Evening star., 1962-07-01

hibiting all instruction in and
teaching of all religious educa-
ton in all public schools in
Champaign District No. II and
in all public school houses and
buildings in said district" She
asked the court to ban every form
OF teaching which suggests or
recognizes that there is a God"
She specified the prescribing of
the teaching or reading of any
parts of the Scriptures, including
the Twenty-third Psalm. Two
hundred years ago a woman like
Mrs. McCollum would have been
prosecuted as an infidel and
hereto. Today she sought and OBJ
tained the aid of a judicial decree
to suppress the teaching which
was the very genesis of the free
dom which she exercises for her.
self by trying to take it from
others.
The best available figures of
the United States Office of Educa-
ton and the National Education
Association show that at least 2
million children were attending
some kind of religious classes in
1900 cities, towns and communities
a year ago, with the number at
least 5000 this year and the num-
Der of children correspondingly in
creased. Nearly all children in
public schools are present during
reading of Scriptures or non-
Sectarian prayers. According to a
survey reported by the United
Press, Bible-reading in public
schools is required by law in Ala
bama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida,
Georgia. Idaho, Kentucky, Maine,
Massachusetts,, New Jersey, Penn
Sylvania, Tennessee and the Dis
trict of Columbia. Another "a
States permit reading of the Bible
and repeating of the Lords prayer
without comment.
The extent of the courts dis
ruption of local practices and
habits of the people in many
States is shown by the NEA sur
vey as reported by the United
Press. Definitely unconstitu-
tional" under the decision is any
plan under which the school
system releases pupils from
regular school classes and provides
classrooms and other services for
the religious classes. Some school
districts in at least II States con-
duct such programs: Alabama,
Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan,
North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Texas, Vermont and Vir-
ginia and Hawaii.
OFF Premise PIons
Also unconstitutional" under
the ruling is any plan where re-
igiouS education is conducted off
school premises but during school
hours and with the active CO.
operation of the school admins
tration, pupils being released from
the regular school, and teachers
and church authorities co-operat-
ing in keeping attendance records.
Some schools in at least these "a
States have that type Of plan: Ala
bama, Arkansas, California, Colo
RADIO, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia,
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas.
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mas
sachuSettS, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri. New Jersey,
New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ore
gon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, South Dakota,
Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Vir-
ginia and Wisconsin and Alaska
and Hawaii. In New York State
this type of plan was upheld as
constitutional by the Court of APP
peals in a suit by an atheist and
later embodied in the States edu-
cation law.
The First Amendment provides
that: Congress shall make no
law respecting establishment of
religion or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof" The Fourteenth
Amendment has been construed
by the court to extend to law