The New York herald., 1922-03-26
North Dakota's Governor Says State U
Has Justified the Faith of Its Founders
BY GOV. r. A. NESTOS of
North Dakota. !

A-~VN0 - ~s~~~ - = -
BY GOV. r. A. NESTOS of
North Dakota. !.
n speaking on Founders Day
assume it was the expectation
= that in speaking about the State
University and the state I would dis
cuss this subject in such way as to
show whether in the growth of the
university, and in its service to North
Dakota it had justified the faith of
the founders, and at least in a measure
discharged this Indebtedness.
The men who founded the university
were largely the same as those who
six years thereafter established the
State, adopted our Constitution and
enacted the main body Of our laws.
1t might therefore be we'll to ascer-
tain what expression they have given
in the fundamental law and In our
statutory enactments to these prin-
ciples and ideals, and by what agencies
and means they hoped and expected
to carry them into effect.
In section 149 of the Constitution
and in section 1882 of the compiled
laws, the aims and purposes for our
educational system are expressed in
the following language: Moral in
struction tending to impress upon the
minds of pupils the Importance of
truthfulness, temperance, purity, pub
lie spirit, patriotism, international
peace. obedience to parents, due defer
ence for old age. and respect for hon
est labor shall be given by each
teacher in the public schools.
To Promote General Intelligence
And the Old Fashioned Virtues
1T is therefore apparent that the
founders desired not only to promote
industrial. scientific and agricultural
growth and development of our State
and to prevent the illiteracy of our
people, but also desired by means of
our free public schools, including the
university, to increase the general in
telligence of our people, and to pro-
mote the patriotism. integrity and
morality OF our voters by instruction
that would tend to impress upon the
growing mind the vital Importance of
truthfulness, temperance, purity, pub
lie spirit. patriotism, international
peace, obedience to parents, due def
erence for old age and respect for
honest labor of every kind. These
founders had discovered from practi-
cal experience in dealing with men
and in subduing nature, that the de-
velopment OF our citizenship in these
traits of character was essential to
the growth and stability of our State
and the permanence of our institu-
tions. And so they laid such strong
emphasis upon these fundamental re-
quirementS.
AS a graduate Of the university and
as man vitality interested in the well
fare of the State, ] take much pride
in the fact that during the life of the
university the institution has con-
tinued to emphasize the value of these
high ideals which lie at the founda-
ton of the successful development OF
any great institution.
Not only were the founders men of
high ideals and lofty purposes, who
knew the value of the simpler virtues
of life in developing a fine and noble
character IN our people. thus insuring
the strength and permanence of our
institutions, and who therefore sought
to inculcate these through the educa-
tional system of the State, but they
were also men of religious convictions,
generally members of some church,
and men who purposed building a
Christian civilization in our State.
They realized. however. that where
denominations are many. and doc
trinal differences frequently quite pro-
Eounced, that it would be wisdom to
prohibit religious instruction in the
public schools, and to let such instruc-
ton be taken care OF in the family
circle, or through the denominational
channels, outside of the walls ano
campus of the State institutions.
And so we find the management and
instruction in the State institutions
circumscribed by certain legal and con-
stitutional limitations intended to SAFE
guard the religious interest OF the
students and of every citizen OF the
State.
From these limitations il is quite
apparent that the founders OF the
university and the State believed ir
the absolute separation of church anc
State, and intended that in the educa-
tional system which the State pro-
vided there should be no infringement
upon the province Of the church oil
any attempt to do. or to interfere with
the work for which the church exists.
1t is agreed that these precautions
were wise. and IL Is quite generally
conceded to-day that those who teacf
in the State institutions should not
engage in any religious instruction ir
or about the institution, and ! an
pleased to say that seldom, IL ever, are
the provisions of our constitution and
laws violated, as far as any positive
religious instruction in any OF oul
state institutions is concerned.
Discountenances Attacks on
Doctrines of the Church
But a practice has grown up II
many OF the State institutions wkicf
is infinitely worse, and which consti-
tutes just as direct a violation OF the
spirit OF the provisions of our consti'
tuition and laws as would any teaching
Of specific denominational doctrines
srht. nopeictu of attacks made Dy