The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-09-11
RELIGION IN the PUBLIC SCHOOLS,
United States Commissioner Of Education
Objects to Il.

lutte0 STATES SomWtSSt0oer Ot CuuSatiou
Objects to II.
wv. I. Harris in The Independent
Even the bare enumeration OF
Christian doctrines in language part
iy secular is sufficient TO show the
impossibility of their introduction
into tie curriculum Of schools sup
ported by public taxes. Even the
doctrine Ct the existence Of God i'm
plies & specific conception Of Hin,
and the conception the Divine varies
from that of the finite deities Of ami
mism to the infinite deity OF East
Indian pantheism and the holy bible.
IT varies from the pantheistic Brahm
whose concept is that of negation OF
all attributes to the Jehovah OF the
Bible, who is self determined AMI
personal, but elevated entirely above
nature. Mere deism is opposed to
all the creeds Of Christendom. When
We come to teaching live religion
in the schools we sea that il must
take a denominational form, and /,
moreover, il must take the form OF
authority, ard address itself to the
70 igious sense. and not the mere in
te.ieGt.
The church has through long ages
learned the proper method OF rell-
gious instruction. Ii ,levates sense
perception through solemn mus c
addressed to the ear, and works OF
art, which represent to the eye the
divine self sacrifice for the salvation
Of man. II clothes the doctrine In
the language OF the Pible, book
sscredly kept apart from other liter
allure, and held in such exceptional
reverence that il is taken entirely out
OF he natural order OF experience.
The symbol language Of the Psalms
tue prophets and the gospels has
c,me to possess q maximum po~er
of suggestiveness, powerful to pro-
dIc- what il called the religious
frame Of mind. The highest wisdom
OF the race il expounded before the
people Of the congregation in such
lsns usge, and such significant acts
OF ", r-hip, as to touch the b arts OF
Young and old with like effect.
Ne must conclude, therefore, that
tn- prvroga,ive OF religious instruc-
ton is in the chlrch, and that II
mu-t remain in the church, and that
in the nature of things il cannot be
transferred 10 the secular school with
out degenera,ing into mere delsm
without living Providence, or else
changing the school into a parochial
s.Lool, and destroying the efficiency
II secular instruction.
The church ceremonial that is the
most elaborate will suffer least injury
from the dlsenchantment produced
t'y the higher criticism IF the Sc.ip-
lures. and by the mathodIcal and
n.heis,ic Interpretation OF scientific
discoveries. The great hymns Of the
church. such a ''Dies lrae, the
.jtabat Mater" and the galaxy Of
Latin by INNS which express all the
phases of Christian thought and feel
ing, when well rendered by fitting
music, which il religious to the core,
furnish a perennial vehicle for relig
i,u- instruction. One IL 10 remem
that religious music If the high
est orier is in process If composition
in our time, although painting and
sculpture have not discover d how
to retain religion in the rea istic
forms of art. Music and poetry
yield themselves TO religion, and tn
highest poetry and mu-ic have done
this for hundredsof years The true
esthetic il the ves!ibule and forecouri
Of religion. One feels sure that the
church must not relax whatever oil
strict theological teaching it has in
operation, and its theological semi
naries must recover frpm tn blight
ing effects OF Rants Third Antim'
ny. And /, for one, must think that
those denominations whic have
least ceremonial should con-iiel
carefully the use andfunc;ions Of ceI.
emonials, as il is and has cxi-,-j, IL
reaching the spir 'usl sense thr 'lsil
its transformation ,i i.na ina.
and sense prc ption.
Above all, the churrl az
ment must not rest III -rursy ].
the belief hat the time il cunning
when il may safely rely o. i, ny
sectarian instruction in Tia 81, ~ 4,
larry schools for the sI,r-s - true
religion, not rely on the ~ t,sb
lifhmeut Of parochial schools In
place ef free schools under govern
ment control, and supported BY pub
lie taxes.