a Benge of' responsibility to Him. At least, that
is the TENDENCY, and since the so-called
theistic evolutionists borrow all their facts from
atheistic evolution sts and d’ffer from them only
in the origin of life, theistic evolution may be
described as an anesthetic administered to young
Christians to deaden the pajn.-wh‘le the r re
ligion is being removed by the materialists.
When the Christians of the .nation under
stand the demoralizing influence of .this godless
doctrine they will refuse to allow? jit. tot be taught
at public expense. Christianity is npt afraid of
truth 'because truth comes from r God, mo matter
by, whom it is discovered or ^proclaimed, - but
there is no reason why Christians should tax
themselves to pay teachers to exploit guesses and
hypotheses as if they were true.
The only thing that Christ ans need to do now
is to bring the enemies of the Bible into the
open and compel them to me/jt the issue as it is.
As soon as the methods of these atheists,
agnostics, and Darwinists were exposed thej
raised a cry that freedom of conscience was be
ing attacked. That is false,, there is no inter
ference with freedom of conscience in this coun
try and should be none. Christians will be just
as prompt as atheists to oppose tany attempt to
interfere with absolute freedom of conscience^
The atheist has just as much right to deny God
as the Christian has to believe', m God; the
agnostic has just as much right to ,profess ignor
ance in regard to God’s existence as jthe Chris
tian has to profess his faith in the existence of
God. . The right of conscience is not menaced in
th s country, it is inviolable.; ; '
Neither do Christians object;to the teaching
of atheism and agnosticism by those who be
lieve in these doctrines. Atheists ’have just as
much right to teach atheism as Christians have
to teach Christianity; agnost cs have just as
much right to teach agnosticism as Christians
have to teach their religion. Let it be under
stood that there is no attack either upon free
dom of conscience or upon anyone’s right to
teach religion or irrel'gion. The real issue is
whether atheists, agnostics, Darwinists and
evolutionists shall enjoy SPECIAL PRIVI
LEGES in this country and have rights higher
than the rights of Christains, They dare not
CLAIM higher .rights though they, nqw ENJOY
higher r'ghts and are contending for higher
rights.
When Christians want to teach Christianity,
they build their own schools and colleges and em
ploy their own teachers—Catholics build Catho
lic schools, Protestants bu'ld Protestant schools.
Every Protestant branch of the Christian church
builds its own schools for. the propogaf.on of
its own doctrine. This is the rule and there
is no protest against it. i i ■ v
WHY SHOULD NOT ATHEISTS BUILD THEIR
OWN COLLEGES AND EMPLOY THEIR OWN
TEACHERS IF THEY WANT TO TEACH
ATHEISM? WHY SHOULD NOT AGNOSTICS
BUILD THEIR OWN COLLEGES AND EM
PLOY THEIR OWN TEACHERS IF THEY
WANT TO TEACH AGNOSTICISM? Only a
small percentage of the American people believe
that man is a descendent of the ape, monkey, or
of any other form of animal life below man;
why should not those who worship brute ances
tors build their own colleges, and employ tneir
own teachers for the tra ning of their own chil
dren in their brute doctrine? There are no
atheistic schools and there are no agnostic
schools—why should there be if atheists and
agnostics can save the expense of . building their~
own schools and the expense of employing their
own teachers by using the public schools for the
prorogation of the r doctrine? They even make
their living by teaching to the children of Chris
tians a doctrine that the parents reject and
which they do not want their children to accept.
As long as the atheists and agnostics have the
same rights as the Christians, what complaint
can they make of injustice? Why do they ask
special favors?
If those who teach Darwinism and evolution,
as applied to man, insist that they are neither
agnostics nor atheists but are merely interpret
ing the B ble differently from orthodox Chris
tians, what right have they to ask that their
interpretation be taught at public expense? It is
safe to say that not one professing Christian in
ten has any sympathy with Darwinism or w th
any evolutionary hypothesis that takes from
man the breath of the Almighty and substitutes
the blood of the brute. Why should a small
fraction of the Christian Church—if they call
themselves Christians—insist upon propogating
their views of Chr'stianity and their interpre
tation of the Bible at public expense? If any
portion of the people could claim the right to
teach their views at public expense, that right
would certainly belong to a large majority rather
than to a small minority. But the majority are
not asking that their views be taught at the ex
pense of the taxpayers; the majority is simply
protesting against the use of the public schools
by a MINORITY to spread their views, whether
they be called atheists, or agnostic?, or are
merely teaching their interpretation of the Bible.
.Christians do not ask that tbe<-teachers in the
public schools, colleges and universities become
exponents of orthodox Christianity, they are not
asking them -tq teach the Bihde -conception^ of
God, to affirm the Bible’s cla!,m^ to £nfallib lity»j
or to proclaim the x|qity qf Christ,;, hut ;fjhi‘istians
have a right, to protest a ga i n sttteaching that
weakens fa^th in Godr undern)i$V®s tb®
B ble and reduces Christ to the stature of a man.
The teacher who tells a student that miracles
are impossible because contrary to evolution is
attacking the Bible; what right has he to do so?
Our schools are intended to train the minds of
students, but baqk of the.mind fs the .heart, out
of which “are‘the isSjies of life.” Religion dqals,
with the Science qf How $o %.ive, wbfc^.is more
important th^n any science tgughi.in thq schools.
The school teacher cannot qham enough, educa
tion into the riv ad to offset tjib harm, done to the ,
student if his l'fe is robbed qX faith. and.hjs ideals
are brought down to the basis.of materialism. It
is high time for the people, pylto, belieye in re
ligion to majee tlreir protest against t)ie teach-,
ing of irreltfrlbn ip the public school?,under the
guise of science and philosophy, r
A resolution without penalties will be sjuf
ficient—a. resolution passed by ti\e legislature de
claring it unlawful for any teacher, principal,,
super ntendent,^ trustee, director, member of a
school board, or any other perpon exercising au
thor ty in or over a public school, college, or
university, whether holding office by election or
appointment, to teach or pdrinit to be taught in
any institution of learning, supported by public
taxation, atheism, agnostifcisiri, Darwinism, or
any other hypothes's that links man in blood
relationship to any other form of lifer
We are not dealing with criminals, for \Vhom
fine or imprisonment is necessary, but with'edu
cated people who have substituted a- scientific
guess for the B ble and who are, in the opinion
of orthodox Christians, attempting to use public
schools for vthe propogation of doctrines antag
onistic to the Bible ori to ttie interpretation of
the Bible commonly accepted : by 1 professing
Christians throughout the United States and the
world. Fines and penalties are not only unnec
essary but would, if included in legislative meas
ures, turn attention ironi the ’ real issue which
is THE PROTECTION OF. THE RIGHTS OF
ALL IN MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE AND RE
LIGIOUS BELIEF.. • ;.* 1 ■<
The right of the taxpayers to decide what
shall be taught can hardly be disputed. Someone
must decide. The hand that writes the pay check
rules the school; if not, to whom shall the right
to decide such important matters be entrusted?
5 ; J W. J. BRYAN.
DEMOCRATIC HARMONY IN NEBRASKA
The Democratic party in Nebraska is more
thoroughly united and more completely harmoni
ous than it has been before in iriany a year. It
is one-hundr&d percent for law enforcement and
one-hundred per cent progressive. Local in
fluence marred the completidri of its triumph at
the polls but there is1 no doubt, that a large ma
jority of the people of Nebraska stand back of
the things to which the Democratic party is
pledged. Governor Bryan thj> enthusiastic
support of the entire party5 in the cafryirig out of
the program announced by him in the campaign,
endorsed at the election and reiterated in his in
augural address.
Nebraska ought to be a DOfnocratic state because
it is the champion of the things that the people
of Nebraska need. It is Qie champion of the in
terests of the masses whether they live upon
the farm, work in the factory or bring the pro
ducer and consumer together through the vari
ous lines of merchandise.
The criminal element in Nebraska constitutes
a very infinitesimal portion of the population,
and the number of those who profit by special
privilege and governmental favoritism is almost
as small. The average man is the real man in
Nebraska—the common people are the con
trolling people. The Democratic party speaks
for them and w ll defend their rights and inter
ests. It is entitled to their support.
W. J. BRYAN.
x Henry Ford says that the best cure for unrest
in this country or any other country is a job
that requires six days’ attention every week If
he will couple with it the statement that it car
ries with it a living wage he will not find any
general disagreement over his proposition
The Treaty Plan
Growing
. a T r; :■ . -••• t '* ‘ \ > •
A recent bulletin, issued by, the Hague Tri
bunal, reports unaninaous agreement upon a plan
for the conciliation of international disputes.
f £J'! i 1 ' ■ “ ’
The report begins; “On behalf of the First
Committed, which is unaninaous, I have the hon
our to submit to the Assembly the draft* resolu
tion concerning the procedure of conciliation in
international disputes.
“The First Committee was not able, in the
course of its numerotfs meetings, to give satis
faction to all the hopes and opinions expressed
during its discussions.
“Since then several treaties® which are known
as the ‘Bryan Treaties,' have been concluded.
The first of these was a treaty between Great
Britain and Brazil, signed, I may add, by the
distinguished M- da Gama, to whom I have the
honour and pleasure to' pay a tribute herel Next
came the treaty between Sweden and Chilei In
addition, I may remind you that Switzerland and
Germany also have just concluded a convention
dealing with conciliation in international - dis
putes:’’ etc. : “ ' * > ;
, • ;j - 'Cv • : s*
It is interesting to know that the * plan em
bodied in the Thirty Treaties negotiated by the
United States with nations representing three
fourths of the world in 1913 to 1915 is spread
ing,,. Great Britain has followed the plan in a
treaty with Brazil and Sweden ini a treaty with
Chile. Switzerland and Germany have recently
concluded a similar convent on. _
Investigation differs from arbitration in that
the conclusion is not legally binding but has a
persuasive force resting upon the merits of the
recommendations, r This is as far as it is possible
to go at present. There.are vital questions that
cannot be submitted to a binding arbitration but
all questions can be submitted for investigation
before a resort to war. W. J. BRYAN.
WHY NOT?
On another page will be found a press report
of a speeeh made by Congressman Upshaw, of
the Atlantic district, Georgia, in which he ap
peals to the president and. cabinet to sign a total
abstinence pledge for the benefit of the example
it will set to tlie nation. It is a-good idea. If
the president and cabinet will join in a total
abstinence pledge, the news will be carried
around the world and do more to answer the
wilful misrepresentation of the wet papers than
anything else could do. King George announced
that he would not drink intoxicating liquor dur
ing the war. That was a good start and had a
good influence, although it would have been
more effective if his total abstinence resolution
had covered h's entire life. ,
But Mr. Upshaw’s suggestion should be car
ried farther. Why would it not be well for each
cabinet officer to have a pledge book and ask ah
the employees of his department to join him in
a total abstinence pledge?
And why should the vice-president n<?t have a
total abstinence pledge book headed by himself
containing pledges of all the United States sena
tors?
And the speaker. Why not a book containing
the pledges of the speaker and all the members
of congress, and why not books in all the states
containing the pledges of governors, state of
ficials, members of the state legislature and so
on down to county officials, city officials, etc?
In another place attention is called to the
work that the churches and the schools can do in
rallying the people to total abstinence. Mr.
Bryan brought the matter before his Sunday
School class at Miami on the Sunday before
New Years, and more than a thousand of tho°e
in attendance joined- him in a total abstinence
pledge. It is hard to overestimate the salutary
effect of a total abstinence sentiment expressed
in such pledges and put back of the enforcement
law. W. J. BRYAN.
The ship subs'dy is at the point of death. it
will have no chance in the next congress, and the
great tid$ of opposition promises to overwhelm
the dying efforts of the shipping trust in this
congress. If “Coming events cast their shadows
before,” the administration should certain
ly be able to see the shadow cast by the late
election, which is a past event.
Not a dry Democratic member of congress
defeated for re-election in last November am
over two-thirds of the Democrats voting dry.
Where is the evidence of a wet gain?
