Year: 1859

The vote on tie proposition to amend the
Constitution was very ight-probably about
one fourth of full vote. A great majority of
the voters appear to have been quite Indifferent
to tie result. The probability is, that the
measure has received majority of the votes
cast. Its friends have in various ways been
very active in its behalf. They have made
great efforts to bring out their whole force !;
among the curious means employed to bring
out those who were inclined to favor the meas
ure was the extensive circulation of hand
bill which read as follows


"Citizens of Massachusetts DO you wish to
have the Bible excluded from the Public
Schools If you do not, then vote YES on
the adoption of the Constitutional Amend
ment. ELIOT SCHOOL.


Boston, May l. 1859.


This circular was printed in Boston and
we hear of one delivery from the press of So
600 copies of it. Most of these were dstrib-
uted about the State before daylight Monday
morning. 1t will be noticed that the argu-
ment in this handbll is rather tremendous 1t
might have become still more terrible, if it
had added, in distinct terms, that the failure of





followed by the immediate landing of the
Pope to cruelty Governor Banks, and roast
the whole State government. But not
withstanding this very serious omission,
the handbill served to rouse the slumbering
hosts of Know Nothingism and save the Com
monwealth. There is terror still on sundry
faces, but men breathe more freely. We have
beaten off the inquisition we have defied the
whole college of cardinals; we have out-gen-
eraled the Pope, who will not dare to approach
our shore, much less set foot on it, while we
cherish this two years amendment Most
sensible persons will fail to comprehend the
philosophy of this salvation they must not,
however, expect to comprehend every thing.


But, seriously, we do not understand how
an honest man who prizes his own selfres-
pect could allow himself to circulate such
document. Of course it was not likely to per-
suade any man not already lost in the quag
mire of fanatical Know -Nothingism. What
has the two years amendment to do with the
bible in the public schools


We have sufficiently expressed our views
on this question. We shall henceforth dismiss
it from attention, as far as possible. The meas.
uIe is impolitic and useless. Its special friends
will not only find this SO, but they will also
see their work return in more ways than one
to plague its inventors. 1t is godsend to the
pro-slavery Democrats, who will use it to di-
vert attention from the great issue, and to en-
barrass and weaken our friends in the West
ern States. But what is done cannot now be
undone and wisdom as well as honest pur-
pose requires us to do faithfully what we can
to counteract such operations of the enemy.
We trust, however, that the gentlemen con-
nected with the State Government, who have
done SO much work in behalf of the Two
Years Amendment, will not dream of carrying
it for endorsement to the next national con-
vention of the Republican party, nor of sup
porting it there by the argument of that hand
bill. That convention is likely to be quite diff
ferent in belief and purpose from know moth
ing lodge, and may not be plant to their
wishes