Historical Objects Raise Complex Questions
For many of us, historical stuff is "boring." But it can be controversial, as well. In the past twenty or so years, there have been lively discussions in historical circles as to what to include in the history curricula of our public schools. During the time of the "Cold War" 1950's, when America was fighting Communism, historical emphasis was on patriotic and citizenship-related historical events and people. More recently, there has been a move away from the "dead white men" aspect of historical study, to include more contributions by women and minorities.
While we certainly will always engage in the discussion of what, exactly, should be included in the public school day, we know very well what, or rather Who, has been taken out of it: God. As you all know, that's been a hot-button issue--perhaps THE hot-button issue of our times.
That issue was possibly THE galvanizing bond of the new American conservative movement. It also helped the Religious Right to define their own mission in no uncertain terms. The discussion of God and public schools continues to this day.
Several 1962-3 landmark Supreme Court cases ended mandatory Bible readings and prayers in the public schools. These cases drew lines of clear separation between Church and State. While it is often believed that prior to these decisions religion was fairly common in the schools, the truth is that many states had discontinued Bible readings or prayer in the school day by the time those cases were decided.
Still, in the communities where the Bible and prayers were offered, those case resolutions caused a world of controversy and resistance. They helped to ignite a discussion about alleged Supreme Court "activism" that also continues to this day.
That brings me to these pictures and to the title of this column. It's a little book that I found while rummaging through the castaways of some flea market or garage sale many years ago.
What you're looking at is a discontinued 1920 public school book from a southern state. It is titled "Bible Story Reader." As you would expect, it contains many of the most popular Bible stories from both the Old and New Testaments. It includes a vocabulary section. It speaks, of course, of the Love of God...and it did so in the public schools back when this practice was permissible.
I'll leave it up to you, my readers, as to how you feel about whether we should put some religious activities back into the school day. That's not the point of this column. We can debate the pros and cons of that one at another time.
No, there's a second point to be considered here. Once in awhile, comments seem to come along expressing some fear of the way our city might be going. Sometimes that fear appears to have been expressed with not-too subtle references to certain elements coming into Lakewood.
Sometimes, it seems that some people even feel that racism is a thing of the past, or perhaps even an irrelevant issue today. Some even seem to feel that the cry of racism has been overused at times.
Well, we might take a little closer look at that Bible Story Reader (by the way, having the sub-title "Let There Be Light"). You know...that book about God's Love... You see? On the inside front cover, below something that's been scratched out... There it is...FOR WHITE PEOPLE, stamped with capital letters. By whom, we do not know.
It's so sad to think that some here in Lakewood seem to wonder why people continue to be concerned about prejudice . . .
