STATE EDUCATION : A NECESSITY. 643 



sphere. One relates to temporal and the other to spiritual matters ; 

 and hence one embraces the great truth that the citizen should "ren- 

 der unto Csesar the things that are Caesar's " ; the other, that he should 

 render " unto God the things that are God's." The organisms that 

 administer these curricula must necessarily differ. The comprehen- 

 sive specialty of the Church is faith in a revealed religion. This, ac- 

 cording to each sectarian creed, must be taught by the Church. The 

 distinguishing specialty of the state is laio, and obedience to this ar- 

 biter is the foundation on which the " life, liberty, and the pursuit of 

 happiness " are guaranteed to the citizen, and must be taught by secu- 

 lar schools, either permitted directly or aided by the state. These 

 organisms have each a special work. And while the state could teach 

 religion as well as the Church could make and enforce laws regulating 

 all state matters and the duty of the citizen, in doing this, each must 

 necessarily abandon its own specialty ; so that, while these organisms 

 exist separate, as in America, each must pursue its own specialty. In 

 no other way can the proper support of the several arbiters be main- 

 tained. 



The argument, therefore, of Mr. Herbert, above quoted, against a 

 national system of education for the reasons stated or implied, is un- 

 sound, and of no possible application. He has presented no argument 

 against a national system of education that would not apply as well in 

 in any other case of enforced taxation. Substitute a national system 

 of imposts, a tariff, instead of a national system of education, and ask 

 his questions, and the same answers must be given. Thus : " Does a 

 national Church compel some to support a system to which they are 

 opposed ? So does a national system of imposts. Does the one exalt 

 the principle of majorities over the individual conscience ? So does 

 the other. Does a national Church imply a distrust of the people, of 

 their willingness to make sacrifices, of their capacity to manage their 

 own affairs ? So does a national system of imposts." Xow, it is evi- 

 dent that the results here arrived at prove nothing more than this : 

 that an enforced tax, however imposed, must necessarily result as 

 stated ; some will be opposed, majorities will be exalted, and even 

 some slight foundation afforded for the startling implication of dis- 

 trust in the voluntary action of the people, as a whole, in the matter 

 concerned. 



But we can not conclude that this religious argument in any way 

 militates against the argument in favor of national education. The 

 argument in favor of a national tariff, though oppressive to some, is 

 only such oppression as minorities must endure in any species of legis- 

 lation, whether for the promotion of virtue or the suppression of vice. 

 But there is still a more complete answer to this religious argument, 

 as used by Mr. Herbert. Over matters of conscience the higher law 

 has dominion ; but only over intentional acts has human legislation 

 anv rio'htful control. The control of men's actions lies icithin, but 



