Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-06-29
LETTERS TO THE STAR
Good and Bad Opinions of And Forbid Them Not

submerged in a sea of memo
rized platitudeS?
Certainly, there is a deeper
and more moving faith in
man than is suggested by the
handful of each generation
who would foster upon their
children a heritage of lofty
prayers. without giving them
in exchange. the guidance to
a religious life.
Contrary to your presump-
ton, no child is deprived of
silent communion in his
faith. just because the High
Court has rendered its deci-
sion. No delinquency will be
spawned by this verdict. In
fact. the greatest moral effect
that could result from this
ruling would be the strength
ening of the bonds between
the home and the church in
their obligations to the child.
Ralph Cohen.
Permit me to express to
you my sincere appreciation
for your splendid editorial of
June 26, concerning the SUI
preme Court ruling forbid
ding public schools of New
York to exercise the prayer
composed by the State Board
Of Regents of New York. I
agree completely with the
ideas you have expressed in
this editorial. 1t makes me
proud to be a subscriber to
such a fine newspaper.
This prayer expresses to
our youth that they (we)
should love God and seek His
Divine assistance as well as
to recognize our duty to
parents, instructors (thoSe in
authority and our country
as a whole.
1 regret to say that our
great country, which brave
men have lived and died for
(for these same principles) is
now telling us that we can
not, we must not say such a
thing as this in public, for it
is unconstitutional.
If this is unconstitutional,
then our whole system of
Government is unconStitu-
tional and therefore we
should throw everything out
the window and begin all
over again.
We have heard it said that
there exists or should exist a
separation of church and
state" I agree with Justice
Stewart, the only diSsenter
on this problem, that this
much-uSed phrase is a mis-
conception of what is actu-
ally to be found in the Con-
Stitution or any other of our
great state papers. I have
found after talking with
some who believe this meta
phor, that they say church
and state" but really mean
God and state" should be
separate. God and state can
not and must not be Sepa-
rated. They never have been
separate. God and state
have always existed together
harmoniously from the very
beginning of our great coun-
try. John E. BOehm.
y
Thank God for a big daily
like yours which can roll the
cannons Of its lead editorial
promptly into place and
blast with accuracy a sedi-
tious court decision on pray
er. When the court can't
understand as clearly as a
fourth grade history student
our heritage and the inten-
tionS of our Constitution,
when its record of confusion
is as clear as that of the
present Supreme Court, then
it is appropriate and neces-
sary to start impeachment
procedures to save our Re-
public.
Patriot.
Your editorial And For
bid Them Not" is one of the
stupideSt I have ever seen in
your pages. Would you be
willing to have your young
embarrassed by their parents
asking that they be left out
of such idiotic invocationS OF
a deity in which sensible
people do not believe? Do you
think it adds to respect for
school authorities to have
parents forced to tell theil
children that the prayer cere-
monial is vestige of the days
of tribal ignorance and bar
barism. which they must dis
regard? Do you not realize
that if you insist on 6
prayer" opponents can de-
mand equal time for invoca
tons of the devil. or for VOC.
doc chants? Shame on you
D. H. J. P.