The Irish standard., 1909-11-20
THE BIBLE IN THE SCHOOLS.

the British islands.
THE BIBLE IN THE SCHOOLS.
In a recent issue we adverted to
what was said by Judge Grosscup on
the absence of religious instruction in
the public schools, and printed the ut
terance of President Northrop Of the
Minnesota State university to the eff
feet that If the average student at
tending college, especially In the East
were asked who Moses was, he would
be apt to put him among the twelve
apostles. 1.-THE ignorance Of the Bible
dent Northrop, "is disgrace to Ameri-
can scholarship" What this Christian
educator says is undoubtedly true. The
best writer's in English literature of
the past were familiar with the Bible
and many of the poets drew their in
SEPARATION from it's pages. Could Mill
ton have written his immortal poem of
Paradise Lost" If he had not impreg-
mated his mind with the lofty truths
contained in the sacred volume? Could
the other English poets, from Shake
speare to Byron, ever produce such
works of the imagination, If their
minds had not beer. tinctured by the
reading of the inspired book? In his
English Bards and Scotch Reviewers
Lord Byron charged one of the minor
poets with purloining the Psalms, and
though the republican arlstocrat led 8
licentious life, yet he wrote sacred
poems based on historic facts recorded
in Scripture.
There is no denying the fact that few
writer's of the present day, in either
prose or poetry. use biblical references
ito point a moral or adorn tale.' The
professors in the universities refer tc
the Bible by way Of derision and cal
it a book of fables. Though millions
of copies Of it are distributed among
the heathens of Asia and Africa, 1t Is
banished from the public schools of the
United States. Hence it is that young
Americans who do not attend Sunday
couple of hours in the week, grow
up in ignorance of it's sublime teach
ings. though they are told that the
Bible is the Christians rule of faith
The children Of nom Catholics are told
that; but the children of Catholics are
told that though the Bible contains the
Word of God, they must not interpret
it for themselves independently Of the
living authority Of the Church which
existed before line of the Bible was
written. The twelve apostles and early
followers of Christ are never reported
to have disseminated a single volume
OF the Bible; they only preached what
they were taught and nothing else.
Constituted as the public schools OF
the United States now are it is out OF
the question to use the Bible for re-
ligious or spiritual instruction. If the
children were all of Protestant parent
age in any school, we see 10 reason
why the King James or some other
recognized version should not be read
on request Of the parents and with the
consent of the school board, but with
out note or comment Of the teachers
Once a teacher gave his or her inter-
probation of scriptural passages. big
row would ensue among the Protestant
sects, and the Bible would be discarded
to restore peace and harmony. The
Catholics, Jews, and Nothingarian ms
would loudly protest, the former be-
cause of the Bible being Protestant and
the two latter because it was teaching
Christianity. Therefore the Bible has
no place in public schools that are sup
ported from general taxation levied on
all classes Of citizens Irrespective of
religious creeds.
The attorney-general Of California
was recently called upon to decide as
to the legality Of Bible reading in the
public schools, and he gave it as his
opinion that the King James version as
text book is prohibited by the laws
Of the State and that the reading of 1t
as religious exercise is also prohibit
ed. He could not have decided other
wise, for under the law the schools
must be strictly non-sectarIan. The
same decision would be given by the
legal officials of the other States of
the Union tfa and i. $50 long as that is the
4. is,ss II.