Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-23

OWIsUU COWTTIDWTIOnS VIII NOT De TF-
turned. Letters exceeding 900 words will
be subject to being cut down at the
discretion of the editor. Publication or
views of correspondents does not COM
mlt The Bee to their endorsement.
Reply to Father Judge.
OMAHA, June 2O.-To the Editor of The
Bee: "Oh, wad some power the giftie
gle us, to see oursels as ithers see u.s.
sang the old Scotch poet. We heartily
recommend the first five verses of the
seventh chapter of Matthew to Rev. Judge
IL he wants to see himself as others see
him. Here they are for the benefit of those
who never read the Bible: Judge not, that
we be not Judged. For with what judgment
we Judge, we shall be judged. And with what
measure We mete, it shall be measured to
you again. And why beholdest thou the
mote that is in thy brothers eye, but con-
sideIest not the beam that is in thine own
eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother:
Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye,
and behold a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam
out of thine own eye, and then thou
shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out
Of thy brothers eye" There is the picture.
II is quite evident Rev. p. ]. Judge over
looked these words of our Lord in his
loving and Christian announcement Of a
faith quite as dear to it's believers as ever
his own could be.
Why this sudden attack, on a custom
years old In practice in our public schools?
If the Protestant graduates of the high
school wish to have a baccalaureate SER
mon preached to them, who is going to
deny them the privilege? Couldn't the
Catholic graduates have done the same?
Who can imagine a Protestant clergyman
lit 4.to -rfA II M fnutf1ttnr 1atyar
against the Catholic church because the
Catholic young people wished their new
pastor to preach a baccalaureate sermon
to them? Or can you imagine them doing
so, If Rabbi Cohn gave a sermon to the
adherents OF his faith on the closing of
their school days? There is not, nor
never has been, anything compulsory
about the attendance upon such a
service. No one is compelled to go or
stay away. And we would like to say
right here that Rev. E.. H. jerks asked the
committee who waited upon him, If 1t
wouldn't be better to hold their service
in the auditorium simply out of respect
for the Catholic children who might not
care to attend a Protestant church, and
the Catholics refused.
It was, and always has been, a purely
voluntary service on the part of the high
SCIOOl bludhaNNo " nave SNNA -
a part of the closing exercises of their
school DAYS. And a very beautiful and
reverent attitude it is. 1t is in no possible
manner an interference with the civil or
religious rights of any child, and down
underneath 1t all Rev. Mr.. Judge knows It,.
II there is one thing more than another
that the purely American spirit stands for
II is liberty with a big IL" to think ana
act for oneself. not bullied nor coerced by
any organized effort to crush out liberty
of conscience. The idea started with the
landing OF the Pilgrims on these shores
And so strongly did II appeal to those
sturdy, pious, God-fearing colonists, that
1t was drafted into our very constitution
that all men were created free ana equal
and should be allowed 10 worship God ac-
! cording to the dictates of their own con-
science.
Protestants do not teach their children
To hate those who disagree with them.
They do not teach them in their churches
that II IA a sin to enter a Catholic church.
They teach them to stand up for their
right as they see it, and to always respect
the rights of others. And If any Catholic
church will open its doors next year ana
invite the graduating class to come there
a thing they have never been known to
do. the Professionals will let their children
attend and compel them to show all reVer-
ence and respect for the service despite
their differences of belief.
II Rev. Mr.. Judge pays taxes, so do We
that any child, Catholic, Protestant, Jew or
pagan, may stand an equal chance for a
| better education. We started the public
| schools ourselves. We feel that we have
a right to have some voice as to how
our children shall be taught.
II Rev. Mr.. Judge sends his people away
with the loving, helpful words and the
broad Christian spirit of malice toward
none and charity for all" as does the
Christian gentleman who breaches at the
little red brick church on Seventeenth and
Dodge streets and who preached the bac-
calaureste sermon this year, he is doing a
better work than appears on the surface.