xv THE SCHOOL BOARDS 395 



is the religious affection to be transferred from the 

 ethical ideal to any such omnipotent demon ? I 

 trow not. Better a thousand times that the 

 human race should perish under his thunderbolts 

 than it should say, " Evil, be thou my good." 



There is nothing new, that I know of, in this 

 statement of the relations of religion with the 

 science of morality on the one hand and that of 

 theology on the other. But I believe it to be 

 altogether true, and very needful, at this time, to 

 be clearly and emphatically recognised as such, 

 by those who have to deal with the education 

 question. 



We are divided into two parties the advocates 

 of so-called " religious " teaching on the one hand, 

 and those of so-called " secular " teaching on the 

 other. And both parties seem to me to be not 

 only hopelessly wrong, but in such a position that 

 if either succeeded completely, it would discover, 

 before many years were over, that it had made a 

 great mistake and done serious evil to the cause 

 of education. 



For, leaving aside the more far-seeing minority 

 on each side, what the " religious " party is crying 

 for is mere theology, under the name of religion ; 

 while the " secularists " have unwisely and wrong- 

 fully admitted the assumption of their opponents, 

 and demand the abolition of all " religious " teach- 

 ing, when they only want to be free of theology 

 Burning your ship to get rid of the cockroaches ! 



