p. 22 | Our Attitude Toward the Public Schools by F. G.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 12, 1907

Our Attitude Toward the Public Schools

By F. G.

All civilized governments make some provision for the education of the children who are to become their citizens. The fact that private schools exist under all these governments is evidence that the promoters and supporters of these private schools feel that the public schools do not provide all that is essential for the education of their children. It does not follow, however, that this lack is due to any fault on the part of the management of these government schools, but rather that in the nature of the case, they can not well supply certain elements which some think to be necessary for the education of the young. Perhaps the demand for the religious education of the child leads to the establishment of private schools more than any other one feature. Civil government, being justly bound to protect all religionists in the free exercise of those forms of worship dictated by their consciences, in so far as this worship does not encroach upon the similar rights of others, must be impartial; and so it should not establish any system of religious education. To the ardent believer in any form of religion, the spiritual education and development of his children is a very important matter—a duty which he is bound by his obligations to his Maker faithfully to discharge.

Civil governments are ordained of God. They are intended to maintain an orderly state of society and to protect their subjects in the free exercise of their civil and religious rights. For them to exist and accomplish their work, they must have intelligent citizens. The government must bend its energies to the task of maintaining this intelligence and promoting the general welfare of its citizens, more largely, perhaps, through its schools than through any other single agency. On the other hand, Seventh-day Adventists believe that they have a distinctive and important work to do. This requires that they carefully educate their children.

It would seem that there is a slight danger at times, in the effort to establish and maintain our denominational schools, of unnecessarily disparaging the work of the public schools. One purpose of the public schools is, as has been indicated, to assist in the maintenance of the government. The schools of the Christians, while distinctly educating in those things which pertain to religion, do none the less seek to make capable, law-abiding citizens.

It would seem that the basis of the argument which should be used in urging our people to place their children in our own schools is the fact that we as a people have a distinctive work to do in warning the world of its impending doom, which the Scriptures clearly teach is coming upon it, and that we must have our children so educated that they will be enabled not only to escape this doom themselves, but to lead others to the way of escape. It is not alone what the public schools teach, but what from the nature of their organization they can not teach, that makes our schools necessary. The simple faith in God's Word and the ideals of unselfishness which it teaches, should create an atmosphere of purity and uprightness in our schools. Let us present positive rather than negative arguments in building up our own work. Let us assume a reasonable view of the work of schools other than our own. Let the importance of the teaching of God's Word to the young be the strongest argument for the necessity of the educational work which we are carrying forward.

F. G.