The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-22
DR.. X RI EIaborates.

I y
Dr.. K RI Elaborates.
Editor of The Times:
Sir,-Your editorial in answer to my ar
| tice on the Bible in the public schools Is
/ extremely courteous. but I do not think
| it is convincing. Indeed. believe you
really would like to have morals taught
! in the schools only you DO not KNOW just
| how it can be done without using the
| Bible. Neither do I, nor any one else.
You do not seem to feel solid ground I'M
der your feet, and SO you go off on an
7 other question. and argue against 4, union
| of church and State, because there you
I are safe. and certain of the right of your
| contention. l am utterly opposed to any
union Of church and State. Nor can you
write an argument against a union of
| church and State too strong for me to
! endorse. But the question is not as to
a union Of church and State; it is as to
disunion Of the moral and intellectual in
! education. I contend that they cannot
be separated without great loss to the
pupils, and I insist that there Is a dis
| tinction between teaching religion. as re-
ligion is commonly understood, and teach
| ing morals.
! Religion means more than certain moral
! precepts.
AS usually understood religion means
some particular kind Of creed, polity or
worship as Tor example the Christian
religion, the Jewish religion. Your con-
tent'on is that morals cannot be taught
without teaching some particular form of
religion. I contend that they can. Sup
pose should make up volume composed
| OF the pest moral precepts of Buddha
2oraster, Confucius. Mohammed, Socrates
and Marcus AureliuS; it cert MS, would
not be religion, but it would be a code.
OF morals; and with care an excellent code
| couid be framed from the writings Of
| these men, 1t would be better that a
| book cG this kind should be used in our
| schools than not to have morals taught
at AL We could get from these men at
| least this much-that there is a God: that
| ne made the world and that we must fear
| and love him and lead virtuous and I'M
| selash lives. Certainly one would need
| 70 select passages with great care and
leave cut much that is erroneous. OF
| course such plan is absurd, because we
nave book called the Bible which Is all
good and true. and that is the only bool.
| 70 use IN teaching morals. I contend that
the Bible IS not a sectarian book, as corr
Sidered with reference to Christian de-
nominations. They all believ., it all. AS
| TO the Jews, the New Testament would be
| sectarian to them, and their children need
| Ii H.
sorry in any event
| Because 1 spoke OF selecting certain mas
sages from the Bible to be memorfzed by
the chlidren, you were pleased il. YOUR
/ editorial to say that DR. Kerr proposed
| TO nave IAN eNpursated Bible" I do not
admit this. In order to avoid the possi
ollty OF any sectarian teaching proposed
That the Bible be simply memorized by
! the pupils, and because it was too hfp for
! It,J1
all, suggested that a selection be made
OF the most suitable parts fer children
| 10 learn by heart. nstancng the Ten
| commandments, the twenty-thirtl and the
| nineueth Psalms, &c. Nor do propose
| that these passages be printed in a book
TO themselves, but left in the Bible where
! they are, and simply underlined that they
may be recognized wherever they occur
| 10 this you ci1jcct that it would be n mere
"perfunctory learning of the Scriptures,
ana so on to say that these passages.
| without explanation would be las SO
/ much Greek or Hebrew" + DENY this
Certainly, If a child learns IN the begins
ming God created the heavens and the
earth; The Lord is my Shepherd"
honor thy father and thy mother"
Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord, thy God. in VAIN Thou shalt
not steal, kill, covet or bear false wit
ness; Remember now thy Creator in
the days OF thy youth" it will not be .as
| unlntelligible to him as Greek or He
brew" He will undertand it. This is nv
| very point. Select such passages as are
sultap.e -'or the purpose in view. and
| teach the children what they can under
S T:1 ana E,y Tar the greater part of the
E2b!e IS understandable to child It is
a book written for young and old-for nm
| lettered and for learned
1oG say that III confined strictly win
! IN thes: limits We do not know +hot II
would do any harm. but would it do anv
| Soou: OF course it would do good: how.
could !t i.Sip doing good 10 teach a child
the great principles and precepts of NOR
ahty! It would do vast amour. of
| good W
| government may indeed be secular h,,t
! 1t must be moral, nor can it be perr,a-
nently maintained without morality. and
no people can be successfully governed
wlthout the fear OF God. The French
Revolutionists tried this. and failed and
one OF their leaders said. I'VE cannot
govern France without God. Il there be
| no God, we must invent one And this
vas true. Our government recognizes
| this
In all our courts. when a man is sworn
| what must he do? He must promise. 70
tell the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth, so help me Cod"
| And then what? He is handed a Bible by
the Court, and required to kiss it
l.cok ut our Legislatures. Congress. and
our Constitutional Convention: thew all
send for ministers to open their meet
lngs with prayer; they recognize God
| II man must swear In the name OF
God in court, why not teach him in
school who God is and what is Gods
law? Do not our courts all issue licenses
to ministers of the Gospel to marry
couples. and are not our laws based
largely on the law Of God as revealed
in the Scriptures?
a large and increasing number of
thoughtful people in the United States
are not satisfied with the results of our
public education from the primary school
to the University, mainly because the ed
ucatton is of the head. and not of the
heart. The Southern Presbyterian Gen.
eral Assembly has deliberately undertake
en- to establish all over the South pri-
mary schools in which the Bible IS a
textbook. and only because the public
schools do not teach the children the
word OF God
|