Omaha daily bee., 1893-09-17
NO CREED IN rHE pUnLIc scuno1s

ANY iNa'I SiOlLth loohS
upon our public school system as the
strongest guaranty for the perpetuation
OF civil and religious liberty that form
the corner stone of the republic. The
OF our state constitution sought
to forestall any possible interference by
religious zealots with our public school
system when they embodied in the Bill
OF Rights the following provision:
All persons have a natural and indefeasi-
bic right to worship God according to the
dictates of their own conscience. No person
shall be compelled to attend, erect or sup
port any place of worship against his con-
sent, and no preference shall be given by
law to any religious society, nor shall any
interference with the rights of conscience
be permitted. No religious test shall be re-
quired as a qualification for Office. n y y
Religion, morality and knowledge, however,
oeihS essential to good government, 1t shall
be the duty of the legislature to pass suita-
Die laws TO protect every religious denomi7
nation in the peaceaole enjoyment of it's
own mode OF public worship and to encour-
age schools and the means of instruction.
Section III OF article viii of the consti-
tuition. entitled "Education," states that.
No sectarian instruction shall be allowed
in any school or institution supported in
whole or in part by the public funds set
apart for educational purposes, nor shall the
state accept any grant, conveyance or be-
quest of money, lands or other property to
be used for sectarian purposes.
To supplement these constitutional
safeguards against the intrusion ofsectar-
ianism into the public schools of Omaha.
the law creating the Board of Education
for Omaha, as framed by the editor of
H BEE, then u representative for Doug
las county in the legislature, contained
the following provision:
No sectarian or religious doctrine shall
ever be taught or inculcated in the public
schools of Omaha.
This clause has been retained in the
statutes through all the revisions which
the school laws have undergone since it's
first enactment in 1871.
In the face of the constitutional
guarantees of religious freedom and I'M
qualified inhibition of the use of school
funds for sectarian purposes, no rational
person will contend that there is apy
danger that either preacher or priest.
Protestant or Catholic, will subvert our
public schools to sectarian purposes or
teachings.
The attempt in certain quarters to
force the issue of creed in the coming
school election is therefore to be- de-
plored and discountenanced. No posi-
Bile good can spring from dragging sec
tartan contention into the school board
or making any particular religious be-
lief a qualification or disqualification.
This paper has always advocated a nom
partisan school hoard, because we do not
believe any man fit to serve on the Board
of Education should be dependent upon
the political machine and because we
believe it to be detrimental to our
school system that memberships in the
board should go as the reward of par
tisan activity. For the same reason we
believe 1T to be contrary to the letter
and spirit OF our constitution that belief
in any particular religion or hostility to
any particular religion shall be consid-
cred a qualification OF a bar to member
ship in the school board.
Our Board of Education dates back
twenty-five years. We nave had Protest
ants, Catholics, Jews and agnostics on
the board, but no man has ever sought
to foist his belief or disbelief upon our
school system. The friends of the pub
lie schools want clean, intelligent and
honest men on the school board.
This is the only qualification that
should be exaoted from candidates.
What party they belong to and what
church they attend is OF no consequence
SO long as We know them to be upright,
l~aw-abiding citizens, who take an in
terest in the public schools and are
willing to devote their time and talents
to maintaining the high standard OF ed
ucation which We have established.