Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-20
RELIGIOUS TRAINING
Opinions of Local Ministers
Expressed Yesterday
THE OPPOSING VIEWS
PROPOSED INTRODUCTION IN THE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
DR.. Bristol Favors the Idea Advanced
DR.. Bristol Favors the Idea Advanced
by DR.. McKim-Rev. Alex
ander Kent Condemns.

Two local ministers delivered sermons
yesterday on the question of introducing
religious and moral education in the local
public schools. Rev. Dr. Frank M. Bristol
pastor of the Metropolitan Methodist Epis-
copal Church., said in his evening sermon
that nobody ought to object to this in
struction, since it would mean in no sense
a union of church and state, but would be
non-sectarian teaching of the young in
the way they should 60 On the other
hand, in the opinion of Rev. Alexander
Kent of the Peoples Church, expressed m
a sermon yesterday morning, the present
movement is an attempt of the so-call"d
evangelical branch of Professionalism to
dominate the schools and use its machin-
cry for purposes of religious propaganda.
Should all moral education be withheld
frcm the children during the hours In
which they may be mingling with asso-
ciates who are growing up to be fellow
citizens with them of this republic? asked
DR.. Bristol in the course of his remarks
I'm the public school, where the children
meet and mingle, study and play, is there
to be no instruction in the amenities OF
life, in the morals of conduct in the du-
ties and obligations of neighbors and cit
iZenS? If SO, can we expect of such tram
ing the highest and nobleSt type of Amer
lean citizens? We must look at this quas-
religion. AS patriots we must realize that
much, yes, all depends upon the training of
the child for citizenship in the kingdom of
heaven or in the republic of the United
States.
THE two strong and beautiful pillars
that sustain the imposing fabric of Amer
icanism are intelligence and virtue. Neither
of these can be destroyed without a ruin
of social order and national power But
universal enlightenment and universal NOR
ality must rest for foundation upon
union of the spirit of religion and the spirit
OF liberty.
Ethics, Politics, savagery.
I'VE cannot eliminate ethics from pol
tiles without returning to savagery. Every
theory of society and government is pred
icated on the moral nature of man. And
no form of government relies more implic-
lilly upon the character of the citizen than
free self-government like our own. With
out morality liberty becomes license and de-
mocracy means anarchy.
This is Christian nation. Our history
has BEEN providential. Our laws rest for
their authority the Bible These facts
were recognized by our political fathers.
Washington and Jefferson taught the doc
trine Of Providence, and the necessity for
observing the virtues of Christianity When
we read the Declaration of Independence
| in the public school we learn therefrom
that our unalienable rights are the gift of
our Creator. When we read the address of
Washington We are taught our reliance
upon Providence and our obligation to
practice the preceptS taught by the Divine
Author of our blessed religion. While we
study the common law in the light of the
wisdom thrown upon it by Blackstone and
Story, and learned jurists in general, we find
that the law comes to US from the princi
pies of Christianity.
Before we can eliminate the spirit of
religion from our public schools we must
eliminate the spirit of Washington and
Jefferson; yes, even the spirit of law and
liberty. We must cease to read, or have
read, the noblest utterances of our faith
ers; must not permit our children to
study our charters of freedom, all of which
acknowledge God and Christianity"
DR.. Kent's View.
Rev Alexander Kent made the following
assertion:
1.-The members of the committee urging
the movement to teach religion in the pub
lie schools are of many denomina tons, but
substantially the same theological system.
This they call evangelical, though the name
fits it about well the word 'albino' fits
a black man. 1t is this miscaled division
of Professionalism that is seeking to domi-
nate our public school system and to use
its machinery for purposes of religious
propaganda.
1T is not possible for any body of men.
much less for such constitute this COM
Hllttee, TO make any selection OF Bible read
ings or preparatory text book on morals
that would not be decidedly Objectionable
to our citizens and to men of large intelli-
gence and broad culture he went on. "If
the committee regards faith in Almighty
God the ruler and judge of the universe, as
the one important element in moral char
acter, then the members who stand for the
so-called evangelical scheme of salvation
In their church work are hypocritical. If
1t does not regard faith in God as a loving
and therefore righteous judge, as an ade-
quate foundation on which to build a true
and saving character, then the instruction
1t proposes to give to the schools must eX-
plain the necessary relation of Jesus to this
saving faith. The language of the report
in this regard is utterly misleading and in
sincere. Either the committee is proposing
an utterly inadequate system of religious
instruction or the general teachings of the
churches are both wickedly false and harm
full
IT do not believe that the men who are
moving for this change mean to be content
with simple theistic instruction believe
that they mean to have Scripture selections
and carefully prepared text book that will
set forth what they regard as the substance
of evangelical teachings. This they think
they can do in way not to offend the
Catholic the Jew or the conservative LID
eral, and, as for the more radical, they will
simply have to submit
SIX VICTIMS OF MAD DOG.
til