Year: 1859

ho cohsciehco Taught III IL; no ue3It. no
moral responsibility, no law, or God
what would be taught in It'll Will the
DR.. furnish list of text books for his
secular school and give the gnobjication
of teachers. Certain it is, he will not
convert our present public schools into
secular ones by excluding the bible from
them. There are other books and in
fuences by which the minds of youth
are brought in contact with God and
conscience beside the bible. He may in
making them secular schools commence
his index expurgations with the bible,
but it will not end with it.


Quoting from the DR.. is like sacking
fifteen bushels Of chaff for two grains of
wheat Nevertheless to answer some
of his strongest arguments they must be
granted. What kind of book is the
bible? is it not religious bookl is it not
religion itself? and is it not because il
is such book, as protestants believe in
that so much zeal is manifested for force
ing its rise in the public school? The pro-
fessed objects to teach religion because
religion is the basis of allgood morals and
| is necessary to our national existence?
Now we answer this argument by simp-
ly saying just so Dr. The bible is re-
ligious book. That is, it is the great
fountain of the great christian religion,
the great inheritance of humanity. 1t
is the book protestants believe in, as the
word of God in the purcst form known
to the world. The christian religion is
the basis of all good morals and necessa.
ry to our national existence. The law
OF attraction is no more necessary to
keep the earth together or planets in
their sphere than is the law of al.egience
to God and moral right to secure the
prosperity and existence of this nation.
Absolutely without this we have no
security. Destroy the law Of attraction
and you have our earth in atoms, plan
cts clashiug in disorder--release our
government and nation from the law Of
aIlegience to God and moral right and
youhave thirty millions Of republicans in
the confusion of anachy worse confound
ed. 1t then our national security depends
upon the moral integrity of our citizens,
and if the christian religion be the only
basis OF all good morals, ,and fthe bblete
the only true source of the christian reli-
gion ought not our first care be to cult
'a;e the molls of theyouth of the nation?
And can this not be done to good ex-
tent by making them fam liar with the
bible in the public schools, just as did
our fathers for hundreds of years? No
says the learned DR.. the State is secular
and has no right to direct the reading OF
the bible in school," Secular or
non-secular, the ight Of selfdefence
should prompt her to do it. The raving
of immoral goddess youth is a crime
against the State-against the Common
wealth. These are tn, Goths and Van
dals, who are to subvert our republican.
| christian institutions.


But. says the DR.. the State has no
right to compel my child to listen to the
reading of the holy scriptures in the
public schools! But it is the duty of
the State to furnish schools for the
youth of the nation where the bible is
read Notwithstanding. and if the DIR.
does not wish his child to hear, let him
send to a Jewish or Roman Catholic
school where it may receive secular
education and be trained as citizen of
some secular government other than our
christian republican government.


Again-"And still more the oil iect of
those who are so strenuous in advocating
the use of the bible in the public schools
is to teach not merely religion but chris.
tianity in contradistinctiou TO judaism
or Mohamedanism. and protestant chris
tianhy in contradistinct;on to the faith
of the Greek, Romsh OF Armenian
churches. just soi true every word of
it. 1t isthe design to tamiliarise our
youth with the principles of our protest
ant christianity; and why notl What
have we to do with teaching any other
system of religion! Is not christian
professionalism the religion best suited to
our republicanisml Are they not con-
nected as the house and its fouudationl
Protestant christ.aninity is the great
heart which supplies the blood of life to
our entire social and governmental or
ganism. Its members are diseased and |
corrupting, just in proportion as they
are unsupplied with its blood. Is it big