Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-05-29
CORRESPONDENCE
H0 BIBLOS !!
ScmpIronicus on the Use of che
Bible in Schools.

L nOtlCGu question III Inc lasl
weeks Advertiser TO this effect
what should be the purpose of
school training? My answer is, the
perfect development of the mental
and moral faculties. | don't think
any sensible man will object to This
definition. go step further and
say chat moral growth ought moro
nearly to be the purpose Of school
training han mental growth. The
great Socrates. living amid the
snarcs and pitfalls of the Athen,
ian philoso ,hcr, declared that tte
interior 5en,ny Of the soul is the
great end Of all education; can we
in . christian land set up any low.
or standard?
Pedagogue, in speaking of the pub
lie schools, used the following lam
guage; Il would suggest that we
adopt tho Texan school, system
thal prohibits the reading of the
Bible in their public schools, also
forhidS the saying ofpraye.s. This
is done 10 keep seclarianism out OF
lha schools" This is u very rr-
markabIr statement. grand idea
Noble thought! Wonderful dis
covery!!! SO the simple reading
the word of God and offering a
prayer TO the All-Father produces
sectarianism (this is a legitimate
Inference from the above quota
tion.) No sir; sectarianism arises
from the bigoted fancics of men
and not from The Word. Even
granting that reading the Bible
does produce sectarianism, do hot
these same school children hear
the word read every Sunday and,
in christian families, every night?
Will not there be a spirit of Sec
tarianism in the school from this
source whether the -R'}5}te-iss 'se';.sfse
| in the school or not?
Now, Pedagogue, if you are a
logical thinker you must see that
if the Bible ought to be kept out
of the schools because it produces
sectarianism much more ought il
to be kept out of the law-courts
legislative halls and in fact al
public affairs. This is the logical
conclusion, for, if the use of the
Bible produces sectarianism al
one place, the same thing will hap
pen at every place, and Pedagogue
himself says: angels weep and
the devils laugh when that spirit
enters them" Now, it would be
ridiculous to say that reading a
few verses and offering a prayer
in our Legislature produces secta-
rianism, yet follow Pedagogue's
reasoning to its logica.. end, and
you will be obliged to conclude in
this manner. Now all logicians
say that when 8. proposition proves
too much, it rests on false prem
ises. Pedagogue's propositions
proves loo much, when followed
out, therefore it rests on false
premises.
I suppose Pedagogue based his
argument on the 1st amendment to
the United States constitutions,
which guarantees a free exercise
of religion, etc. Now there is
one fact to be borne in mind,
namely, that this is a Christian
country, settled by Christian peo-
pie, and our form of society and
government is kept together by
the Bible. Is it common sense to
abolish thing from our schools,
that is admittedly the ground
work, the cement that holds the
world together.
Both Protestant and Catholic
receive the Bible as the great book
of laws. Neither could object to
having it read without comment
from the reader) at the beginning
of each days work. AS for the
Jews, Chinese, or anybody that
doesn't believe in Jesus Christ, we
have nothing to fear from their
opposition. If they think it is not
right to have The Bible read in the
public schools, let them send Their
children elsewhere. The Chris
tian people of this state cannot
afford to put their children to a
great disadvantage, merely to keep
from insulting q stray Chinaman
or Japa. The property of the
country is owned by people who
believe the Bible, consequently no
mans rights in the schools would
be infrlnged, calling that mans
rights for which he pays; for when
man pays no tax, his children
have no moral claim on the public
funds, and whatever he gets is not
right but Il bo""ty.
We all know what Il great text
book the Bible is. 1t is the great
standard of English grammar, be-
ing translated when the English
tongue WAS in It's strongest, most
idiomatic state, by men who thor
oughly understood our mother
tongue. The Bible is truly "the
well of English undeliled." Histo-
ry, poetry, law, romance, and love
are found IN this great school
book for many of the worlds