# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Dezember 1905_S567
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Kirchlich⸗ Zeitgeschichtlicheͤs. 56⁷

geführt würde, würde die Schulsteuer, welche die Katholiken New Vorks für die
öffentlichen Schulen entrichten, den katholischen Schulen zu gute kommen, und die
Nothwendigkeit der Extrasteuer, welche die Katholiken sich für ihre eigenen Gemeinde⸗
schulen auferlegen, würde wegfallen.“ Die Römlinge halten offenbar dafür, daß
die Stadt New York der geeignetste Fleck ist, um das americanische Princip der
Trennung von Staat und Kirche zu durchbrechen. F. B.

Gegen den Gebrauch der Bibel in den Staatsschulen hat sich D. H. Richardson
von Baltimore, ein Beamter in der bischöflichen Methodistenkirche, also geäußert
(wir citiren aus dem Lucheran Niiness):“Conceding for argument's sake that
the Bible should be read and taught in the public schools, such practice must
eventually be destructive to the public school system; for if religion is to
be taught in the schools, we cannot deny the right of each church to select
teachers for that purpose and, in addition, a division of the school funds.““
The public school is a State-endowed institution; it is sustained by the
equal and common taxation of all the citizens of the State, without regard
t0 creed, color, or other classiflcation. It plainly comes under the scope of
the Constitutional prohibition as named by Justice Cooley. The presence
and use of the Bible in the public schools is an acknowledgment of the right
and duty of the State to give religious instruction to its youth, and to pro-
vide for the same by taxation — to regulate it; in a word, is àa semi-recogni-
tion of the union of the Church and State, with the State as the dominant
and controlling factor. We have thus severed from the cardinal principles
of the American State, and have, at least, à quasi-establishment of religion
and its support by taxation. We have resubmitted to a yoke which, though
seeming pleasant and smooth to our necks, our fathers spurned with hot in-
dignation when they struck from the brain of the newly created American
people the greatest document — the Federal Constitution — according to
Gladstone, ever penned by man, and we have done this, it is to be feared, in
3 spirit of ecclesiastical rivalry and prejudice, if not of bigotry, in a vain
and wicked attempt to humiliate Romanists, or Jews, or Protestants. Have
we gained anything for the Bible or the cause of Christianity by this pro-
ceeding?' — D. Richardson ist eine rara avis unter den Methodisten, die bisher
wie Ein Mann für die Einführung der Bibel in Staatsschulen eingetreten sind.

F. B.

Die geheimen Gesellschaften in den öffentlichen Schulen verurtheilt eine Com⸗
mittee der National Education Association aus folgenden Gründen: „(Because
they are unnecessary in high schools; because they are fractional and stir up
strife and contention; because they form premature and unnatural friend-
ships; because they are selflsh; because they are snobbish; because they
dissipate energy and proper ambition; beécause they set wrong standards of
excellence; because they are narrow; because rewards are not based on
merit but on fraternity vows; because they inculcate a feèeling of self-suffl-
ciency in the members; because they lessen frankness and cordiality toward
teachers; because they are hidden and inculcate dark lantern methods; be-
cause they foster à feeling of self-importance; because high school boys are
tOO0 young for elub life; because they foster the tobacco habit; because they
are expensive and foster habits of extravagance; because of the changing
membership from year to year making them liable to bring discredit and dis-
grace to the school; beécause they weaken the efflciency of, and bring poli-
tics into, the legitimate organizations of the school, and because they detract