Year: 1875

schools. Shall idolatry. then, always ex-
ist? If time -honored'' applies with any
force in the one case, much more does it
apply in the other.


Imprisonment for debt was ''time-hon-
ored" affair until humanity and intelligence
abolished It.


Burning men and women at the stake
was time -honored" custom until free
dom of thought frowned it down.
Slavery has existed since the beginning
OF the world, yet it is no argument that it
is right.


Sin is time hoEored." He'll is time
honored." The fact that thing or state
of affairs exists, does not prove that thing
or state of affairs to be right.
| Rev. Nash's second reason is:


I'VE plead that it be retained because it is Gods
/ book"


In support of this idea the reverend
gentleman says:


Now, II we rule out the word of God from our
schools It Is equivalent to saying that during the
school age (from six to twenty-One) God shall not
| speak to his children


| Such statement does not do Justice to
any man of intelligence or honesty of pur-
pose. A great many men and women
never went to school at all, and yet were
Christians. Do not the children go to
Sunday school? Do they not hear the
gospel every Sunday? Would the
children in Rev. Nash's parish never
hear of God unless it was in the pub
| lie school? Do the people of this county
never tell to their children the touching
and wondrous story of the cross! Does
Rev. Nash mean to say that all the Chris
| oil ho oil
the ministers combined, could not teach
the children about God unless they are
taught in the public schools. The fact is,
as everybody knows, that children learn
little about the real merits of the bible in
the public schools: bnt, on the contrary,
are taught creeds, faith aid facts concern
ing it. by their parents, Sunday schools
and ministers.


Rev. Nash mas made his statement hav-
ing no authority to do SO, and has placed
himself in an unenviable position He
either knows better.an has done wilful,
wrong, or else he does not know any bet
ter. and SO is ignorant. 10 either case
his statement is unworthy of belief


But, granted that the bible is Gods
word, why should it be forced on others ?
Because certain religion be true, are you
to make converts by force? Force does
not mean mere physical power. Mental
tyranny, mental oppression, majority in,
fllcnce, accomplish the work sometimes
Conversion at the mouth of a pistol may
sound well, but If is not healthy. Baptism
is of God, but it does not follow that the
teacher shall practice it in the public
schools The holy sacrament is of God, but
the teacher does not administer it in the
public schools Simply because thing is
of God, does not prove that it shall be
taught in the public schools.


Then, one half of the people have their
doubts about the bible being the word OF
God. Shall they be forced to pay to teach
the contrary, when the very essence Of the
free school system is freedom from sectari.
an doctrines? In the eyes of the law
Christians are as much of sect as the Mo.
hammedans.


We may notice some Of the other ideas
of the Rev. Nash again, but will stop fol
the present.


One thing we firmly believe: Either
our public schools must be freed from sec
tartan inhuenceS,or else they will 90 down