Q
T H E TOUCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, D E C E M B E R 6, E. M. 300 (1900.)
placently resumes the newspapei one has well said, the utm ost th a t
under the im pression th a t all is as severity can do is to m ake hypo-
it should he: most unfortunate mis- crites; it can never m ake converts,
[Social Statics.
takel
If the thiug wanted had been the
m ere repression of noise, or the me­ The Bible an d th e P u b lic School,
chanical transfer of a plaything,
The opinion rendered by A ttorn-
perhaps no better course could have
been ursued
H ad it been of no ey-G eneral B lackburn, in which he
p nseouence un der
w hat im pulse upholds the reading of th e Bible
consequence
the child acted, so long as it fulfill­ as part of the religious exercises of
ed a given m andate, nothing would a public school, in which all the
rem ain to be said. But som ething pupils are obliged to participate,
else was needed
C haracter was includes a good deal th a t is not to
the t h i Z to be changed rather than the point.
Nobody aupposes th a t
conduct. It waa not the deeds, but the reading of the Bible as p art of
the feeling from which the deeds the religious exercises of our pub-
sp ru n g th at required dealing with. lic schools is objected to by Roman
H ere were palpable m anifestations C atholics, by Jew s or by Agnostics,
of selfishness— an indifference to on the ground th a t the passages
the wishes of others, a m arked de­ read inculcate im m orality, or on
sire to tyrannize, an endeavor to the ground th a t the passages read
m ay not be p art of a fine body of
engross benefits intended for all
in short, here were exhibitions on literatu re. The plea of the Roman
a sm all scale of th a t unsym pathetic Catholic dissenters is th a t the Bi­
n ature to which our social evils are ble, known as the P ro testan t Bible,
m anifestly attrib u tab le. \\ hat,then, “ King Jam es’ version,” is held and
was the thing wanted?
E vidently believed by the C atholic church to
an alteratio n in the ch ild ’s dispo­ be incorrect and incom plete, and it
sition. W hat was the problem to is further tau g h t by the Roman
be solved? Clearly to generate a Catholic church and believed by
s ta te of m ind which had it pre­ its mem bers th a t the scriptures
viously existed would have p r e ­ ought not to be read in d iscrim in ­
vented the offending actions. W hat ately , since th e church has divine
was the final end to be achieved? authority as the only infallible
U nquestionably the form ation of teacher and interpreter of thesam e;
ch aracter which should sp o n tan e­ th a t the reading of the sam e w ith­
ously produce great generosity of out being expounded by the only
conduct. Or, speaking definitely, authorized teachers and in terp re­
it was necessary to strengthen that ters is likely to lead to the adopt­
sym pathy to the weakness of which ion of dangerous errors, irreligious
faith, practice and worship.
This
th is ill behaviour was traceable.
is the position of the Rom an C ath ­
B ut sym pathy can be stre n g th ­
olic church, and in the light of this
ened only by exercise. No faculty
exposition the P ro testan t Bible is
w hatever will grow, save by the
perform ance of its special function clearly a sectarian book to a Rom ­
— a muscle by contraction; the in­ an C atholic pupil.
So to the orthodox Jew, the P ro t­
tellect by perceiving and thinking;
moral sentim ent by feeling. Sym ­ estan t Bible is clearly a sectarian
h o o k , because while fcr* recognizes
pathy, therefore, can be increased
the Old T estam ent, he rejects the
only by exciting sym pathetic em o­
New T estam ent, denies th a t Jesus
tions. A selfish child is to be re n ­
was the Messiah, and holds th a t he
dered less selfish, only hy arousing
was nothing more than a gifted
in it a fellow-feeling with the de­
sires of others. If this is not done, social ag itato r put to death by P il­
ate as a d istu rb er of the public
n o th in g is done.
peace.
To an Agnostic th e Bible
T hus we have but to reduce the
would be a ttra c tiv e as fine lite ra­
subjection theory to a definite form
ture, but offensive as a p art of re­
to render its absurdity self-evident.
ligious exercises in which he has no
C ontrasting th e m eans to be em ­
faith, and which he ought not to
ployed with the work to be done,
be obliged to endure in a public
we are a t once struck with their u t­
school which is legally no place
ter unfitness. Instead of creating
for sectarian religious exercises.
a new in tern al state which shall
The question of Bible reading as
•exhibit itself in better deeds, coer­
a religious exercise in the public
cion can m anifestly do nothing but
schools was exhaustively argued
forcibly mould externals into a
before the Suprem e C ourt of W is­
coarse sem blance of such a state.
consin in 1890 on appeal from the
In the fam ily, as in society, it can
C ircuit C ourt of Rock County.
sim ply restrain; it cannot educate.
Mr. Justice Lyon held th a t the
Ju st as the recollection of Bridwell, j
reading of any version of the Bible
and the dread of a policeman,
in the public schools as a religious
whilst they serve to check the thief’s
text-book is sectarian instruction.
depredations, effect no change in
He quoted from the reports of the
his morals, so, although a father’s
Am erican Bible Society the state-
th reats may produce in a child a
inent th a t through th e reading of
certain outside conform ity with rec-
the scriptures alone several persons
(Rode, they cannot generate any were converted from Rom anism .
real attachm ent to it.
As some |I n this case, Bible reading was sec-
tarian instruction, and Bible read- accordance with th a t of the highest
ing in the schools is sectarian in- court of W isconsin— th a t the Bible
struction. The learned Judge said is a sectarian book, and its reading
th a t these views do not banish in schools is sectarian religious in-
from the public schools such text- stru ctio n .[— Oregonian.
books as are founded upon the
fundam ental teachings of the Bible,
Too M any By Half.
or which contain ex tracts there-
Ivan Chen, secretary to the C hi­
from. Such ex tracts pervade secu-
lar literatu re, are rig h tly included nese M inister in London, sent a
in text-books for secular instruc- capital letter to the London Daily
tion as standing for noble lite ratu re Mail in reply to Mr. Ju lia n R a lp h ’s
and the code of good m orals, con- article on “ All the T rouble in Chi­
cerning whose fundam ental princi- n a.” The Mail did not “ like eith er
pies the religious sects do not disa­ the tone nor the m a tte r” of the
gree.
Mr. Ju stice Lyon held th a t C elestial’s reply, which contained
the tru th s of the Bible are best “ m any unnecessary sneers a t C hris­
tau g h t to our youth in th e church, tia n ity .”
Poor d ear C hristians!
in the S unday schools, the social How sensitive they are! How they
religious m eetings, and, above all. w rithe when a little— ever so little
by parents in the home circle, where — of the sauce which they dish the
the tru th s m ay be explained and “ h eath en ” is poured over them -
enforced, and the sp iritu al n atu re selvesl Mr. R alp h described the
directed and cultivated in accord­ way in which the ig n o ran t Chinese
ance with the dictates of the pa­ scare aw ay devils, p artly by m eans
rental conscience.
The co n stitu ­ of em pty beer-bottles. W ell, said
tion of W isconsin does not in te r­ the bland Celestical, supposing this
fere with such teaching and cu l­ is all true, are there not ignorant,
ture. It only banishes theologic superstitious people everyw here,
polemics from the district schools. and is not an em pty beer-bottle “ as
The court held th a t reading of the good for keeping off devils as the
Bible in the public schools is relig­ largest bells ever erected in any
ious worship;* th at it constitutes tow er?” A hit, a hit, a palpable
the schoolhouse for the tim e beii.g hit! No wonder the Mail is wild.
a place of worship, and th a t such
The bland Celestial goes on to
reading in school houses as a school say th a t C hina contains nine tim es
exercise against the consent of the as m any people as the U nited
tax-payer compels him to support a States, but th ey don’t spend nine
place of worship.
tim es 200,000,000 d allars a y ear in
The court also said th a t no child “ propitiating th eir gods and dev­
should be compelled to retire from ils.” They do it just as effectively
school because of the reading of a for less th an half th at sum. Good,
version of the Bible in schools of­ thou bland Celestial, very good!
fensive to the parents.
T he fact You are too m any for these C h ris­
th a t the reading of the Bible in the tians.
They could do with half
schools was a source of religious your cleverness.
and sectarian strife was held suf­
Then the bland Celestial goes on
ficient reason for its banishm ent. to explain th a t the educated, in te l­
The court was unanim ous in ho ld ­ ligent people uf C hina follow the
ing the Bible to be a sectarian book. teaching of th e great Secular p h i­
P rotestants are a sect to the C atho­ losopher, Confucius. “ Confucius” ,
lic church, and so is th eir version he says, “ has ta u g h t us to respect
of the Bible sectarian as against our ancestors and leave the gods
the C atholic version of it, which alone.
Confucius teaches us to
includes as p a rt of th e inspired have nothing w hatsoever to do with
canon books om itted from the P ro t­ anyone who pretends to have any
estant version.
The constitution intercourse with the su p e rn a tu ra l.”
of Wisconsin provides th a t “ no sec­ We have am ongst us, however, he
tarian instruction sh all be allowed says, a silly lot of people called
in the public schools,” and the B uddhists, w h o h a v e “ a religion a l­
court was unanim ous in the op in ­ most identtcal with the C hristian
ion th a t the reading of the Bible religion”, and the trouble in C hina
therein is contrary to the rights of is ju st w hat would happen in E n g ­
conscience, and th a t th e tax p ay ers land if B uddhist m issionaries tried
of any d istrict had a rig h t to ob­ to su p p lan t th e Catholics and P ro­
ject to the reading of the Bible testants. “ Suppose” , he says, “ a
therein, since th e constitution de­ Chinese priest should come to E n g ­
clares th at “ no m an shall be com ­ land, and it should be know n th a t
pelled to support any place of wor­ every burglar, pickpocket an d thief,
ship.”
by becoming a B uddhist, would be­
The contention of A ttorney-G en­ come exem pt from arrest by the
eral B lackburn th a t th e reading of police. Suppose th a t tho in tro d u c­
the Bible as a school exercise is not tion of a new faith into E n g lan d
sectarian is clearly not well taken. should give the crim in al classes li ­
To a Jew or a C atholic our P ro t­ cense to ply th e ir trad e in London
estan t Bible is clearly a sectarian with com plete im m u n ity from the
book.
The sam e question cam e action of the laws W ould the E n-
before A ttorney-G eneral Jones, of glish peopie su b m it to such a state
W ashington S tate,
about eight affairs?” C ertaialy not. Then whv
years ago, and his opinion was in should the Chinese? F in ally , th e