Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-06-13

to some visionary. 1t will be said that
Intellectually the thing IL conceivable.
but one must reckon with religious and
irreligtous opinions. This will prevent
the practice Of what is preached. May
we answer in candor with words SOL
iemnixed by use in q recent sermon.
Public education was by the organic
act OF 1887 to be a Christian education.
With a practice sometimes more,
sometimes less Christian, not until re-
Gently has the subject been cleared up.
The provision that church and state
should be separated. the tradition OF
church and college education for long
lsectarian and secular education, be-
tween a Christian or religious, and an
.unchristian or goddess education. At
length we have learned that separation
between church and state does not i'm.
ply antagonism. A deeper philosophy
and higher Christianity have shown
itnat the distinction between secular
and sacred is nominal. There has de-
svelopcd a positive Christly charity i'm
superior to the old boosted
negative liberation. A severe sectarian-
ism has yielded to a complacent and
partially cooperative denominational-
ISM. a larger Americanism, conscious
of a new nationality with mission for
humanity, roots itself in basic spirit
sual life, and is not afraid that religion
and morality in the schools will trench
upon liberty of conscience and degen-
crate into sectarlanism. BY common
consent, therefore, the contrast now is
not between the Christian and the god
less state school. but between the
church and the state school, both es-
sentially Christian. Did say con-
tarst? should have said comparison.
Let us go further. We hope
the day is at hand when we
may expect the cooperation be-
tween the church and the state
school. each having its sphere, each
lending a happy influence to the other
and a luster to our common American
education.
Let us be thankful that the various
churches in the era OF Americas cons
tinental expansion not only planted
their sanctuaries upon the prairies, but
also their schools and especially their
ton and Christianity might not perish
unjust lile lOSeINy W 5lNe ploHeSI-.s.
Let those of US who are churchmen
be equally thankful that the strength
and treasury Of the churches. all bu;
overtaxed to sustain missions the globe
around. are not required single handed
to support church schools and colleges,
but these are supplemented and COM
plemented by the public schools main-
tanned by the service and treasury of
the state. Intact, a silent conquest OF
the public schools has been made by
religion. AS 1t has been done without
impairing freedom or liberty of con-
science, there is no friend of humanity
who may not rejoice,
Christian education by church or
state must meet the test of the practi-
cal. What are the facts? On the one
hand the church schools are be!ittled as
sectarian and accused of narrowness
and bigotry: on the other the state
schools are denounced as Goddess an6
as promoting Indifference, ekepticism
and even immortality. An impartial
study of the curricula. facilities, stu
dents and alumni of both classes of in
situations will show little dierence. The
older so-called church colleges like
Harvard, Yale. Princeton, Amherst.
Williams and the oldest imitators Of
these in the west have opened their
|eurrienla to the widest extent to the
modern secular studies. The same
liberties are granted to the students