The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-03-04
GOVERNOR DEFENDS RELIGION

forever their faith which, | conf
IDENTIFY believe, they hoped would be
the faith of their posterity Il you
want to know what they thought, what
they believed and what they wished
their descendants TO respect and re-
we're, | commend to your thoughtful
consideration Section 81 of the old
Penal Code, still part of our statu-
tory law as Section 1922, C. L. 1913,
4lgege..s ley .Eeest to IInIect iron, sOt-.s
tumely the Christian religion, the Holy
Scriptures and the Triune God. They
were not ashamed to let the world
know what they believed; they would
be ashamed and chagrined to know
that any institution they founded
should tolerate contumelious or con-
temptuous treatment of those things
that men and women hold most dear
Scorn Religious Truths.
81 may say. here that the men and
women who thus violate the spirit of
the constitution and the laws, in my
opinion, constitute but small per
centage of the faculty of any of the
institutions, and that the great ma
jority of the faculty members honestly
and fairly observe and follow the spir-
| it of our laws
; During the past two years, as
! have been travelling around the state,
| have frequently learned Of parents
who rad sent Il beloved son or daugh-
ter to one of the state institutions and
upon the return of the son or daugh-
I ter at the end of the year. in sorrow
had learned that their children had
, become scorners of religious truths
and professed agnostics. | can sym
| pathize with father and mother who,
from the teachings of childhood and
| the experience of q lifetime, have
| reached the conclusion that their faith
! and religious experience mean more
than anything else in life and consti.
tute, if followed by their children, a
greater guarantee of their success and
happiness in life than anything else
that can be done for them, and then
discover that some teacher, whose sal
ary they are helping to pay, has sought
to dynamite every foundation of the
faith that is theirs.
Teachers Ridcule Religion.
"One might assume that this is a re
cent development, but it happens tha
: personally know that such isnot tht
case. | recollect quite distinctly fha
upon making trips on the street ca
from the university to Grand Fork!
some ten or twelve years ago, l hear(
: teachers Of this institution talkins
loudly and voTubly in the presence o
: number of students, viciously attack
ing and ridiculing religious doctrine
7 and ancient leaders of the Church hel,
: in reverence by the great majority O
; our people; elements of faith pos
sessed by the parents who sent thei
II children to the university, and~ b
5 Whose hard-earned money the scorr
: ers' salaries were paid. 1t grieved m
much to think that such thing wa
b possible. and I said to myself and t
i others that if | ever had the chanc
: or the power to hit that insidious vii
) lation of our constitutional guarantee
0 and legal rights, / would hit it with a
s the strength possessed.
# Not Paid to Destroy.
81 hope / will not be misunderstood,
My objection is not to the faith or r
: ligious belief, or lack of religious b
3 lief of the professor-that is his ow
concern. He has the same rights an
) should enjoy the same freedom that
9 claim for myself, and for the studen
v at the state institutions. He may b
q lieve anything he pleases with refe
u ence to God, the Bible and the ell
I ments of our faith, but he has no rig
u to express that belief in the classroo
ST. Continued on page s.