Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-02-26
RELIGION IN SCHOOLS.

The officers and pupils OF the religion
classes of the salt Lake Ensign, Lib
erty and Pioneer stakes Of Zion held q
conference on Sunday, preceded by a
social reunion on Saturday evening
Particulars OF these gatherings win be
found elsewhere IN this issue OF the
Deseret News. We desire TO draw at
tentIon to some references made by
President Anthem II. Lund, In his ad.
dress on Sunday afternoon, to the views
OF some Protestant ministers. on the
necessity of religious as well as secular
education for children OF both sexes,
After showing the purpose and In
tent OF the organization Of religion
classes IN the Church, and explaining
that they were not a part Of the state
school system, and that they were not
hostile to II or intended TO interfere
with it In any way whatever he read
from an article in the latest number Of
the Intermountan Catholic, copied from
the Providence Visitor, as follows.
In New York a large number OF dele
gates representing the Federation Of
Churches met In the hall OF the United
Charities building, The Rev. Or. @. T..
Wenner, pastor OF Christ Lutheran
church, read a paper in which he adyo-
Gated that two hours OF each Wednes-
day afternoon be given over by the
public school authorities 10 the church,
es, and the scholars whose parents
wished II be allowed To leave the day
school and repair each Ia his parish
church for religious education.
The Rev. Milton s, Littleneld, pastor
OF the First Union Presbyterian church,
deplored the weakness Of the Sunday
school. II wasn't doing what II should,
II had limitations OF IA very grave ma
ture.
A letter was read from Rabbi H. Pc
reira Mendes, president Of the Union
of Orthodox Jewish Congregations OF
the United States and Canada. In part
he said.
II would welcome the setting aside OF
Wednesday afternoons for religious In
structlon. The object Of the govern
ment IN making education compulsory
n to qualify the children for citizen
ship, for the discharge OF lifes ordin-
airy duties, and Tor the earning Of liv-
ing But the system, admirable as II Is,
aims at the education Of the head and
hand. and is practically confined to the
three RS
But boys and girls have hearts
and souls also. our educational sys-
tenn should also educate the hearts no.
bic emotions and the souls high aspir-
atlons, and should therefore teach the
three greater RS without which no
man. no woman, no nation can be truly
great. and these three RS are reverence,
righteousness and responsibility.
"The public school system provides
for these either not at all or only by
amateurish attempts OF principals
some Of whom sometimes betray their
trust by teaching doctrines opposed 70
the creed OF some Of the scholars.
know this, and at this moment a GER
tain principal II on trial for doing so
Tho public school system may well
have nothing to 40 with religion, Leave
doctrlnal instruction to tho churches
Let n few leading ministers, With some
living lay educationalists, arrange
system of the three higher RS for the
public schools and for all schools. II
will take time but II will mean enno-
bled citizenship ideal personal life and
purer social, political and business lifc
II means the progress and perpetuation
OF this great nation"
President Lund commended the
Catholic church for It's endeayors to
supply the lack Of religious training In
the public schools, and explained that
religion classes had been established by
the Latter-day Saints because It was
not proper 10 have sectarian tenets
of any kind IN our district schools, and
yet religious training was as necessary
as moral and mental instruction. The
lack Is not fully made up by the sum
day school or the Primary. \ brief
course Of religious training for children
from six years old to fourteen viii al
ford that which Is needed. At present
only one day In the week is the rule.
when half an hour after school is dis
missed is devoted to this work IN the
meetlnghouses OF the Church. But as
the system is developed and more
teachers can be obtained, It Is expected
that the tuition win be more frequently
impaired
The opposition which has been arous-
ell against this movement, coming from
the source whence It proceeded, is evil.
dence IA favor Of the work. Similar
Misrepresentation against Il have been
offered as TO Catholic efforts to edu-
cate children In that faith, The Visl-
tor remarks on that point.
"Tor years in this country. the Cath
Ole church has struggled alone m her
battle Tor religious education. When
she begun, IL was claimed by her enc
niles thar she was seeking % seize the
public schools The country over she
was heralded an enemy Of the public
schools BigOts claimed that she wished
10 dominate the province Of education
and bind human intelligence IN the let
tiers OF ignorance ana superstition.
When she learned from bitter expert
ence that the public school was her
enemy and set up her own schools and
maintained them the Protestant world
laughed at her when she cried out
under her double burden
The Church of Jesus christ Of Lat
ter-day Saints offers no objection TO the
public schools ON the contrary. its
members support them by taxation ana
send their children to be taught there.
IN. Nor would they have religious doe
trlnes taught IN those schools because
ideas entirely hostile or foreign to lts
standards might be introduced, and no
scctarian notions ought to be presented
70 bias the juvenile mind Yet religious
training is essential TO the forn1atIon