Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-16

from the committee because the commit
tees work was concerned with the affairs
of the District of Columbia. and since he is
not resident of the District he wrote that
he must withdraw from the committee.
''Of the fourteen who continued members
of the committee eleven have signed the re-
port Two members of the committee re-
Trained from signing the report for reasons
which each wishes to state briefly to the
conference.
Your committee respectfully report: That
we are heartily in accord with the purpose
of the resolutions offered by the Rev. Or.
Mckim; and we submit the following:
l. The American principle of the entire
separation of church and state we bel1eVe
to be right. 1t should be carefully main
tanned. We advocate nothing that Will IN
any wise compromise it; and nothing whlcn
shall interfere with the right of parents 10
control the religious education of their cnli-
dren. But we do not believe that the main
terance of this principle should be inter
preted as necesstating an irrelig1ous state
or an atheistic education We rejoice IN
the good work already doing in our public
schools We believe that our schools incul-
cate morality. and we hope to see them
tea ching it still more effectively. We have
no revolutionary changes to suggest: but
we do believe that further Development
OF the work of the schools under the ad-
ynrabe regulations for their government
already formulated by the board or educa-
ton of the District of Columbia. would con-
tribute materially to the strengthening or
ZenshIp through our public schools. we
heartily commend the regulation long III
force which provides for the reading OF the
Bible and the use of the Lords prayer III
opening the sessions of our schools. TO
exclude the teaching of theiStic morals ana
Biblical righteousness from our puDIc
schools would be not simply to ignore the
principles which our fathers founded the
republic but utterly to reverse those prin-
cples. Our fathers rightfully Incorporated
into our statute law the recognition or GER
tain principles of religion and morality, as
| in the laws against blaSphemy, polygamy
and perjury The state justly retains laws
| and customs which are rooted in principles
! OF religion common to all civilized nations,
and retains them in obedience TO the wiz
| of the overwhelming majority of our peo-
pie; and we hold that it is right and hitting
| for the state in the public schools wnich
| the state maintains, to make provision for
| the teaching of these common principles VI
morality and religion.
Recognition Commended.
III. AS residents of the District OF Column
bia we heartily recommend that recognl-
ton of a common basis of religious beief
underlying our common American citizen-
shin. which led to the adoption of rule 10
| for the government of the public schools OF
| The District, which requires each teacher to
| ''endeavor to inculcate truthfulness, self
| control temperance, frugality, industry,
| obedience to parents and obedience
| to the laws of God" We bear witness to
| the efficiency and faithfulness of the great
| body of our public school teachers in their
! efforts to inculcate morality in the school
| life of the young. But we feel that the
| alarming increase of certain crimes in our
| country within the past twenty-five years
| clearly indicates the need of more thorough
and more definite education in ethics APP
piled to conduct-in that true morality which
| has characterized those peoples in the his
| tory of the world who have been believers
| in an Almighty, Righteous Ruler and Judge
| of the universe. While we believe that
| moral and religious training should first of
| all. and chiefly. be given in the family and
! the church. and that the doctrina1 teaching
| which is peculiar to each church or relig-
ious body should be given in that church or