The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-07-20
BY PRES. W. A. HARPER, ILL., D.,
Zion College, N. G.

Elon College. N. @.
The National Educational associa-
ton. which is supposed to reflect the
educational sentiment OF the country
as faithfully as such an organization
can. has Just adjourned. 1t suggests
and Is eloquent in its plea for the
rural public school, larger and better
school houses. Identification OF school
grounds. practical eudcation. and kin
mention OF the religious life as at all
within the province Of education
o temporal o mores.
A Study In Values-Weigh Well!
Our various State constitutions and
our congress by the creation OF the
bureau OF education in the department
of the interior recognizes that edu-
cation Is the duty OF the State. These
same Instruments. as we'll as the con-
stitution OF the United States. affirm
that the church and State shall be for
ever separate and distinct in this
country. In the popular thought the
church has been accepted as the syno-
nym of religion, and so the conclu-
sion has been drawn that there must
be no religious instruction in the pub
lie schools or the State institutions
OF higher learning. II 1t Is tho duty
OF tho State to educate that its citi-
Gems may be Intelligent and provide
liyings for themselves, il II not also
the duty OF the State to provide moral
and religious instruction that the
graduates OF its school system may
= L. ~
worth while TO educate a mans head
and neglect his conscience? Which
Is worth more to a State. an intel
lectual prodigy without character or
an intelligent man OF character? Is
It any more the duty OF the State to
provide for education than for re-
ligion?
A Tremendous Blunder.
But this ts not the end OF IT. Not
only have we seen the Bible and
prayer excluded from our public
schools but We have seen something
positively hurtful to moral and spirit
ual growth put In it, place. In the
public school age the pupil 10 in its
own homo when not in school. and 90
the evil effect Of tho lack Of moral
and religious instruction does not ap-
pear. the parentsf edmonton ana tho
home influence acting ~ . corrective
tn any moral or spiritual laxness that
ruay tend to develop from tho school.
but even hero teachers whose moral
character il low and whose opposi-
ton to religion IL outspoken have their
depressing effects on their pupils. I
would like to sec the time when no
man who was questionable as to his
moral life and hostile In his opinions
to tho Christian religion should be
permitted to teach in our public
schools, and the State runs q great
risk OF immoral injection from this
deadly source todaye When will free
people in tho Wild clamor for q false
liberty OF religious opinion SEQ the
fatal error they have committed in not
protecting thu -fountain-head- OF our
public school system from moral poll
luton?
Religious Divorce Coarss: Avoid Thcms
Even worse does the status Of re-
ligious instruction become In tho In
situations of higher learning. worse
Of the lack Of counterActing home In
fiuences which serve to nullify the
direful effects OF irreligion in the pub
lie schools Of secondary grade. When
we send our sons and daughters on to
college they arc on their own re-
sponsibflity,. When deadly seeds OF
unbelief. Of infidelity. Of sleepticisEn
arc sown in their hearts. there arc
no parental words to suproot them.
They must be 50 thoroughly grounded
In their religious life that they will be
able Of their own power to question
and disprove to their own satisfaction
the destructive teachings Of those they
are supposed to accept - authorities,