Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-20


guments against their adoption advanced
with force by the prominent Hebrews, they
were referred to a committee of fifteen
representative men to be appointed in the
near future by the chairman of the meet
ing, ex-Secretary of the Navy Hilary Her
bert
The present movement is the outgrowth
Of ideas recently expressed in the pulpit
by DR.. McKim to the effect that the in
crease Of crime and the lowering Of social
conditions in this country is largely due to
the absence of moral and religious instruc-
ton in the public schools. The meeting Of
this forenoon was called by the united eff
forts of the various Protestant denomina-
lions of the city.
A feature of the gathering was the pres
ence of Commissioner mcfarland and Gen.
H. v Boynton, president of the board of
education, both of whom heartily favored
the adoption of the resolutions.
Text of the Resolutions.
DIR. McKim's resolutions. which were the
subject of so much discussion this morn
ing declare that "a careful study OF the
moral life of our people reveals symptoms
of decay which seriously threatens the
soundness and stability of the body poi
itic"
Continuing, they state that when We
consider the abnormal increase of crime
in the last twenty-five years-it has grown
four times as fast as the populatloh-"e
cannot but feel that we are face 10 race
with a national peril of a most serious
character; that one of the obvious ana po-
tent causes of this ominous and alarming
increase of crime is to be found IN the TOO
frequent neglect of moral and rel1glous IN
struction in our schools-publc and private
that though firmly convinced that the prin-
ciple of complete separation between
church and state is sacred and lnvlolaple,
we yet believe that to divorce the state
from religion would be a fatal error and
BETRAYAL of the trust we have received from
our fathers; that the practical exclusion OF
the teaching Of morals and religion from
our supported schools Is contrary TO
sound public policy, is a reversal or !he
principle on which our fathers founded the
republic and is fraught with grave peril to
the future of the American people; as our
fathers incorporated into our statute law
the principles of religion, as IN the laws
against blasphemy and polygamy and per-
Jury so it is our duty to incorporate those
same principles into our system or educa-
ton so that every child in our schools may
be taught the first principles of morality
mon the basis of belief in an almighty and
righteous Ruler and Judge of the UNIVERSE
that if the state may justly retain laws
and customs which are rooted in religion,
in obedience to the will of the overwhelm-
ing majority of the people, then there ex-
lists an equal right to provide for the teacn-
ing in her schools Of theistic ethics. If the
former is not a violation Of religious lib
erty, neither would the latter be.
The proposition is thus stated:
..That inaSmuch as the overwhelming
majority of our people desire their chill
dren to be instructed in the first principles
of morals and religion, 1t is violation or
the broad democratic principle on which
our government rests that the will of this
great majority should be defeated. on the
plea of not offending the Views and convic-
tons of the very small minority who would
-; J, inc "a he
means of conscience clause any parent
could be guarante the right to withdraw
his child from any moral or religious teach
ing dstasteful to him.
Basis of Instruction.
I'm the judgment Of this conference, COM
posed of ministers and laymen of all the
various religious communions in the city
of Washington, the code of precepts known
as the Ten Commandments forms incom-
parably the best basis for the teaching of
morality. and for enforcing the duties of
the citizen to the state and to his fellow
citizens.
without distinction of creed we recon-
mend and petition the board of education
of city to introduce the study of these
Ten Commandments into our schools be-
heving that all the diverse religious ele-
ments among US. Jew and Christian, Prot
estant and Roman Catholic, might find
common ground in the inculcation of those
sublime utterances of the divine will, and
In the beautiful summary of them IN the
law OF love-love to God. and love to our
neighbor. Such regulation would be but
the carrying into effect of Rule 46 of the
board which requires that each teacher
should endeavor' to inculcate obedience to
the laws of God
We favor the use of text books on morals
and manners, as valuable and necessary
element in true education.
That, believing it entirely possible to
m ka Of
both the Old and New Testaments as would
be acceptable alike to Protestants and
Roman Catholics and Hebrews, we urge
that steps be taken to provide such a sec
-tionary, with View to its being carefully
| studied in our schools with the double pur.
| pose of familiarizing the children with the
finest literature in the world, and instillina
| into their minds the principles of the most
| exalted morality. together with reverence
| and love for Almighty God
| THAT while we respect the convictions OF
| all our fellow-citizens and would restrict nc
mans religious liberty, or infringe upon
| the right of every parent to control the re-
| ligious education of his child, we believe
/ the time has come for the people of this
| land to insist that in the education of theil
| children shall be included the instruction
| in the fundamental principles of morality
and religion"
Adoption Regarded as Doubtful. -
That the resolutions will finally be unani-
| mously adopted is regarded as doubtful,
| unless their present form is changed. The
| largest Protestant denominations favor
| them on the ground that the only way to
| reach the home life of the nation is
| through the public schools and that moral
| instruction on broad, non sectarian re-
1 ligious basis is essential to the future good
| citizenship of the nation. The Hebrews,
represented by Rabbi Abram Simon and
| Rev. Louis Stern of the Eighth Street
| Temple and Mr. Simon Wolf, oppose the re-
| ligious aspect of the proposition on the
ground that the public school is not the
place to teach religion, but that this place