any place of worship, or
maintain any minister against his
consent" Is the stated reading Of
the Bible, without note or commant,
worship, and does that reading con-
vert the school house into "a place
of worship" and SO come withi7 the
prohibition of the constitution In
answering this question definitions
are quoted to tell us what worship
is: and then we are told that ''the
reading Of the holy scriptures as the
eternal word of God, whether by the
individual in private, or in the fami-
ly, or in public assembly, is an essen
tial part of divine worship" (if an es-
sential part Of worship, is 1t 700rshib?
The Judge says: The sermon on the
mount contains the prayer taught by
the blessed Lord. Is it possible for
any genuine believer in the Christian
religion to read or listen to the read
ing of that sermon, especially of that
prayer, without being filled with
holy sense of honor, reverence, ado
ration and homage to Almighty God
which is the very essence of wor-
ship? We must hold that the stated
reading of the Bible in the public
schools as text book may be us it)
worship within the meaning of the
clause of the constitution under con-
sideration," hence it is prohibited.
May we ask the Judge if he be-
ieveS that the trainers of the consti-
tuition, and the men who voted for it
believed that the reading Of the Bi-
bic in the public schools made those
buildings, Places houses Of 7e'0rShlb?
In their minds houses-or places Of
worship, and the public school build
ings. in which the Bible was regular
Iy read, we're widely apart. They
never thought when they regularly
held their religious services on Sun
day in their school houses, that that
made those buildings "places of
Worship In order for place,
house, to become place or house Of
worship, they believed it must be
dedicated to-set apart for the wor-
ship of God. 1t is the dedication of
a place which makes that place a
place Of worship. But let us follow
out this decision and see where it
leads us. Let us ask this learned
Judge what is the root idea of the
oath as administered in our courts of
justice? Is it not to awaken "a holy
sense Of honor, reverence, alteration,
and homage to Almighty God? Is
it not to make the man feel that he
is under the immediate presence Of
God
Chief Justice Shea says: "The
conscience of each public servant is
bound by that adamantine chain, an
oath to the throne of God" Such
an awakening of reverence, of awe,
and such binding to the throne of
God, is 700rSAib, and according to
this decision, these acts of worship
make the places in which these
oaths are administered, places Of
a00rsAIb, which no man shall be COM
PEELED to erect; hence all that is need
to stop the administration Of the
oath, is an objection
Does the learned Judge believe
that our homes in which we worship
God, are "places of worship" within
the meaning Of the constitution
What shall we say of the Capitol, and
of Chaplains in Senate and House, in
Jail and in hospital Are all these
PLACES of worship which no man shall
be forced to erect and support? This
Judge must say yes, or rescind his
former decision.
That the trainers Of the coustitu-
ton referred to what is known as
"rhurcAeS" is evident from the fact
of the copulative in the clause Of the
constitution which joins "mlnlSter"
to the place of worship. Ministers
do not belong to school houses. but
to churches
We come to the last point in the
decision: "No money shall be drawn
from the treasury for the benefit of
religious societies, or religious or
theological seminaries." Definitions
are again quoted, this time to tell US
what Seminary is, and SO ga Sem
mary is place of training" and so
on What now? Why, this, the
reading of the Bible is religions in
structi0n: hence the public school in
4.