Show WRONGFUL USE OF SCHOOLHOUSES Following the ruling of the Utah Supreme Court and the plain dictate of the law the courts J of this State are falling into line and declaring that it Is illegal I to use the schoolhouses of the public school system for dances The law under which these rulings are made is section 1822 Revised Laws of Utah which In declaring the duties of school trustees says In respect to thepower of the School Board It may permit a schoolhouse when not occupied ior school purposes to be used for any purpose pur-pose wliich will not interfere with the seating or other furniture or property and shall make such charges for the use of the same as they may decide to be just but for any such use or privilege the district shall not be at any expense for fuel or otherwise It Is plain that the use of a schoolhouse school-house for a dance would necessarily Interfere with the seating of the room the scats would in fact have to be removed In order to allow of the lance Judge Rolapp of the Second Judicial district is the latest to enforce this doctrine in a case from the War lcn School district That it I is the correct cor-rect Interpretation of the law does not admit of the least doubt But there is another use of the schoolhouses which Is quite as improper as this denounced by the Judges We refer to the practice which Is alleged to prevail to a considerable extent In various parts of the State some indeed in-deed say the practice is general in the settlements of dismissing the schools proper at an early hour and at once calling the pupils together in the build ng for socalled religious instruction or theological classes However com nendable such instruction may be considered con-sidered in a general way It Is a plain case that the public schoolhouse is no place for It nor the public schoolteacher school-teacher the person to Impart It The schoolhouses arc built from the taxa tion levied upon the people they arc supported by public taxation which akes no account of sectarian religions but applies to all alike In so far an the public money thus raised is used to shelter a sectarian school or to pay by the purchase of fuel or otherwise the cost or any part of the cost of sectarian tarian instruction it is establishing a religion and is a wrong committed against the idea of a proper ndmlnlstra lon of public affairs In which church and slate arc required to be kept wholly separate and it is also a clear imposition imposi-tion upon any taxpayer who may note not-e of the sect whose doctrines are Inculcate In-culcate and in any event it gives that suet an advantage at the public cost to whIch neither it nor any other sect Is entitled We have a note from Cedar City which says that the public schoolhouses there and In most of the settlements In hat part of the State are used for the sort of sectarian Instruction referred to and In the manner indicated Is it not time that a test case were made on this point also so that the courts of the tate could define the public rights respecting pecting it in a manner at once Just to aH concerned and binding on all the people |