The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-06-29

ANNN We - Ic
Almighty God, We acknowledge our
dependence upon Thee, and we beg
Thy blessing upon us, our parents,
our teachers. and our country"
The Supreme Court in a 81 decision
Monday held that the Constitution is
violated by the requirement that the
above prayer be used daily in public
schools of New Hyde Park. N. Y. The
decision appears to be based upon the
first amendment which states: "Con-
gress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion"
1t SO happens in this case that the
prayer was written by New York State
officials and used daily in public
schools. Therefore, it is argued that the
State was forcing a prayer to be used in
state controlled public schools.
In New York there is every shade of
religious and non-religious thinking.
Probably no religious leader could
fashion a prayer which would be ac-
ceptable to all shades Of doctrines. State
educational leaders composed the above
prayer, which acknowledges the Su-
preme Being, and invokes His blessing,
which should be acceptable to all except
atheists. We don't care who wrote the
prayer, and we believe every day should
be opened with prayer in schools, public
or private.
The New York Court of Appeals up
held the prayer n the requirement
last year in a very wise opinion, stating:
The prayer includes an acknowledgment
OF the existence of a Supreme Being just as
does the Declaration of independence and the
constitutions Of each of the 50 states
That the First Amendment was ever intended
to forbid as an establishment of religion, a
simple declaration Of belief in God is SO con-
trary TO history as to be impossible of accent
ance /.
The reference to the Deity in the DecIara-
ton of independence; the words of our nation
al anthem, lin God is our trust; the motto
on cur coins; :. the directions by Congress
for the insertion Of the words under
God" in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag:
innumerabIe solemn utterances by our Presi-
dents and other leaders all these and many
more make Historically unacceptable the flat
statement Thy the U. S. Supreme Court in a
case 10 years ago) that I'VE are a religious
people whose institutions presuppose a Su-
preme Being"
The Republic of the United States was
founded upon acknowledgement of an
Almighty God. Trainers of the Consti-
tutions knew the strength and power
of God. They knew and had experienced
oop+~o11oJ xol;o,o .,o.,L:. L. .I..l
hereby and government dictation. They
formed a government, under Cod, we
believe, inspired by. God, to preserve
the freedom of man, at the time and in
times to come. The Constitution es-
tablished this freedom, and provided
for its perpetuation through amend
ments to the document itself.
The States were united under the
Constitution, reserving their rights of
free government individually, and de-
legating only such powers to the fed
eral government as enumerated in the
Constitution for mutual protection and
welfare.
The Supreme Court in recent years
has Clipped away at the fundamental
principles underlying the Constitution.
The decision on Monday is but one of a
long list of decisions within the past
ten years which change the original
concepts of the trainers.
In recent months, decisions of this
court have reached into the realm of
politics in the Tennessee case in which
the court declared its power to con-
slider apportionnrent of state legisla-
tive districts.
In 1854, disregarding all former 1aw
and legal precedent this court upset the
foundations of public schools, particu-
larly in the South.
Now. a decision of this court, in eff
feet controls the right of prayer in