Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-10-25
,dltor Kentncky Irish AmerIcan.

Editor Kentucky Irish American:
The Rev. DR.. w. w. Landrum de.
serves the thanks of all right
thinking citizens for his candid and
courageous declaration in regard tC
the study of the Bible in the pub
lie schools. While | love ane
venerate the Bible as the word oi
God, | also respect the natura
rights of parents and children
rights that are prior to any civil
government or State, that can moi
be taken away or encroached or
without violating natural justice
The Almighty Himself does not and
will not force his religion upon any
one. In the public schools the
majority of the children are neutral
or Of no religion: they do not be
lieve in the Bible or any of It's
versions. Why. then, should they
be compelled to read or study il
particularly when that Bible itseli
warns all of us that we should not
expose holy things to the danger oi
contempt or ridicule? The major.
/ ity should rule, but it must be re.
membered that rules and laws are
founded on justice, without which
their execution by force were
tyranny pure and simple and their
support by taxation ruthless oppres-
sion.
With DR.. Landrum in what he
states about the union of Church and
State. or union of secular and
spiritual forces, every good citizen
will agree. Archbishop Ireland. in
his classic Grafton delivered last
August in Milwaukee at the con
vention of the Confederated Cath
olic Societies, made that point
plain, as also the fact that the
Catholic church stands for equal
rights to all and special privileges
to none.
The Catholic church, from her
long experience in every age and
cline, knows full well the power Of
religious teaching for children IN
their formative period, and foI
youths in the age which Shakes
peare calls "the days of their nature.
For this teaching of religion the
church never sought, nor does she
desire, one cent of the people i
taxes. While the members of the
church as citizens pay their full
share of taxes for the public schools
they have also at the same time
made great sacrifices to build and
maintain for conscience's sake their
own schools; because they do not
wish to see their children become
neutrals in religion, nor their
churches destitute of living mem
bers. nor her ministers fail to fulfill
the Masters commission to preach
the gospel to every creature-to save
those of whom He said: Suffer the
little ones to come unto me-"
In regard to education, can no;
way be found that will protect the
natural rights of parents and
children? Why should yoke which
violates the natural right of parents
be imposed upon the minority 20
the great but unjust advantage OF
the majority--the people of neutral
or no religion ?.s- Is ~ the 21negatiTe
form Of religion preferable to the
positive? Surely if England and
Germany where union of Church
and State is in force, could find a
fairly equitable solution for this
problem, the United States of
America. unhampered by such
union, could and should find a solu-
tion which would satisfy all, Jews
and Gentiles, Protestants and Cath
olics.
DR.. Landrum, relying on the
authority of the historian Ban
croft, claims that the Baptists were
the first people in all the world to
set up a government which gave
absolute and unqualified religious as
well as civil liberty to all men, etc.
The best answer to this is Bancroft &
own words written of Lord Balti-
more, the founder of the Catholic
colony of Maryland:
calvert deserves" says Bancroft,
ito be ranked among the most
wise and benevolent law-givers OF
all times. He was the first in the
history of the Christian world 10
seek for religious security and peace
by the practice of justice and not
by the exercise of power: to plan
the establishment of popular insti.
tutions with the enjoyment OF
nberty of conscience; to advance
the career of civilization by recog
nizing the rightful equality of all
Christian sects. The asylum 0l
Catholics was the spot where, in a
remote corner of the world on the
banks of rivers, which as yet had
hardly been explored, the mild for
bearance Of proprietary adopted
religious freedom as the basis of the
State" These are the noble words
OF Bancroft, the historian, who was
not a Catholic. They show who
was the first to establish liberty Of
conscience and adopt religious free.
dom as the basis of the State; they
leave no room for any distinction
between liberty and federation.
II is pleasing to note the passing
of strife and prejudice and the
coming of a new era of justice anC
peace. Patrick Walsh.
PENSION FOR OLD PEOPLE.