slight modifications, among which was the mencement of the School system in the modification that these lands should be ves- State of Ohio. This was the commenceted in the Legislature in trust for School ment, as I conceive, of the grandest swindle purposes. The modifications were after- ever perpetrated on the people of the State wards acceded to by Congress. The Con- of Ohio, because the argument used in favstitution of 1802 provided that the schools or of it was that, in some of the townships and universities supported from the funds the lands were better than in others, and arising from these lands should forever be hence there was an inequality; that one open to the children of the State, without township would have better schools than any grade, or distinction, or preference another, because she would have a larger whatsoever. The Legislature of 1803 pass-fund, and that by the county system of taxed the first Act in the history of the public es, the children could all be educated alike schools in Ohio which provided for the and this inequality in the land could be releasing of these lands. In 1805 this Act moved. Following this, in 1827, an Act to was repealed and supplied by an Act pro- sell all these lands was obtained, which viding that these lands should be leased by was amended in 1831, and from time to the township trustees, in their corporate time since. These lands have all been capacity, and that the funds arising there- sold and the State has used the money. from should be by them duly and impartially The lands that were given to the Legisla applied to the education of all the youths ture in trust for the education of the chilresiding in the several townships, without dren of this generation and the next gen. any distinction or preference whatsoever eration and so forth forever, have been sold, contrary to the purposes of the donation. the State has used the money, not a vestige This Act was amended in 1806 and again of it is left. On the contrary to sustain a

in 1815, and again in 1821, at which time

a complete system of township education humbug, called the irreducible fund, the was adopted. The townships were divided people of this county are annually taxed by into school districts, and these school dis- the State to pay the interest on the sum for which the lands were squandered in other tricts were empowered to elect trustees, to beassess a special tax for building school counties so that we are burthened now, houses, and for paying salaries to school cause we were once the beneficiaries of a teachers. The same provision for the edu- trust fund, that we were long since swinI call the attention of the cation of all the children in each township dled out of. without distinction or preference is to be Board to this history, for the purpose of found in every Act. And in order that showing, not only the ignorance of some there might be no dispute about the perfect gentlemen as to the beginning of public edequality in the distribution of this fund, the ucation; but to show that some of the old Legislature, in 1824, provided that children lights of education in this City, so frequentattending school out of their own district ly cited, neglected the public interests, while might still draw their proportion of the they were endeavoring to violate the law public funds on the certificate of the teach- and force Protestant worship upon the puber showing their attendance. Thus were lic schools the schools kept equally free and accessible to all the children, and even further than that, for a child might attend a Catholic School or a Protestant School out of his own District and yet draw his share of the School fund.

Now I will pass from the history of the School question to the Constitution of 1851, because at this point begins all legal discussion touching this subject. In 1851 we declared in our Bill of Rights, that no man should be compelled to support any place of worship, or to maintain any form of This is the worship against his consent. enunciation of a principle that is inherent and inalienable. No person is to be deprived of this right at any time, nor upon any occasion. Now, if a person who is compelled to pay taxes, is required to

submit to have them used to maintain a of age, who reside in the city, subject only form of worship that he is net in favor of, to such regulations for their admission, he is compelled to maintain a form of wor- government and instruction, as the trustees ship against his consent. It may be said may provide. It is in force here in this that reading the Bible is not a form of wor- Board, but is not enforced. I ask you if a ship; but reading the Bible, with appropri- School is equally free and accessible to a ate singing is a form of worship. Not only child whose parents are in favor of and to a that, but the system that has come into use child whose parents are opposed to, the in this city, in all the District Schools with adopted form of worship used as an openwhich I am acquainted, is this: The teaching exercise. I ask any gentleman if the er reads a chapter from the Bible, the chil. Catholic Schools are equally free and acdren all bow down in prayer, they chant a cessible to the Catholic and the Protestant prayer, they sing a hymn or several hymns child? And if it is answered that they are or such religious pieces as the teacher may not equally free and accessible, then I ask decide upon. My understanding of the you if our Public Schools are equally free Protestant form of worship, aside from and accessible to the Catholic and the Prothose rites and ceremonies that are more testant? We all know that they are not. for appearance and to captivate the young, We have adopted and put into use a form than for any essential purpose, is that it of worship that makes the Schools of this consists in reading the Bible, prayer and city not equally free and accessible to all the singing of hymns, for the exhortation children. or preaching is certainly not an essential part of their form of worship.

I ask you if this form of worship, this devotional exercise at the opening of the The lawyers that discussed the matter Schools every morning is a regulation for at Pike's Hall, did not refer at all to that admission into the Schools, for the governclause of the Constitution, relating directly ment of the schools, or for instruction in to the subject of education. That clause the Schools? I say it is not. You know provides that: "no religious sect or sects that it is not. It is a devotional exercise; shall ever have any exclusive right to, or it is so understood by everybody; and it has control, of any part of the School Fund of been so preached from every pulpit in this this State." Now, when that matter was city. before the Convention in this State, each I desire to call the attention of the Board word of it was considered and discussed at to some of the legal arguments that were length. The word "sects" was introduced used at Pike's Hall. Mr. Sage, said that after considerable discussion, for the pur- it was a well recognized principle of law, pose of covering a combined union of a that the Constitution is to be examined in number of sects. The Protestants are di- the light of the history of the times, and the vided into a great many sects, and in order state of things existing at the time of its to cover any union or understanding that adoption. Mr. Ramsey entertained the same might exist among them, the word "sects" opinion. They argued therefore that as was placed in this provision. The words there were chaplains in the army and as "any exclusive right to" were likewise much George Washington was a Christian that discussed in the Convention, and the word such history proved that Church and State "any" inserted so that no right should be were united here; that this is a Christian enjoyed by one child, that another child State, a Christian Government, and that was excluded from enjoying. I ask any the Public Schools should have Christiangentleman who understands the English ity taught in them. They said they would language what those words mean? We have Christianity taught in the Schools, have a law in the State of Ohio under this they must have it and if that was not the provision-a Statute law, and it may be Constitution of this State, they would see found on page 777 of Disney's Laws and to it that the Constitution would be changed Ordinances. It provides that the Common in two years from this time. On account Schools in the several districts of this city of their well-known ability and capacity shall be "equally free and accessible" to to make this change, I confess I was gratiall white children not less than six years fied to hear they had taken that course on

the question. But, Mr. President, I main- titled, "An answer to objections against the tain that there is no such law as that in Catholic Church," November 18th, 1869, this State. There is no such rule of Con- from which we quote the following: (as stitutional construction known to the law, published in the Enquirer.) but the law of this State is directly the "I have announced that, on this evening, contrary. I refer you to the case of Gosh- I would answer some of the popular objecorn vs Purcell, in 11 Ohio State Reports, tions against the Catholic faith. There are page 641, where the court held that, while numerous objections urged, and I will try from particular instances we derived gen- to answer some of them-the most promieral rules, yet, when those general rules nent ones, at least.

were enacted into a law or constitution, It is objected that the Catholic is not they were no longer limited to the special allowed to read the holy book of God—the instances out of which they grew. But on Bible. Ministers of religion announce the contrary we know the Constitution only this to their congregations with an air of by the language used in its enunciation, compassion and pity. and when this is clear and comprehensive, it is in no wise limited by the history of at five o'clock in the morning to this church the times, or the state of things existing at the time of its adoption.

Now all I ask is that you consider the language used in the Statute, and in the Constitution upon this subject, and honest ly pass your judgment.

THE VOTE.

On Monday night, November 1st, 1869 after an excited and prolonged discussion, the Resolutions, as they were offered by Mr. Miller, were adopted by the "Board of Education of Common Schools of Cincinnati,', by the following vote:

When those who attend this mission come

our Protestant friends are still sound asleep. Their steps may be heard as they hurry along the sidewalk to the church. They are here in the morning at an early hour, and at night this church is crowded to excess, maybe until ten or eleven o'clock. Now, many of our Protestant friends have said, when they have noticed this earnestness of our people: "Well, really, what a zeal these people display in their religion! Oh! what a pity they are not allowed to read the Bible! Would not all of these Catholics make very excellent and very fervent Protestants if they would only get a peep at the Bible! Their priests won't allow them to look into the Bible."

Yeas-J. H. Brunsman, C. F. Bruckner, J. P. Carberry, Herman Eckel, E. M. John Now, whosoever says this, violates the son, J. W. B. Kelley, Jos. Kramer, F. eighth commandment of God, "Thou shalt Macke, S. A. Miller; D. J. Mullaney, W. J. not bear false witness against thy neighO'Neil, H. W. Poor, F. W. Rauch, Benj. bor;" for every Catholic is allowed to read J. Ricking, H. P. Seibel, J. P. Story, John God's holy book, the Bible, and our reverSweeney, G. D. Temple, A. Theuerkauf, end gentlemen of the various Protestant Thomas Vickers, Stephen Wagner, J. F. Wisnewski.-22.

Nays-Louis Ballauf, Henry Bohling, C. C. Campbell, Howard Douglass, J. L. Drake, A. L. Frazer, Peter Gibson, G. W. Gladden, C. H. Gould, Wm. Kuhn, Henry Mack, A. D. Mayo, J. H. Rhodes, W. J. Wolfley, H. L. Wehmer-15.

denominations could easily overcome their error and their ignorance if they would only do it by informing themselves. They will find in the very beginning of the Catholic Bible a letter from the Pope of Rome, Pius VI., encouraging all to read the Holy Bible, for the purpose of instruction, of information, and of edification, and as a

Absent-Messrs. Kreiger, Ferry and means of sanctity.

Fisher.

The Catholic Church has never forbidden her children to read God's holy book, the Bible, for it is in the Bible that the Catholic LECTURE OF FATHER DAMEN. Church finds her support, and all her docFather Damen, a Catholic Priest, deli- trines which she teaches. The Catholic re vered a lecture at St. Xavier's Church, en-ligion is pre-eminently a Bible religion.

There are no doctrines in the Catholic rejected by our Protestant friends, which Church that we do not prove from this holy are acknowledged as portions of God's book.

"Why," say our Protestant friends, "you object to the Bible in our public schools

?

God?

holy word by the Catholic Church. How, then, can the Catholic conscientiously recognize the Protestant Bible, and tell his Why do Catholics object to the reading of children to read that Bible as the Word of the Bible in the public schools?" It is be cause you have not the Bible-you only There are other reasons why Catholics have a piece of the Bible, my Protestant object to the introduction of the Bible into friends, and that very piece is full of errors the Public Schools. St. Peter tells us that and full of faults. Hence the Catholic in the Epistles of St. Paul there are many Church says: "We want the whole Bible things hard to be understood. He says, and a correct Bible." This is the objection inspired by God, that the unlearned and that the Catholic makes to the introduction the unstable rush to their own perdition. of the Bible into the public schools. It is Surely, these children are unlearned and not the Catholics alone that say the Protes- unstable, and may rush to their own damtant Bible is vicious and corrupt in its nation. How, then, can the parent, in contranslation, for the most learned among science, consent that his child shall read the Protestants themselves acknowledge that book? that their translation is full of faults and Again: In the Old Testament, every errors. Whole volumes have been written reader of God's Holy Book must acknowlby Protestant divines and learned theolo edge, there are many things which the pagians about the numerous errors of the rent would not wish a young child—an intranslation of the Protestant Bible. nocent daughter or son-to read. The You may remember that about twenty- Jews were so well convinced of this that five years ago a Convention was held in there was a law among them that none St. Louis, to which the ministers of all de- should read the Old Testament until they nominations were invited. I was in St. were thirty years of age. Every one of Louis at the time, and I saw the proceed you that has read the Old Testament of the ings of the Convention published every Bible must acknowledge that there are morning in the Missouri Republican. The many things in it that a child should never object of the Convention was to give a new know.

translation of the Bible, for the present Moreover, my dear friends, the Catholic translation furnished was full of errors. Church has such a respect and reverence, Ministers of all denominations assembled and veneration for the Holy Book of God in St. Louis, and a learned Protestant min. that they will never consent to have it used ister-a Presbyterian, I think-stood up in as a school book. As a general thing, that Convention and urged the necessity of children in public schools have very little giving the world a new translation of the respect for school books. They fling them Scriptures, for there were thirty thousand around the school room; they trample upon errors in the present translation. Another them; they sit upon them; they spot them minister-I think a Baptist minister-stood all over with ink. The Catholic Church up in that Convention and urged the neces- has too much respect and too much venersity of giving a new translation of the ation for God's holy book to consent that Scriptures, and said that up to the present it be treated in the manner that a school time-remember that was twenty-five years book is treated. As for the rest, the Cathago "the world is without the Word of olic Church looks upon the Bible as the God, for the Bible which we have now is Word of God-as a thing of inspiration; not the Word of God." and she recognizes the reading of it as a Moreover, we Catholics acknowledge in means of instruction and information, and the Bible several books which our Protest- of edification. Hence the Catholic Church ant friends have rejected. Such, for in is not opposed to the Bible. Opposed to stance, as the books of Maccabees, portions the Bible! Why, my dear, separated breth. of Esdras, portions of Tobias, and the his- ren, to whom does the world owe the pretory of Susannah. All of these have been 'servation of the Bible? Before the art of

' printing was invented, for fourteen hundred not the word of God as delivered to the years there was none to preserve the Bible saints, and is, in short, not the Bible. but the Catholic Church. In their monas- The Protestant Bible has led thousands, teries and in their convents large numbers yes millions, of people into all kinds of erwere employed in transcribing the Holy rors and absurdities, which is proven by Scriptures for the use of future generations. the fact that there are upward of three Then how can it be said by our separated hundred Protestant sects now in existence, brethren that the Catholic Church is oppo- all of whom claim the Bible for the basis sed to the Bible? of their peculiar belief. Can all be true? Again he said: Protestants say that they all agree on the

It was not until the fourth century that essentials of religion, and only differ on the Bible, as we have it to-day, was estab-minor points. How untrue this assertion lished as the word of inspiration. There is can be proven by the history of their had been many false and fraudulent gos- convocations for the purpose of forming a pels in circulation up to that time, and in common creed, or basis of agreement. order to settle the authenticity of the Ca- About thirty years ago the King of Prustholic Bible, the Pope of Rome ordered a sia called a Convention of Delegates from convocation of wise men to determine what all of the different Protestant denominawas, and what was not, inspiration. These tions, for the purpose of establishing a men had given us the Bible as we have it, common creed and effecting a union of the not the Protestant Bible-for that is not Protestant Church. What was the result? the Bible but the Catholic Bible, which is the real Word of God.

A failure. They could agree upon no ar. ticle of faith except the recognition of the Learned Protestants acknowledge that existence of a Supreme Being. This was during the first three centuries the Catholic such a universal belief that its announce Church had all the doctrines of Christ in ment by such a Convention was unnecestheir purity, yet up to that time they had no sary. The American savage, as do almost Bible. The church was the custodian and all other savages, believes in the existence teacher of the doctrines as she is to-day- of a great overruling, Supreme Spirit. and she teaches them to-day, in their purity,

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. References to a few passages that prob

as she did in the early ages of Christianity. It was not until the year 1450 that the art of printing was invented. Up to that time only the wealthy could have the Bible. If the reading of the Bible was so necessary to the salvation of the souls of all the people, why was it that God had denied them this privilege during the many centuries before? From this very fact we could ably should not be read on all occasions: not assert that the reading of the Bible GENESIS, Chap. XVI; Chap. XIX; was necessary to salvation without ques- Chap. XXV, Ver. 20 to 26; Chap. XXX; tioning the wisdom of God. Or to take Chap. XXXI, ver. 35; Chap. XXXIV; another view of the case: Up to the era Chap. XXXV, ver. 22; Chap. XXXVIII; of the invention of printing, perhaps not Chap. XXXIX ver. 7 to 18.

one-fourth of the members of the church EXODUS, Chap. I, ver. 16 to 22; Chap. were able to read it. At the present time IV, ver. 24 to 26; Chap. XIII, ver. 2 to 15; not more than one-half of the people can Chap XXII, ver. 16 to 19.

read. Are all of these people to be exclu- LEVITICUS, Chap. XII; Chap. XV; ded from Heaven? And even supposing Chap. XVII; Chap. XVIII; Chap. XX. all could read, how are they to determine

and satisfy themselves that the Bible is, NUMBERS, Chap. V; Chap. XV, ver. 38, or what portions of it are the work of in- 39; Chap. XXV; ver. 1 to 8; Chap. XXXI, spiration? Learned Protestants acknowl- ver. 17 to 35.

edge and assert that their translation is full DEUTERONOMY, Chap. XXII; Chap. of errors. If it is filled with errors, it is XXIII; Chap. XXV, ver. 11.