The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-01
RELIeroUs EDUCATIoN.

/ AGAsVAVW0 EWOOA1 AVNs
--
Tho New. NJ. W. Msatasus Ceer Of 90.
Paul's Chapel Argues nat Oar Public
schssl System 4 Peril 70 Our Society.
To THE EDrToR or THE sUx--Sir: There
IL nothing so topsy-turvy in the country
to-day a. our treatment Of the subject OF
education; yet there is nothing 70 vital to
the safety and perpetuty of our institutions.
And the cause Ia not far to seek.
In country like this, with mixed popu-
lation, it Is not the right and not the duty
nor the policy Of the State to educate. The
State is too big and unwieldy an organiza-
ton to do such delicate work. To allow the
State to carry on this kind OF ethical and
spiritual warfare Ia as absurd as to intrust
to the Church the duty Of managing mill
tary campaign against foreign foe. 1t il
simply question Of adaptability and equip
ment. The well meant usurping Of maternal
functions by the State reminds one Of the
tender hearted, motherly elephant that
undertook to hatch out the eggs OF disa-
bled hen.
What is the result Of our malpractice?
Why, we are bringing up all over this broad
land lusty set of young pagans, who,
| sooner or later, they or their children, will
make havoc of our institutions. Lynchors.
labor agitators and law breakers generally
are human guide posts, with arms, hands
and fingers wide extended and voices at
their loudest, pointing us to the ruin which
awaits society if we persevere in the road
which we are now taking.
Foreign war would make unit Of a.
brave, as resourceful a people as ever knew
existence but let severe pressure come
from within, and we shall see, to our silly
surprise, how little the average American
cares for his country as q sacred, God
made institution. Pagans, under the best
ethical training Of old time paganism,
might be made, even in this Christian era,
to do good work for society; but may we
be delivered from the handwork of pagans
in q Christian country who know little
or nothing either Of pa gan ethics and pa gan
religion or Of Christian ethics and Christian
religion. Such as these are already prov
ing perilous element The wealth and
extent Of the country may put of for time
our evil day, at its worst estate; but if we
continue to forge ahead into the darkness
at the rate at which we are now moving
that evil day may be much nearer than
We think. A rolling ball makes history
fastest when it is nearest the bottom Of
the hill, and we are making history at
tremendous pace.
The writer has been surprised in con-
versation with intelligent and thoughtful
men to find marked want OF confidence
in the permanent success OF our institu-
ika i'm, fnra 70
be "peering into the night. questioning
of the darkness what is sea and what Is
land" And the best they dare hope for
is that after cataclysm, there will follow
some sort Of rehabilitation of our institu-
tions on firmer foundations; that we will
be saved, yet so as by fire.
Our perils are not old-country perils. but
they are just as real; yet we seem to know
nothing about them. We are building costly
educational breakwaters against storms
coming from one direction only. Our ma
tional harbor of safety promises, therefore,
10 be like that Of Apia in the famous storm
of a few years ago. a harbor in stress of
weather to be sailed out from. Dropping
metaphor. our moneyed classes, in the not
remote future, may be tempted to place
their money over the border in Canadian
banks, as some of them are said to have
done when Organism was most threatening
We have problems of appalling magni-
tude before us, and our pre- paration is wholly
insufficient in character. We need powers Of
assimilation such as no other country ever
needed yet we are making ready for a
solution of our difficulties with sort of
spiritual dyspepsia. Nothing ever was so
haphazard, happy go-lucky as our well
meant national system Of education. 1t is
openly and, believe, justly charged that
this city, for fifty or sixty years past,
through its schools, has been corrupting
the immigrants, not the Immigrants the
city; and the same might be said with equal
truth Of the country at large. What Grass
mismanagement! What fatal laundering,
We pride ourselves on our successful
separation of Church and State: but the
attempt is the worst kind of failure. No
such separation is possible as long AS the
State has almost a monopoly in educating
the children The truth il, we have an es-
tablished religion. for the support of which
the people are heavily taxed Our richly
endowed established religion $50 TO call it)
is that Of agnosticism, running down into
atheism. Is not the same true OF religion
in those families in which the father and
dren? And il things,are wrong in the nurs-
ery. what need is there to look elsewhere?
! Professionals, Roman Catholics and He
brews have struck a compromise by which
God and Christ-yes, and with them pagan
ethics at their best-are eliminated from the
education of the child life of the nation.
What is the result? Why surely the virtual
enforcement OF forces that disbelieve in
God and Christ and are antagonistic to
them How can those who know what
Christianity is and what the nature and
needs Of children are believe otherwise?
There can be no education in these days
without religion, or its negation or opposite.
What an atmosphere to bring up our chill
dren in, Small wonder that atheists and
aRnostics love to have it so; because in a
most pitiful sense of the word the lamb is
inside the lion.
Rome allowed each conquered nation to
retain its own religion, and even placed
their gods in her Pantheon; and all were
contented, or at least gratefully accepted
the wisely offered consolation. But we are
| dishonoring every form of religion known
| to our people by our colossal and well meant
but wholly stupid meddling with the nurs-
] ery of, the nation. And the Inevitable result,
which is becoming more and more evident,
| is that no one is satisfied Witness the
want of confidence so abundantly attested
| in the many letters which have recently
appeared in your columns and from time
| to time, in other newspapers and periodi-
| Gals. The schools are overcrowded and
very popular of course; but these facts are
of little weight for the purposes OF this and
| similar protests.
We are over educating our people. I'M