Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1895-02-20
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OVmEU - 16ODCAT1O0.
Csmnunicats1. .>-s. :,
Lo BsnguGla, in his communica
ton on Compulsory Bduostion, 'pub-
lished in the Star. u like many an.
other good fellow .Who dos net Ms
to . csrrsct comprehension Of -ths
subject.
He believes that intellectual tcxt
book education i . r.aIedy Tor The
moral social. political aud businsss
i!ls that adlict society, and that b.
list leads him 70 1dvodate ;tks enact,
ment Of compulsory sdnAxt;en laws.
In that belief he places iatslleetuai
text book training above moral -and
religious training - factor in max
ing men honorable IN social, business.
political and moral conduct, for he
holds mp his hands in holy horrer
over tho mere mention Of compulsory
religion aud emphatisally jdsclxrts'
that "evsry precans;on ia taken that
NO particular rsi,g,ous doctrine Of
worship u taught" - - -
!: Re 10 CLEARLY in favor Of kinne the
powers Of the. state 70. ieompnlsery
text book training and 10 Just q
clearly against compulsory roaigiose
training. -
It m,not tAnsricau to advocate eth, j,
or compulsory religion or oempal-
sorry education. 80 -
But Why 10 Lo Bengnela in favor
Of con- pulsory education and AgAinat
compulsory. religion. There Is NO
difference in the principles Of the
two snd wherever applied. in .tims
will reach the same result, namely .
dsspotic infringement upon the
rights Of the individual and family.
The trouble With him. Il, his dis.
elimination 10 not keen enough to
sss that there is NO difference be-
tween the dsspotio principle Of com.
pulsory religion and compulsory edu-
cation
Your correspondent does not
know who La Bsngusls Is, but will
venture ON it that he ID . man &C
qualnted with Church history, and
he has learned from tbs records how
the Church has suffered and how
people have bsen oppressed by com
pulsory religion and that 10 Why he
cries out against compulsory rslig igion.
H. is familiar with the despotisms
that have been inflicted upon nations
BY compulsory religion, that il, Civ
ing the power Of the state to any
particular religious denomination or
sect. He knows that Christ WAS cru
cited. because the orthodox Jewish
Church, got the power Of the Roman
state, which il it had not received,
Christ would not have been crueifisd.
He knows that some centuries after
the crucii1ion whom the religion OF
Christ had taken hold of the minds
Of men, it WAS given the power of the
Roman stats and compulsory religion
WAS enforced and mon were tortured
on the rack and burned ct the stake
for not accepting it, and that il the
reason he is not in favor OF ccmpul-
sorry religion. He il ike the child
that has once had its fingers burnt
by fire.
Now, Lo Bsngusla, when tao best
and holiest aspirations Of religion
will make such dsspots of man who
have compulsory powers conferred
upon them by the state, what can be
expected Of men who arc ~orking
only under the calculating. scheninR
impulses Of intellectual training.
But again, this champion of COM
pulsory education has another point,
and that is the point Of taxation.
With . glsditorial flourish, worthy
Of better cause, he virtually says:
If yor have the right to tax . man
who has no children for common
echool purposes, you havs the right
to compel people to send their chill
dren to school.
It 10 queer how 30 intelligsst .
man, fails to comprehend the pur-
poses Of American education and tsx.
alton.
In . free government, people sub
NIT to taxstion to secure common
rights for Ill and for 10 other pu-.
pose. On that principle, the man
who las no children to send to school
is required to pay tax. People sub-
NIT to . road tax, that sill may have
the common right to travel on the
highway. They submit to . poor
tax, that the unfortunate aud incom-
pstent, who caunot take care of
themselves may have ths common
right of maintenance in the DAYS Of
want. They submit to . borough
tax th.t everyone may have tho COM
mon rights Of tho town. They sub
NIT to . county tax to build jails to
give everyone the common protection
againss outlaws. They snbnit to a
tax to build court norsesr and pay
judges and jurors 80 that all may On;
Joy tbs common right of having dis
putss settled and wrongs righted,
without resorting r. violence But
WHO, but men of the thoughts Of Lo
BeDgnela will say that bscause .
man is taxed for schools lie must bs
forced by prosecution and 6ne to
send his children to school. Who
but men Of his class will say that be-
cause men pay road tax. they must
buy . team and drive and walk on
tho road. Who but msn Of his class
will say because jails are built and,
maintained BY taxation that all must
serve term in jail. Who but men
who do not understand the common
basis upon which taxation il based,
will say bsoanss court houses sra
built by taxation, all must engage in
Law suits.
L. Bspgusla's arguments on com
pulsory education lead to such con