Arizona republican., 1907-11-28
ABSENCE OF IHt BIBLE FROM ARIZONA SCHOOLS
The Subject of a Sermon by Rev. MT.
 George at Seottsdaie Last Sunday.


 Rev. Mcleod George preached a ser mon at Scottdale last Sunday on the subject of the exclusion of the bible from the schools of this territory. In the course of his address he said:
 ''I believe that the present school law does violence to the convictions of ev- cry responsible person in this com munity. You know that the reading of the bible and prayer are forbidden in the public schools of this territory. These children are here with us in the school house today hearing the word of God. but if anybody wants to read the bible or pray with them after o'clock tomorrow he will have to get outside this c.rcle of trees. This is not praying ground. If their teacher would read from the words of Christ, Blessed are the pure in heart. for they shall see God and should have them say, our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name. by that act she would forfeit her certificate and be judged by the law of the land as un- fit to teach children. Are these chill dren growing in grace so rapidly now that your parents and teachers think that one hour of bible study a week will amply supply their needs? Are they sailing itno heaven so directly that at the very start of the voyage they can safely dispense with both chart and compass? I know you nave no such thought. The Arizona school law is contrary to the traditions of English speaking people in education clear back to the time when religion first came to England. Among the founders of our older universities. us Harvard and Yale and Princeton. our present school law would not have received one solitary vote, not one.
 Tt is contrary to the traditions of the church back to the time of Moses, when God gave his laws to Israel and said, Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way. and when thou Hest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house. and thy gates What defense is made for this law? The men that favor it say it was adop ted for the sake of peace. There are differences of religion Tn the territory. as Catholic and Protestant Each church has it's bible. Would you Pro testants,' they ask. read the Catholic bible?'
 'I answer. most certainly yes The Catholic bible is one of the best yer sions of the bible. do not say the best. for I think that the King James version of the bible is the best. But for use in the school anyone of twenty five different versions could be made to do. The version makes no difference whatever. Each tells the same story of the life of Christ and Paul and Abraham and Moses. To magnify our opinions of different versions into quarrel is simply to be childish In re- ligion. There is nothing for people with grace and intelligence to quarrei about
 But there are Ways of settling a child's quarrel that are more than the quarrel Suppose we differ about what arithmetic and geography and reader to use. Shall we say We shall here after teach no more geography and arithmetic in this school. we must have peace
 If children quarrel over a little red wagon you take it away from them. but suppose they quarrel over their breakfast will you say. The law of this house shall he no more bread for children from heneeforth and forever This bible is not a child's toy. It Is the bread of the soul Man shall not live by bread alone but. by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and to say that because there has been some dispute about versions of the bible children shall henceforth grow up in Arizona in ignorance of that book is more than childish, 1t Is sin"