The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-04-25
Bible Reading Upheld
Citizens Give Opinions
ID $500
From thursdays Daily.

but | do want to see the law en-.
forced. After Mr. Regain asked that
the Bible reading be stopped in the
schools he wrote to the attorney
general regarding the law and re.
ceived his word that it was against
the law to have Bible reading In the
public schools. II the Bible is being
read with the idea of giving religious
instruction il is not fair to all of the
taxpayers, some of whom do not be.
Iieve in the Christian religion, and
If they do not have the Bible read.
ing for the purpose of giving the
students religious instruction the
Bible is not being shown proper re.
spect." made by Rev.
Robert Hughes this afternoon.
To read or not to read the Bible,
and sing hymns in the public
school? That is the question which
is just now agitating the public
mind, since Rev. Robert Hughes,
pastor of st. Johns Catholic church,
instituted the action in court against
such practice.
The feeling of most of the mem
bers of the school board seems to
be that they, will make a fight
against the injunction, but nothing
definite can be decided until at the
special meeting of the school board
this afternoon The Injunction re-
garding this matter was not issued
until Tuesday of this week, SO it has
not yet affected the practice
Whether it will be resumed or stop
ped next Monday will be decided at
the next meeting today.
The practice which Father Hughes
objects to is the opening exercises
in the schools which take place
once week, every Monday morning
First the teachers read a few verses
from the Bible, there is no discus.
sion what ever, and time a hymn or
two is sung by the students. Fol-
lowing this few words of prayer
are offered by the students in uni
son, and then the regular work is
taken up.
Several Men Express Themselves.
Several gentlemen today express
oI III 1c5dIu " tHc az
ton which has been started by Rev.
Father Hughes.
Dr. j. W. Andrews said: mo one
i'm Mankato not belonging to the
Catholic church is more friendly to-
ward that church that I am. My as
ISOLATION with the good sisters and
great respect for the church, but I
great respect for tie church, but |
have no sympathy with this effort to
put the Bible out of the public
schools. IF I were a member of the
Catholic church ] would oppose it
with all my might; | think the re-
1t is m-American and will hurt the
Catholic church more than it will
hurt the schools or anyone else
There is nothing in the Bible, either
the Catholic Bible or the Protestant
Bible, but that will bear The light of
criticism, and to force It'll
out Ofthe schools by the Catholic
church will create prejudice against
the church that does not now exist
and has not existed for many years
past in this land of liberty of free
speech and free thought"
Opinion of w. j. Morehart.
W. j. Morehart said this morning
in reference TO the suit which has
been started: 81 regret, as | believe
all good citizens of Mankato do, that
certain parties have thrown their
hats in the ring on the question OF
reading the Bible in the public |
schools. Whether they win this suit
Or not, IT is of little consequence
compared to what it means to the
people of Mankato, both Catholics
an Professionals.
81 well remember this same ques-
ton of reading the Bible in the pub
lie schools coming up something
over twenty years ago in an indiana
town of about $500 people, where RI
lived and was in business, and six
months after this the lines were
drawn so close that friends became
and Catholics would not
trade with Protestants and Pro.
testants would not trade with Catho.
lies. 1t caused great losses to some
of the business men and within a !
few years there were several fail
ures in town, directly caused,s II
think, by this question. / am very
much afraid that something of this
kind would happen in Mankato ifH
these parties insist on pushing the
casey
at would seem that anyone who
was well versed in the history of
civilization and knows of the suffer
ing the differences Of these ques-
tons of religion have caused to the
human race, would not bring up the
same at this, late day of our ad.
vanced civilization"
Former City Attorney C. o. DALEY
when approached said: 81 positively
refuse to be interviewed. | haven't |
anything to say for publication"
Teaching Morality.
George e. Nettleton think that the
Bible should be read as means of |
teaching morality. He said: when
asked the secret of England's great: |
ness Queen Victoria picked up a |
copy Of the Bible and said: To this !
book England owes her greatenss. |
All honor to Queen Victoria. In the
light of the fact that all civil law in |
England and America is based upon
the moral law aos laid down in the
Bible, it seems strange to me that |
any man in America should object |
to the reading of portions of the |
moral law in our public schools. We
need in our public schools |
every agency possible for the moral /
InIifht offha pr0winp oanarofia,