The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-18
CHURCH AND SCHOOL.


Every now and then some Protestant
clergyman utters a protest against the pohcy
of extending the State aid to the parochlal
schools. The grounds of such opposition are
usually that the State has its W schools.
and that parochial schools are distinctlvely
religious or sectarian institutions, and tna0
State aid to such institutions is a violation
of the civic principles at the very foundation
of this republic. No American who Is a
lover of freedom but is in cordial sympathy
with such sentiments.
But here is the Rev. E. L. Stoddard OF 81
Johns Episcopal Church. on Summit avenue,
uttering a condemnation of the pubic
schools for their failure to teach religion.
But what religion? Snail it be the Cathohc
religion? If SO what becomes of the protests
of Professionals against the policy of State ala
to parochial schools? Shall it be the Protest
ant religion? In such event may not every
Catholic who is a citizen and taxpayer op]ec1
to the policy of State aid to Protestant
| schools? Let us be fair!
Note the difficulties in the case: The Rev.
Mr.. Stoddard is an E~piscopalian; plain Mr..
| Smith is an infidel. Whether rightly OF
wrongly. the latter desires his children to be
brought up in the belief that the Bible is a book
to be rigidly interpreted by the human reason.
| Mr.. Stoddard's conception of the Bible Is
that it is a book divinely inspired and III
| fallible, and, therefore, superior to reason.
| Mr.. Smith may be wrong, but he is a free
man and pays taxes. But II MIR. Smlth
should insist ON his conception OF the blDle
being taught, Mr.. Stoddard might justly
| object to his children being inoculated with
| any such views. In his Wow Of the unrea-
| sonableness of such instruction, Mr.. Stod-
dard may be wrong, but he is a free man
and a tax payer.
A PERTINENT QUESTION.
The teaching of religion in the pubic
! schoolsl Shall it be the religion of the
| A~nthanasian creed and the T~hirty-nine
| Articlesl Shall it teach the Unitarian view
| of the Atonement; the merely ceremonial
| conception of the communion service, or
| the doctrine of the Real Presences Shall IL
| lay special stress upon the ~rltuallstlc ser
vices at st. Johns on Summit avenue, or
| hold to the democratic, hearty, rough ana
| ready Cougregationalism of John l.. Scud-
der's T%abernacles Which method OF critical
! exegesis shall obtain in the religious III
struction Of the public schools, that of DR..
| Briggs or the Synod which disciplined"
| him. Heber Newton's, or DR.. Talmage's?
1t is no real reply to say that this Is raising
| irrelevant questions? Ask Doctor Talmage
his definition of religion, and then ask Heber
| Newton for his, and see how .revelant such
| objection really is; and how widely at varl-
| ance the conception of W men as to what
| religion is.
The use of the Bible as a book for public
school instruction will infalibly call up this
| train of difficulties. There is no agreement
| anywhere as to what constitutes religion.
| See how men of different views would an
swer the Question, "How shall man live a
| truly religious lifeE" The Christian would
J saw. ssFollow the Blble;'' the Deist: Live
| close to nature, and obey the promptings
of conscience, and let your heart go out to
| the source of all we see, and feel, and know
| the Father, God;;" the mere moralist would
| answer: olive rightly. INT obey the laws OF
| being and conduct that have been proved by
| experience to be the most conducive to
| human happiness" All these answers are,
| if not wholly true, at least partly true. but it
| must be observed that each in the spirit of
| it's Interpretation of religion c~ontradicts or
ignores the other.
THE READING OF THE BIBLE.
Let us be just. Cease to talk against the
| policy of State aid to parochial schools
while coun~tenancing State aid to Protestant
| schools. 1t is not fair to Catholics that the
| Bible should even be read in the public
| schools; for inquiry calls for Interpretation,
and what representative OF what creed shall
determine the kind and character of inter
| probation?
Let us strive to be free from prejudice,
| with the truth that makes men free. There
is no reasonable objection to Catholics sup
porting parochial schools. If they want
them they should have them-and it is no
business of the State. But when Catholics
| solicit State aid for such institutions then
| should the State reply:-We will aid you,
but In return we emand tine a~brogation of
every form and species of religious instruc-
ton. Then, of course, the Catholics would
| cease to ask for State aid. st3 II
Let Protestants who oppose State aidto
parochial schools say: We have no right to
| apply to Catholics a rule from which we
demand exemption, imposing Upon the
| children of Catholic tax payers the forms OF
Protestant instruction, and then let them
| abolish every form of religious education in
the public schools, or that semblance of it
which prevails, and which is the shallowest
of mockeries. This donet parochial schools
might not wholly disappear, but they would
begin to empty themselves into the public
| schools at a rate which would surprise the
shallow. And the various Sunday schools
of the various denominations could go OF
teaching their different conceptions of
religion, and we might then live in peace,
free from the everlasting discussion which,
without reason, but with much passion has
waged around a problem which can be
solved SO easily by ceasing to seek the thing
we would prefer for the thing which is
merely just. ~
JOSEPH DANA MILLER.
FINE TROLLEY PROMISES.
The Central aveuuefetroIIaysl lima of the