SCIENCE IN RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 



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which exist against a negative attitude of the state with regard to 

 education generally. There are thinkers of eminence who believe 

 that the state never should undertake to educate the young, leaving 

 that work wholly to private agencies. Their position, I think, is an 

 unsound one, because education is a necessity for security, and thus 

 a legitimate matter of governmental cognizance. At all events, we 

 have public systems, and, having them, it seems important that some 

 instruction be given upon those topics which evidently take prece- 

 dence of others in the minds of the people, and are of enough conse- 

 quence to develop actively an opposition of opinion. 



If this be so, there is only the third suggestion left, namely, to 

 extend universally the scientific method of teaching. State the ques- 

 tion fairly, give the facts bearing upon it accurately, explain impartially 

 the differences of views with the reasons favoring each ; then let the 

 individual form his own conclusions, entirely free from any of the arts 

 of persuasion. This is the only method which subserves the public 

 good, the welfare of the whole organism instead of the interest of a 

 party, and which does not work injustice. Then the tax-payer can not 

 complain ; or, if he does, it will clearly be because he is more desirous 

 of serving his own particular idols, whether of personal creation or of 

 party affiliation, than of promoting the cause of truth, in which alone 

 lies the well-being of the community as a whole. The school which 

 educates after this fashion is a powerful help to the stability of the 

 commonwealth ; the teacher who thus teaches is a faithful and valuable 

 public servant, for whose support no tax should be paid grudgingly. 



While these remarks apply to the whole curriculum of instruction, 

 the practical difficulty of giving such truly scientific instruction is often 

 very great. There is little fairness between contestants ; and most 

 people, even teachers, are partisans. Each seeks only to become the 

 oppressor. Ascendency, conquest, domination, is dearer than truth. 

 When this situation occurs, deplorable though it be, there is no alter- 

 native but to exclude rigidly all instruction upon the topic which is 

 the subject of such anti-social striving. The first of our three propo- 

 sitions is intolerable ; the third and best may be impracticable ; then 

 we must resort to the second, in the hope that better conditions may 

 arise. As between the first two, in adopting the second, we are cer- 

 tainly choosing the minor evil. 



This I conceive to be the wise practice to follow respecting public 

 instruction, as based on that theory of society which holds that each 

 individual is united in organic association with every other, being at 

 once the means and end of all the rest. Now, with regard to religion, 

 we are to-day in the position where we are obliged to consider seri- 

 ously whether religious instruction shall be excluded wholly from pub- 

 lic institutions, or be given scientifically and impartially. We can 

 make no exception here to the rule that anything actively disputed by 

 any considerable number of individuals in the community shall not be 



