Year: 1868

the SAVIOR of their salt of Religious
Liberty, and contended boldly, un-
and self sacrifcingly
for the spiritual kingdom of Christ, as
having nothing to do with the tenn
poral power of Caesar or of human
government. They fought the good
fight of Religious Freedom and the
rights of conscience, and of private
Judgment in the matters of Religion


and of moral law, and OF Divine


worship. They protested against all


types to support any one faith or creed


or ministry of any one religion. They


appointed a Committee which con-


tinued its labors for thirty years to


overthrow Episcopacy and the Divine


right of Ministry and of Church eS-


adjustment by State to make men


conforun to one religion, They never


rested nor relaxed until they over |
threw the Temporal Hierarchy. Their |
impetus was such, in opposition to |
Episcopalians, Presbyterians and
Methodists who combined to make |
men belong to one or another pro-
fessed religion, that they so pressed
beyond the bounds of holy reverence
and of sparing sacred things as to
make ''horse troughs of the baptismal
fonts of the established Episcopal
church." They enlisted men of high


and low degree and marshalled into


their service no less leaders of men
than such as Patrick Henry. Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison. Henry


gave way and the Baptists defeated


him in the County of Hanover, Mad
ison gave way and was tor comprOm-


ise but the immortal author of the


Declaration of Independence stood


firm by the Baptists and drew the


statute of religious liberty of Virgin


la, the authorship of which he willed
to be inscribed on the tablet of his
tomb as one of his best titles to the
gratitude of mankind. Now shall an
Episcopalian Protestant against the
Church of Rome be the Interpreter o


scripture for the schools of Ohio p


No, will again say the Baptists, the


true Baptist of Revolutionary Amer
| lean Liberty, he is for state establish


ment, he is for tythes and temporal
power, he is for Episcopacy and no
! better than Roman CItholic and it
will again require Henry to argue


the case of Tythes against the Par
| sons. Again, shall PreSby terian be


the Interpreter of scripture for the
! Public Schools? No, exclaim every


Episcopalian, Baptist and Methodist,


he is for the Westminster Catechisms,


Election, and Perseverance of the


Saints Shall a Methodist be inter-


prefer? No say all, he is an Armen-


ian, a free will dissenter aud he is not
| orthodox. Shall a German Lutheran,
for the schools of Ohio? No, say all,
for in some essential particular he Is
divided from us all! Shall the Bap-


tist then he the arDiter of the reading


and the Interpretation of scriptures?
No, will say all, and some will say he
ought to be the last to claim such a
pre-eminence over religious rites, as


he was the first and foremost and
most faithful to the end of all those


who in Armenia defended the rights


of conscience and of private judg-


ment, and claimed successfully that


all men were entitled to the freedom


of conscience and religion! In a


word no one Protestant sect would be


allowed to interpret scripture and in


struct men how to do "God's service"


without offending all the rest.


2. You say, Gentlemen, 'tSuch rule was


uncalled for" The Board humbly felt that


the nature of the case necessitated the ap-


plication of the 18th Rule. You say you


have been told by one of our own members,


''that no one has asked the Board to make


such rule; )" and every member of the


Board now informs you that no one but


yourselves has asked the Board to unmake


the rule. You alone have moved upon the


subject and entirely out of your jurisdiction
when you assume to speak not only for


yourselves but for all who have not moved;
and not one TO express what the Superin-


tendent and Teachers of the schools have
''not demanded nor desired" but also to
: express the preferences of q large proper
ton of the parents who send their children
TO the schools. The Board of Education is
charged with the duty and responsibility ot
making rules and regulations on this impor-
tant subject, and they are obliged to obey
the law. When that is clear they are not tC


be controlled or swerved by Pastors, or by
those who have not petitioned, or by the de-
mands or desires of the Superintendent Oh
: Teachers of the schools, or by large "pro
portion of parents who send their children
to the schools" A large proportion of al
these persons in this community are Protes
, tants, for example, and they doubtless wo't
prefer that all of this community and all o1
the State of Ohio were of their persuasion
and belief in Religion and Politics; but they
are not unanimous, do not concur in thu
same religion and politics, and the opinions
of all, and not of a majority only on ques,
tions of this kind, must be respected equally
before the law, because all are equally alike
taxed. And these very reasons which you


urge, LOT Repeating l1lG IulC5 art
, reasons which in part decide, the Board tC
, adhere TO the rule and its strict enforcement
You clearly show that you deem it your du-
ty as Pastors to interpose in the matter OF


public education touching religion. You
I have looked to the votes and understanding
: of "some of the members of the Board. .
{ You have by name mentioned one of the
t members, and have learned that he was ''thC
3 originator and founder of the rule;" yoU
have undertaken to report his design in
I founding the rule; you have canvassed the
sentiments of parents respecting the former
rule prior to the 18th; you report informa-
ton derived from one of the members as to
what has not been asked for; you have
found out that the Superintendent and
Teachers of the schools neither demanded
nor desired such rule as the 18th; and you
have reason to know what large prOprtion
| of the parents who send their children to the
f schools would prefer. Now, gentlemen,
this also shows that you have been watchful
} active, busy. We don't apply this in any
J sense of the word pragmatical, but in the
sense that you have felt, from pure and
pious motives. doubtless such a deep interest
} in promotinG,the religion of the Protestant


Pastors of the city, tina: your church duties
veritably required you to look after the pub
lie schools-that is all, and that is enough
| H
you, as Protestant Pastors, make this part
} of pastoral duty ? Is it not to have your
religion prevail in the teaching of the


schoolsi Do you say no? "We don't ask


that our public schools shall be placed under
J the control of any denomination of chris
tians, nor that any sectarian instruction shall
be given to them" This you do say, but


when analysed does what you say express a


practical meanings If it is possible to, have a


religious teacher in our public schools with


out his being of some one or other denomi-


natfon-not of christians, for the law of ed.


ucation is not confined to thern4but of re-


ligion.i But confine it TO christfans with


out his being Of some one or other denomi-


nation of christians. If he is and has the


reading and Interpretation Of Scriptures,


then lie has the control for his denomination


of christians of religious instruction in the


school But you say this instruction is not


To he -6ssctarian ~ What is sectarian There