The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-03-04


Some of us Anticipated men and women
rebelled for while, for we We're welded
to the ways of our fathers. but we had
to fall into line and be reconciled to what
we could not help. The world was
against us: Prussia, France, Germany
and New England where all the develop
mont comes from. Still some of us 1elt
that it was hard and unjust to be taxed
for the education OF other peoples chh-
dren when we had already paid for our
own under the old plan. In the Old cOun-
try the young men have to pay it back
in military service.
but every now and then somebody
raises rumpus, and abuses the Whole
thing-the mode of teaching-the eXclu
sion of the Bible and morning prayers,
and the infiction of corporal punishment.
If l had my way / would reform some
things, but | am only one man, and there
are many men of many minds. | would
give the Bible a place if it drove out the
children of every dissenter in the land;
not a place TO be taught as study, Or
for sectarian doctrines, but place to be
read at the opening of the exercises and
to be respected as the oracle of GCd.
This is Christian country and we base
all law and legislation upon the Bible;
every officer of the law is sworn upon 1t
from the President down to a petty con-
stable, including the judges of the SUI
preme court and all the other courts, the
members of Congress and all OF the legls-
lators Congress has its chaplain ana
all how in reverence in the morning
prayer So has the House and SENATE OF
Georgia: and yet there are always ONE
or more members who are Jews or mt
dels or agnostics. Judah, Benjamin and
David Yulee were United States SeIa-
teas and they Were great and good men
of the Hebrew faith, and. always bowed
their heads reverently to the blind chap
lain's prayer. Major K. j. Moses, DIS
tingrished Jew OF Columbus, was the
SPEAKER of our Georgia House III 1860,
and with his gavel solemnly called the
members to their feet when the chaplain
stretched forth his hands to heaven. Our
Governor is not a member OF any church'
but had to confess his faith III the Baole
when he was sworn into office.
Then if all these great and learned
men who represent this government, both
State and national, do not hesitate to
honor the sacred book, what is the mat
ter with children in the public schools
Are they to have no moral draining! NO
reverence for the word Of GOdE Is there
= college in Georgia that does not open
every DAYS exercises with morning. pray
er? Then why this immunity to Gu ldfen
this locking out the Bible and its code
\ Of morals that the ages have sanctioned!
What means the observance OF the SAD
lath and the sound of the church going
bells? What means all the mighty efforts
of our people to send the Bible to the
heather, and through our missionaries
to Christianize the world! What is there
peculiar to our children that they shall
net be taught anything sacred! Inc
very exclusion of the Bible casts shad-
ow of doubt and uncertainty upon IFS
truth; and added to this comes ever and
anon the attacks of such men as niger
soil and Abbott and Mitchell, who seek
to knock out cine of the pillars Of the
sacred volume But the reply IS that
these dissenters are taxed TO support the
schools, and their religious convictions
must he respected Their convictions are
not respected in any other department Ct
public policy They can't work ON the
Sabbath nor can their children play bail
or hunt or frolic. Every letter that Is
written in their business or their families
has date of 1900, which means 1900
Ammo Domin. But l forbear. am
only one man. and have no hackers save
perhaps DR. HoldeIby. With hlm !
agree that far, but | never was more
surprised than to read his vehement PM
lipic against corporal punishment. Either
he or | is a crank upon that subject
And he is minister, and | supposed
would have been guided by the wisdom
of Moses and Solomon. His indignation
at the thought of somebody else WIEp
ping his child is very great. lie is very
fmrhatic and almost beIligerent If the
teacher was a man and should, as ne
saws. CLAW the weight Of his finger upon
his child" | believe he would fight. If
the teacher was Il woman l don't KNOW
what he would do. But | will say that
if was the teacher his children shouldn't
come to my school at all. / would reJec
them at the start, for the first thing
child should be taught is obedience. and
if the child has already been taught de-
6once rather. then the child should not
come to me.
But the good doctor need not be alarm
ed, for his children will never be my Fu
pils-thank the Lord.
believe in corporal punishment IN
schools. that is. for had boys. never
saw but one girl whipped and she de-
served it, She was no spring CMcken'
either | was raised on corporal pun
ishment. both at home and at school.
did not get it often, but at long inter-
walls. but | got it when forbearance had
ceased to be virtue, and it was admin
istered like medicine and was always
good cathartic.
If this was all wrong and made me
worse instead Of better and Illuminated
my pride. as the doctors say. taen l
must consider myself an injured person,
and hire Il lawyer to sue somebody for
damages: for Blackstone says there is
no wrong without n remsdy. But my
teachers ara all dead; and they were al
dead broke before they died, as all teach
ers are. So, | have no remedy. Now,
Of course, there are children who never
need punishment either at hnma or at
ischoul-preIch CllildIel and some
mild-eyed Jerseys who are good consti-
tutienally Most all girls are that way
bless their hearts, but original sin is de
velcped early in most boys and if not
restrained grows into moral turpitude
and ends in total depravity and the