to teach religion, should forever settle the
question of religion in the public schools; but besides being wrong
in theory, the teaching of religion in the public school is impossible
of practice owing to the wide diversity of opinion on the subject of
religion which prevails among the patrons of the public school.
While it is true that many of the people here are outwardly
favorable to religion, there are some who neither practice nor favor
it. These certainly would not wish their children to be taught
religion in the public schools. As tax-payers and supporters of these
institutions, they have a right, equal with that of all others, to the
benefits of such schools; and to ignore this right is an injustice of
which no good government will be guilty.
If we limit the question to those who believe in reyligion [sic.],
the difficulty is not obviated; for the question then arises, What
religion is to be taught? Among the numerous phases of belief
which the theology of the day includes, how shall it be determined
which is the proper one to be promulgated by law? The State
should not favor one religion above another, and certainly could
not do so without meeting the united protest of a large number of
her citizens.
It may, however, be said that the design is not to teach in the
public schools the peculiar tenets of any denomination or