Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-12-12
For Sunday Reading
Ill Sorts Of Opinions
CLERICAL HEALING
4 Medical View of the Emmanuel
Church Movement.
(MedIcal Record.)

A Medical View of the Emmanuel
Church Movement.
(Medlcal Record.)
| At present the catchword OF the EN-
manuel movement is functional dis
ease" We are told repeatedly that the
clerical healers will have nothing TO
do with any sufferer from organic dis
ease, and they use their medically
trained allies to separate the functional
sheep from the organic goats, the lat
ter being thrust back into the outer
darkness of legitimate medical prac-
| tice But what do these people mean
/ by functional nervous disorders?" Do
they really believe that there are two
distinct kinds of disease-functiona
and organic? Ii they do not know, their
medical advisers should tell them that
every day we are shifting so-called
| functional diseases into the class of
organic diseases.
| VIII these clerical healers abandon
functional disease to the medical heal
ers when it is discovered to be depend
ent upon an organic lesion of brain,
spinal cord, or sympathetic nervous
system, or will they simply deny its
organic basis and continue to treat 1t?
And once they gnd themselves treating
one disease called organic why not
others--why not all? Every physician
knows that "cheerfulness, hope, cour-
age and religious faith and prayer"
which constitute the pharmacopaeia of
the New York school of clerical healing
are just as necessary in the treatment
Of tuberculosis as in that OF constipa-
ton, and indeed that they are often
distinctly curative in various organic
diseases.
If the clergy have divine commits
sion to heel the sick they are recreant
to their trust and cruel to the suf-
fering to deprive any of the benefit of
their healing words, and 1T will not be
long before they recognize that fact
and act accordingly. That the law for
course, a detail of no Importance.
bids them to practice medicine is, of
Bible in Sehoos7
| An attack ON the Bible. so far as Its
use in the public schools Is concerned
was made by NJ M. Mangasarian in
his recent address to the Independent
Religious society in Orchestra hall. Mr.
| Mangasarian vigorously defended
President Schneider of the board of
education for his assertion that the
"Bihle is unfit to be placed In the
hands of the children"
The declarations of one or two min
listers that Mr. Schneider is an unbe-
lever because of this attitude, was
ridicued by the speaker.
"Mr Schneider was right in saying
| CHI
hands of Children he declared. do
those clergymen who defended him
read all the portions of the Bible to
their own people? The greater portion
Of the Bible is never or rarely read
in public Why then give tosthe child
rem what is useless to grown people?"
| What Mr.. Mangasarian regarded as
reasons for the Bible not being in the
public schools now he assigned as fol-
| lows:
".rhe schools belong to and are sup
ported by the whole nation; the Biple
belongs to and is believed In by por-
| tion only OF the nation. To Introduce
the religious textbook 'ofaonly por-
ton of the community, into an insti-
tuition maintained by the entire COM
munity would evidently be unfair.
",rhe public schools represent the un-
ion of all the races and classes, the
churches the division OF the nation into
! sects and creeds Hence. to disturb
| this national unity by introducing INTO
the schools the Bible, which is the text
book of disllnion, would result IN max
inc our schools as sectarian as our
/ positions.
uE,very child in the public schools
is entitled to the most Impartial treat
ment. which would be impossible II the
religion of one portion of the children
Is imposed upon all the children.
"And as each sect is sincerely ana
earnestly devoted to it's own tenets
and will resist all efforts at encroach-
ment by the other sects, Mt follows that
| only by resorting to force can the text
book of one part of the community pe
entitled to the financial support ana
Endorsement of all the people
CAS- no teacher is required to pass
a religious examination before he or
she receives an appointment, to COM
mel them to teach certain religious
text book is to subject them to the
temptations of hypocrisy, discrimination
and cowardice in order to hold their
positions.
"Ours is a secular government. 1t
was not by an accident that GOD was
not mentioned in the constitution. But
can we remain neutral to all religions
or profess to treat all sects alike-can
we honestly call this free country,
i guaranteeing liberty of conscience 10
everybody, if we endeavor to impose
upon Catholics, Jews, independents and
Iunbelievers the protestant Bible? The
principle of the equality of religions
renders the preference of one a moral
|impossiblity.
"rhe Bible on an equality with any
other book would be everywhere well
come But the Bible as the only or
exclusive word of Cod is the book OF
a sect, and therefore out of place in the
schools maintained by general tax
This is a republic: to no class of men
ara given nriyileges or titles. Likewise