COMPULSORY LEARNING OF THE LORD'S PRAYER.
By T.
In a recent issue of the San Francisco Examiner, a person who subscribes himself “Sextus” has the following to say in regard to the compulsory learning of the Lord’s prayer in the public schools:— “It is said that Philip Armour on his death-bed requested his family to recite the Lord’s prayer, but none of these, nor even the attending minister, could do it; that after some hunting, however, they found a Bible and read the prayer to him. This is a sad falling off from the old Puritan days when most everybody knew the Bible by heart. In view of this scandalous exhibition, would it not be well to make the memorization of the Lord’s prayer obligatory in the public schools? We cram such a lot of useless stuff into our children’s heads at these institutions that we do not think it would hurt to teach them something that would inure to their welfare now and hereafter. “The Legislature is in session and has a glorious opportunity to begin the new century well. They will be somewhere at the beginning of the next century and wherever that may be, we do not anticipate they will find their environment any the worse for this little act of charity, done in the ‘long, long ago.’” The learning of the Lord’s prayer is something that every one should esteem a privilege. But a little attention to the principles upon which the Lord works will show that it would never be right to compel a public servant to teach children the Lord’s prayer, regardless of their wishes in the matter. The Lord compels no one. His work must all be done by persuasion. He can not compel any one to take the wonderful principles of goodness that He offers so freely to all. To compel us in this way would be to destroy our freedom. And He who is the Author of freedom will not take it away even in an attempt to spread the principles of His own kingdom. Force and compulsion are necessary things in civil affairs, because of the sins and perversity of men. But if all men were true and right there would be no need of it at all. In the realm of God’s religious truth to require even so good a thing as the compulsory learning of the Lord’s prayer is to open the way for every form of religious persecution. For if it is a good thing to know the Lord’s prayer, it is also a good thing to be baptized; it is a good thing to regularly attend prayer-meeting; it is a good thing to give to the support of the ministry and for foreign and home missions; but is it right to compel any one to do these things? The principle is wrong. We should not to the least degree follow a wrong principle, for it will involve us more and more in disaster and ruin. T.