The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-04-14
DIR AGGING IN RELIGION.

A bill was introduced into the house,
and brought to vote last Wednesday,
which enacted that the creed of no
religious denomination should be taught
in the public schools, and that no
teacher should wear the garb of any
sect, while teaching in the same.
1t is our impression that there was
an intention on the part of some per-
sons 1--WE do not charge such purpose
against the author of the bill-Mr
SOule, Of Washington county, to get
up a religious battle in the state over
the measure, which might obscure the
contest over the financial question.
We took the ground that while it is
true that our institutions, in this coun-
try, are based upon complete and alb
solute separation of church and state;
and while the records of the dark and
bloody past, (when men for centuries
were numbering each other over relig-
iOus difference,) are such as to preclude
any possibility of the nation returning
to that cruel and prosecuting era, never
theless we thought it would have been
better for the state to wink at any in
fractions that might occur in a few To-
calittes, than to have had this bill
brought into the legislature, to divide
and embitter fellow citizens
We pointed to the fact that there
nj re
who were of foreign birth, notably in
Stearns county, who came here strang-
ers to our language and our ideas. and
who did not fully realize the principles
on which our public school system was
founded, to-wit: that all creeds and sec
tartan teachings must be rigidly ex-
cluded from the schools. They did not
see that if the Catholics were permitted
to use the taxes collected from all the
people to advance their particular doc
trines, in localities where they were
largely in the majority. then the Pres
byterians must be granted the same
right in places where they were in the
majority; and the Methodists the same
right where they were in the majority:
and the Jews the same right where they
were in the majority; and thus it would
come to pass that the public schools
would be torn into shreds and tatters:
each man with his hand in his neigh
bor's hair. because the money he paid
for taxes was being used to sustain
creeds which, perhaps, he hated and de-
spised. We said it would have been bet
ter, as the evil complained of was con-
fined to few localities, in one county:
and trust to the spread of wise counsels
and American ideas to furnish a rem
edy.
We had invited these foreigners among
us; we were glad to have them with us:
their industry and energy had aided in
the development of our resources; they
were good. virtuous citizens; they had
not intentionally done anything wrong.
and time would correct their miscon-
ceptions and merge them gradually into
the great mass of HOMOGENEOUS peo-
pie.
Anything which tended to divide our
people into worrying factions, on tho
lines of religious belief, could only end
In destroying the common sense Of
brotherhood which should exist between
all the people of the state. Therefore
we regretted the Introduction of the bill
But being brought face to face with it
we felt constrained to vote for it, To
have voted against it would have been
equivalent to saying that we believed
religious creeds should be taught in the
public schools, and that would be the
end of the schools; and the end of the
schools would be the end OF the Repub.
lie.
Our whole SYSTEM OF government rests
on the capacity Of the people to thiai,
wisely on public affairs; and to do tina,
the whole people must be educated; ano
that education cannot he left to chance
but must be made the first concern Of
government. Intelligent minds are
therefore of more Importance than bal.