The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-03-07
The Bible In the, Schools.

on THE Bible and the Twentieth
Century" Rev. William O'Brien Par
dow said in part:
1.-The question of the Bible in the
twentieth century cannot be fully
treated if we restrict our consideration
Of it to the place it is to occupy in the
pulpit and the church. The school
also must be looked to. On all sides
from those who are conversant with
the results of our public school educa-
ton comes the mighty question: How
shall we increase the moral power OF
the classroom The conclusion is
forcing itself on multitudes of serious
men and women that there is some
thing radically wrong in our great
educational system. Religious truth
is having less and less hold OH the ris
ing generations. Some are fain to
think that the daily reading in the
classroom of Il page of the Bible,
without note or comment will be Il
sufficient breakwater to stop the rapid
rush towards intidelity and agnostic-
ism. You might as we'll try to stop
the waters of Niagara with Il box of
burnt matches. If the Bible is read
in the public schools the Catholics will
necessarily protest against the use of
the Protestant version, which excludes
seven of our books from the Bible and
which differs from the Catholic YER
sion in very important renderngs; and
the Jews will protest against reading
the New Testament as the Word of
God ut all.
But apart from all this, how can
real educators fail to see that the cur
sorry reading in the classroom of Il
page of the Bible, without note Or
comment would be an object lesson
which would have the very contrary
effect from the one intended? In
every other study if the child does not
understand the meaning of the book
lie is allowed to ask for an eXplana-
ton. Give the pupil Il book on botany
or astronomy and tell him he must
ask no questions about what he may
not understand, and in his young
mind he will conclude that nothing
can be surely known about either; in
other words, he will soon become Il
Read page of the Bible to him, and
rs questions will arise in his mind at
almost every verse, tell him he can
not have them solved, and then by
the very fact of this daily repeated
object lesson of Biblical agnosticism
he will. little by little, become con-
WINGED that the teaching of religious
topics differs from all other kinds of
teaching; that the really important
teacher processes to know something
definite and is anxious to answer
questions; that the Bible and it's les
sons must be of very little value COM
pared to the study of reading, writing
and arithmetic, since no questions can
he asked concerning the former, and
the teacher does not seem to care
whether the pupil knows the meaning
of what is read or not. Nor will it
RI tn 1,ot 1,n is fn hn
read in the public schools as literature;
for if it is read merely as literature,
why should all questions be forbidden
as to it's meaning? Are all questions
forbidden in regard to other books of
mere literature? No; if the Bible
is to be read it must be read as the
Word of God; it derives all it's power
from these great Biblical words: Thus
saith the Lord Any reading of the
introduce sectarianism. There arc
fundamental differences in the canon
of the Bible. that is, what books are
Bible. The Jewish canon, of course.
excludes the New Testament The
Catholic canon differs from the Prot
cstnnt. The Bible as it exists in the
King james translation is received as
canonically complete by Protestants
generally, abut not by the majority of
Christendom. Thus the choice of the
particular Bible to be read would at
once introduce sectarianism into the
| public schools. against the vested
rights of conscience Neither is the
much praised King James translation
always in harmony with the latest
revised version. Take for example
that very important change in the
conclusion of the Our Father. Prot
estants have always until now finish
For Thine is the kingdom and the
power and the glory forever. Amen.
(St. Matt. vi. 49, But the revised
version has removed these words as
not having been uttered by Christ, and
has hanished them to foot note. thus
vindicating the Catholic Our Father
Should any child in the public schools
ask his teacher. who may have just
read this page of the bible, which OF
the two is the real Our Father he
must be reminded that no questions
are to be asked in this study. and tina,
in matters connected with religion ig
norance is bliss.