Year: 1875

lowing propositions:

 list. The State has no right to teach religion.

 2d. The State has no. right to teach irre ligion.

 3d. That the State has no inherent right so teach at al"

 Upon the first two of these three pro- positions we agree fully with the lecturer, while upon the third we widely differ, and upon this proposition mainly rests the controversy. Our limited space will only allow us to touch upon several of the main points in dispute. AS to the third and last of the points above raised we have to. say that any government has the inherent right to do all necessary things to protect its own existence; that Repub- lican form of government is based upon the intelligence and patriotism of the people and as natural consequence when the people fail to possess the neces- sary intelligence and patriotism to govern themselves, the government is like rope of sand and will fail to pieces. But, says the lecturer, we propose by our corpora tion bill to educate the people Now the proposed bill provides that any ten or more persous residents in any of the coun- ties of the Territory may at will form themselves into corporation for educa- tional purposes; and further it provides that when the persons who compose said corporation pay theiE school taxes, by re- quest their said taxes shall be paid into this corporation for their use and benefit to be used for educational purposes. Now what would be the result of the passage of law of this kind? At once the vari- ous religious cree6s would seek for their pfoportion and it would be divided and eubdivided and the public schools would befRFpken up and the education Of the yoz1th would not be conducted upon the 'hesl f love thy neighbor as thy self or to doSp ntospthers as you would like to be done hy. nor to stand by the government of the United States against all enemies whether foreign or domestic; but that other system would be inaugurated, of hate thy neighbors because they have done you wrong, love thy neighbors if they belong to the same Church, if Dot strike them down as heretics and enemies to the human race, be true to the govern ment of the United States SO long as the interest of your Church is advanced by so doing, but pound il into atoms and stamp it into the earth if it ever comes in con- fict with your Church.

 In these remarks we desire to draw distinction between creeds and religion. No one has higher regard than we have for the followers of the example and precepts of our Savior, but we say and can prove beyond successful coutradic- tion that the history of all creeds when they have gained the power over the peo- pie has been written in blood. Thou sands upon thousands have been brought to torture and death for nc other reason than that they entertained religious Opin- ions contrary to the ruling church.

 Speakers as in the present instance may deny the correctness of the history as written by Macualay, Motley and Froude, and one creed may claim and prove that the other was the most cruel, but none can deny that each in turn when vested with the power were as ferocious as wild beasts aud as cruel as human ingenuity could make them. And yet it is proposed 10 go back to the commencement, break down our present school system and found one upon sectarian principles, ed ucate our youth entirely in one creed or the other and raise up religious fanatics to 70 into public life with the firm determin- ! at ation to place the Church in which they | were raised above all others, to educate 1 ,hem to believe it to be their religious 1 luty to sustain the creed of their Church ! 1t the expense of country, government or III else on earth. If any creed when rested with unlimited power had ever shown that degree of charity and love for he human family and that devotion to ,ivil government that would warrant con- idence, then we might with safety place he public schools in such hands. But ook at the condition of countries where he education of the youth has been

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