Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-06
What Shall We Teach i'm Our
Schools?

l am. moved to ask this question
because an organization of good men
mostly preachers-have published
a statement that religion must be
taught in our schools to bring up the
youth of this country in the way
they should go, or they will go to the
bad. L wondered if they believed
that denomina tional religions should
be cultivated in cur regular school
houses. when that. broad statement
was printed.
One of the serious problems now
facing us is whether Catholics and
Jews shall manage public schools
with their selected teachers, and
when they have ruling majority OF
the pupils.
L am only stating facts, and not
any opinion of my own. There
should, of course, be proper instruc-
ton in these Scholastic promote
civic ighteousness-and there
should be sufficient discipline to
make the moral law the governing
force in the control of the pupils.
But religion, as we term it and I'M
derstand it, belongs to the churches
of our section, as 1 see it; otherwise
there will come along a demand for
union OF church with state, and dis
cussion of the sort of religious school
books which are to be used for
teaching religion in schools support
ed by the state.
We have an abundance of good
laws for protection of life and lib
erty on our statute books, but the
trouble lies in the failure Of law en-
forcement. We might teach religion
in the day schools as we do in our
Sunday schools, but do not hesitate
to say that if Sunday schools can
not help or save the souls of our chill
dren we need not expect to get as
much out of the regular common
schools with the common school
teachers. We are already mixing
many useless things along with the
regular school business of the state.
The child that carries school text
books in which to learn to read and
write and cipher to his accustomed
school house, should get regular les.
sons and devote the school hours to
the regular school curriculum of
learning how to read and write and
cipher during the stated hours of
school teaching.
I may be an old fogy, but I am of
the opinion that the shoemaker
should stick to his last, and when
we go to school, then get school les,
sons-When you go to Sunday school
learn Bible lesscns-and when you
go to church to woNhip God and
thank Him for preserving mercies
and grace to help in time of trouble,
we have it divided about right to get
an education and to get moral in
struction and to- get religion in the
very best way.
The Effect of Example on Character
The Bible says: Train up a child
in the way it shall go and when he
is old he will not depart from it"
The training of children is affect
ed by several things, all more or
less fundamental and perhaps the
most forceful of them all is the
influence of example upon the young
mind, and in the formation of its
habits
The habits, once formed, are gen.
orally there to stay.
[ have been temperance adVo-
cate long time. and 1 have needed
but one text to discourse upon,
namely, the effect of drink on the
father of the family and the off.
spring.
Not so much the effect upon his
own mind and sthe damage to his in
dividual character, but particularly
the faint in the blood, and the bad
effect of the drunkards personal
example, on those who bear his