The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-10-01
TIE REFORM LECTURES.


on the Public Schools.
/ The third of the course of lectures under
the auspices of the National Reform Insti
tute was given last evening in the Primitive
Methodist church and was attcntiycly listened
to by large gathering, few scats in the
church being vacant Revs. r. NJ. Lichtcn-
walner, T. Maxwell Morrison, J. IT, Meredith
and Robert OBoyle were among the local
clergy in attendance Prof j. r. Dll had
charge of the meeting and read a lesson from
the scriptures. He also explained the object
of the Institute work and gave am outline of
the discourse announced for the evening with
the assistance Of a chart which was designed
to show the cncroachmcuts on the public
school system. The choir of the church
rendered several excellent selections during
the intermissions.
The speaker of the evening was Rev. r. p.
Stevenson, d. d., of Philadelphia 1t was
after eight o'clock when he took the plat
form, having just arrived from Philadelphia.
Rev. Stevenson's Introductory was brief and
he consumed very little time before graspng
and entering upon an earnest address on the
subject announced, Dangers Threatening
our Public Schools
The discourse extended over an hour, dur
ing which time Rev. Stevenson held to the
point that to eliminate from the course of
public school work the moral obligation and
duty of mankind to the Supreme Being would
lay a foundation for nation of infdels. To
avert this result he believed that the bible is
an indispensable book of reference in the
T NJ. T. Al. L. a.
schools he said, was but the initial step tC
what has been done in Wisconsin and scvera
large cities of the country, where sccularst,
have gone so far as to exclude all text book.
containing the names of God and Jesus Chris
: orany reference of moral duty to God. He cteC
z as an instance a case where a geography wa.
excluded from school because ina paragraph
= it was stated that the globe bears evidence
that it was designed to be inhabited by man
= To say that thing is designed implies that
there has been a designer as in this connec
ton the designer must have been God, the
geography was declared secular and ruled
, out The nation Of to-day, said Rev. Steven
son, has its hand upon the nation of the
future and depends upon the education which
is impaired in the public schools and if tn,
nation is to remain law-lbding and God fear
ing it will be because the public schools
trained the people in that character. If tht
'' people are to become intdels it will be be
@ cause the schools ceased to exert the influence
- in the history of the past. If the danger
II that threaten the public school system anc
II silent forces that may change its characte
II and transform it to something different iron
l. what it was intended to be the effect will
S, make us another people an alien people,
t. people different from what our fathers ha
been taught to anticipate under the blessing
l. of God
m Rev. Stevenson said that in addition to tn
l. danger threatened by the sccularists there
II the danger foreshadowed by the propositio
ar that either directly, or indirectly, the publ
school funds be divided so that half be give
to the public schools and half to the pare
"a chial schools, Of which there are 5000 in tn
81 United States. Thc speaker maintained tbs
y, the proposition was open to the objection thS
u in making the div ION the state resigns cor
troll and ceases to have control Of the schoo
which it supports, 1t isa fundamental prir
cipal in all udminstr.. ,i5 hat the hand thu
$ supports should also guyeiu. The state b.
I'd comes a great tax-gathercr, while the funC
IS, are either directly, or indirectly, handle
We over to the church. If that is not union
'' church and state, said Rev. Stevenson, don
know what is, and that is contrary to IL
Fundamental principal Of the America
nc people.
IN The fourth of the course Of lectures win J
TX delivered this evening in The Presbyteria
or church, when Prof Dill will speak concen
nc ing Law in the Millennal State" To-mo
row evening Prof. Dill will lecture in I'll
Methodist Episcopal church on 'Christia
Aspects Of Citizenship"