The Washington times., 1905-03-18
BoYNToN ENDORSES COMMITTEES ACTION.

Cen. H V, Boynton, president Board
of Education:
II am heartily in accord with the
movement to have moral teaching in the
public schools and approve of all the
features in the plan proposed by the
committee which drafted and passed
set of resolutions looking toward this
end
You must understand, however, that
these are my personal views I have not
talked with other members of the Board
Of Education on this matter and am not
speaking for them.
:sITnder the present arrangement all
the schools in the District of Columbia
are opened with the reading of a chapter
from the Bible without comment. and
the singing OF hymn from a collection
taken from the hymnbooks Of all de-
Ole, Jewish, the Peoples church, and so
on. There is nothing sectarian about
them.
May Absent Themselves.
Further than that any child, under
the rules of the public schools. whose
parents object TO this feature OF the cur
riculun may be excused from partici-
patton in II. 1t may be interesting to
note that we have never received a COM
nunication on this subject from any
parent whose child attends the public
schools.
THE only additions, as I understand
it. which this conference of clergy and
layraen-aH, by the way, representa- tive
citizens of the District of Columbia
wishes to have made to the system of
moral teaching IN the schools Is that
proper attention should be paid TO the
Ten Commandments as the best method
OF intoxicating moral ideas, since, as
Enents are in the bases OF all laws of all
civilized countries, and the introduction
as textbook Of some one of the text
books on general morality IN use in the
public schools of various States.
Il believe, in the matter of Bible read
ingS, 1t is also proposed 10 use q COM
pii8tion made in Chicago by a commit
tee consisting of distinguished represen-
tatives OF all denominations. together
with prominent business men and news
pa per men and free-thinkers of that
city. This committee agreed upon d
compilation of readings from the Old
and New Testaments which was salts
tion and think 1t an excellent work and
one that might well be used IN our pub
: lie schools.
Religion in Schools
while there are many who hold that
: there should be no reference to religion
& in the cIsss-roons of the public schools.
: it does not seem to me that the schools
: IN which the generations that are to
= succeed US are being trained should be
the only institutions in this country in
which there should be no recognition of
religion. Even our political conventions
are invariably opened with prayer. All
our legislative assemblies have their
chapiains, as do also all military So
cieties North and South. In short. near
~ every organized society in the coun-
try recognizes its obligations TO religion
IN it's opening exercises
IN reference to the question of church
and state: that seems 10 me u be mere
parrot taik-a sort of bugaboo to take
. the place OF argument.
THE distinction between C'i!feh and
state and religion in the state seems
'.<HEer3 clear to me as admirably SCI forth
by DR.. McKim- Those who seem dis
raised by few when religious questions
connected with public affairs under
discussion, might be asked TO give an es-
innate OF the time within which any
state could bs established while Article /
oI the amendments to the Constitution
OF the United States remains unrepealed.
Law Blocks Way.
This article forbfds Congress making
any law to establish a religion or to pro-
hibft the free exercise Of religion, and
those who think there is any possibility
OF a union between church and state in
this republic under any conditions will
readily recognize the difficulty of abro-
eating this fundamental law by its re-
speal
s"Sucn repeal requires the action OF
tWo-thirds Of each branch Of Congress
or of a convention called bv tWo"thirds
of the State legislatures and q ratifca-
tion by three-fourths of the States or
three-fourths of the constitutional con
Vention. -