Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-28
BIBLE IN THE PUBLIC SCH. OILS
Superintendent jackson Gives an Opinion n
Case Referred to him,
RENDERS DECISION IN FAVOR OF BIBLE
Nothing In the Laws of Nebraska to
Prevent Simple Reading. without
Note Comment, or Rc-
pentIng Lords Prayer.

LINCOLN. Nov. 27..-tspecial)- Of
the school directors Of the Gage county dis
trict has asked State Superintendent Jack
son whether he would restrain teacher
from reading the bible or singing religious
songs before her class. Mandamus proceed
ngs were recently instituted in the district
court at Beatrice to compel the school board
~ discontinue the practice Of reading the
Nrptures at the opening OF school. Superin-
tendent Jackson today replied as follows:
LINCOLN, Neb Nov. 25.-Mr. H. y.
Odell, Director, Beatrice, Neb-Dear Slr
] am in receipt of your letter OF the L3u
inst, in which you set form that oinst inan abe
school board of district No: u OF cage
county to compel said board to STOP tne
teacher from reading the bible or singing
In selling forth the conditions and facts
in tie case you show that the plalntiit
has heretofore succeeded in stopping the
reading OF the bible. and by so doing has
caused several good teachers to refrain
from applying for your school, You state
nearly all In the district are in favor oil
allowing the teacher the privilege of nav
ing her opening exercises, and that you
are the one opposed to 1t outside OF the
family of the plaintiff. These exercises
You say consist merely of the teacher
reading from the bible and repeating the
Lords Prayer and in few instances OF
costal Hymns and Offering a prayer OF her
own composition. You inquire, Am | (coh-
siderng the above factsl using good JUGS
ment a member of the school board IN
refusing to interfere with the teacher
oDening CXerciSeS?'
desire to say in reply that in dis
triCt where the sentiment Is UNANIMOUSLY
in favor of devotional exercises, Such as
reading chapter from the bible and re-
R9as he as ta s and prope
of such exercises, especially when the read =
ing of the bible is without any comment
| do not mean to say that it would be
proper to require pupils TO conform to any
religious rite or observance, or to go
through with any religious forms or OBJ
servances inconsistent or contrary to their
religious convictions or conscientious scru-
pies. Such a requisiton would be a viola
tion of the spirit of the clause In the con-
stitution which prohibits sectarian ihstruc-
4. The word "sectarian" as defined by Web
ster is pertaining to sect; or to sects'
peculiar to sect; bigOtedIy attached TO
the tenets and interests of a denomination;
as sectarian principles or prejudicesy'
Whether or not any particular kind o., OF
religious service at the opening of school
would constitute sectarian instruction
would depend upon the character Of the
exercises and would be question of fact
to be determined in each individual case.
AS for instance, IA prayer might be so or
fered as to be sectarian, but it is not neces-
sarly so, and in general is not. The same
may be said of the singing.
The bible surely cannot be considered
as falling within the category of sectaran
books. Indeed the bible is the rarest and
richest book in the department of thought
and imagination which exists. In its
poetry, its history, its oratory and its
logic, 1t rises into the solitude of matchless
pre-eminenCe. 1t is library in itself. IL
has been the inspiration of more literature
than any 10000 other books put together.
The vitality of Shakespeare comes from
the moral convictions Of the bible. 1t may
be pitted against all the books of all the
libraries out Of all races and out OF al al
handle. and in all the lines of literature
it touches 1t will discount them all many
fold.
Shall pupils be deprived of hearing read
in our schools the book which is the great
est and crowns all other branches, of
knowledge, and is the most widely studied
book in the world today? If We were to
take the bible quotations, direct and indi-
roct, from our literature and our laws, we
would divest them from nearly all that
Is high and noble. There Is no other book
so calculated to impress on the minds of
children and youth the principles of piety
and justice and the sacred regard for
truth
There seems to be nothing in the laws
of Nebraska that woulG prevent the sim
schools. Judge II. N. Edwards of Scran-
ton, Pa, has decided that there is nothing
the the reading Of the bible in the public
schools He says: 1.-THE reading of the
bible in the public schools may be allowed
and even commended from a standpoint
which does not involve the question of
sectarian instruction nor the rights of
conscience 1t is conceded by men of all
creeds that the bible teaches the highest
morality, apart from religious instruction.
1t must he admitted that sound morality
is one of the foundations of good charac-
ter. An education which does not involve
the inculcation of moral principles is in
complete. And why cannot the common
precepts OF morality be taught by the
reading of the bible better than in any
other way? Furthermore, there is much in
the bible which cannot justly be charac-
terized as sectarian. There can be no valid
objection to the use of such matter in
secular instruction of the pupils. Much of
1T has great historical and literary value
which may be utilized without violating
the constitutional prohibition. 1t may also
he used to inculcate good morals-that Is,
our duties to each other-which may and
ought to he inculCated by the district
schools No more complete code of morals
exists than is contained I'm the New Testa-
ment, which reatiirms and emphasizes the
moral obligations"
Section 4, article /. of the constitution of
Nebraska recognizes religion. morality
and knowledge" as being essential TO
good government"
/ am therefore of the opinion that in
this enlightened age and Christian land
the public school teacher ought not to be
Iapriye6 Of rpuding " bOut urittap a..