Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-10-23
NEW YORK HERALD.
new York, Friday, October a. ls40.


ssrert hut .ure Progress Of Inadeiity.
This afternoon the Common Council was to hold
spsca. meeting, in order to hear the claims Of the
Catholics upon the Public School Fund, presented by
their eosnssl and to hear all argsnents bearing upon
the same hut il has been postponed Bishop Hughes,
IL is understood will be present at the meeting when
held and i'll probably speak upon that interesting
occasion.
la relation 10 the true merits Of this question OF
the Public Schools and the School Fund, the public
in general are lamcntably ignorant We will there
fore ual1e Short simple, plain and accurate state
meat OF the whole subject.
Ia this city there IS public schools there were
taught in them last year, average of 10000 white
chJres; the exact average in attendance during the
year, was 1900 white and 800 colored children
The amount received from the state and distributed
10 thi, city for these schools, last year, was SILL
$50, b, law, the Common Council of this city
are Authorised to designate the schools among which
the School Funds raised here and apportionsdto the
city, shall be Distributed.
Besides these SO schools connected with the Pub
lie School Society this city, there l6 other free
or public schools not connected with the society in
aay way and also Roman Catholic free schools,
at which latter seven more than 5000 children are
tAu.h six hours in each day. These do not parti-
cipa;e in the distribution of the Common School
Fad of the state; and consequently are not in
claaed in any Of the returns, but supported by
the voluntary bounty Of the Catholics.
The above Sc public schools nominally he pro-
perty. and under the control of body of about GOO
beoe violent ndi vdarls, called the Public School So
cieiy OF the City of New York." who pay $40 each
as entrance money; these elect 80 trustees from
amoas their own body, TO take charge Of the y
schools, and TO distribute the Sill 900 awarded by
the State to be disposed of by the Common Council
They lominally manage the Schools and the School
Fuud. But these 30 Trustees have latterly been in
the habit Of eecting each other and of playing into
each others hands until at last the practical opera
ton OF the management Of the society, has become
like that of close Corporation, and the whole ba-
ssness is managed, directed, and controlled by some
half dozen worthy Quaktrs, very honest and pious
men, doubt bat possessing very peculiar notions
GA ths subject of religious Instruction.
According to the present mode Of conducting these
schools the cLiidrea brought up without any re-
gard TO religion at all And the Catholics (and the
Jews have done the same) have protested against
sending their chiidrento these schools, conducted
aad have raised great camor sboat it; and as they
cannot conscentiously send their children to them
they demand a separate and fair proportion of the
schoo, fund TO erect schools with, and to educate
their own children in their own way.
The stir made by the Catholics and the objections
which they took TO much contained in many of the
books used in these schools, induced the shrewd
who had the management OF them TO modify the mode
sfteaching lsttery, and to muate many of the books
in a most ridiculous manner, with the sole view
Of conciiiating the Catholics. This is most pre-
posterous and may be called the first retro.
grade step towards popery, made BY any public
body since the Reformation. The public school
rvstees have ransaoked all the books used in their
schools to find out every word against popery, in
Order that it may be expunged An expurgator is
making tour through the schools, with lot Of
stanps fitted TO every obnoxious passage, which he
expEnses with black ink. These exPurgations, or
rather deliberations, are from half line two
three pages.
We will mention few Of these. In 4" Murray 5
Reader" where the historian Hume speaks of So the
qGsen's bigotted zear'-the bloody queen Mary,
the sant Of Lady Jane Gray, find part OF a
paragraph gone. In Murrays Sequel, the whsle
character Of Martin Luther, drawn by the elegant
and faithful historian, Robertson, is hid from human
eyes part being obliterated and to hide the rest,
the leaves pasted together The aecount Of ohm
Hass, in Putnam's Sequel, is expunged. Hales
U. History is Topped of half line. and from the
title page OF the Scripture Lessons, the words,
9 without note or Comment" are baekened over
The :" New York Reader is daubed in its turn, and
"Murrays Power Of Religioa on the Mind" is en-
Punsed In toto.
or what use 10 all this' The Catholics laugh at
il, while many Protestants are, and have cause to
be, oaended. Tke whole is supremeiy ridiculous,
Tor il well known that IL will net bring the Ca,ho-
lies and public school trustees inch nearer to-
gethes. The Catholics say opesy that they will no,
be satisfied with mere negatves-they must have
something positive. And further, il the trustees
make these concessions to the Catholics and strike
out ali the passages that reflect the Catholics and
their celisioa, Of course they must make the same
concessions to the Jews, and strike out from the
Script lessons all the passages to which the Jews
object which reflect their religion, and the truth
Of which they deny. Then come the socinians with
their objections, and more passages must be struck
oat 20 conciliate them. Then come alfa-dozen
other denominations, to proptiate whom, still more
mstiia,ions must be made. And last come the inf.
dels many Of whom have cbilden at these schools
WAC believe ia nothing, and who deny the truth OF
the Scriptures .. toto, and they will insist on the
vvhot- Of the balance Of the book being expungeJ
that nothing bat blank, or blaokened page, will be
LEFT for the chile's Instruction.
Al this is frightful. II will have the inevitable
tendency to bring all religion and religious denomi
cations into contempt n will tend TO isfdelity in
- worst forms. For il is much better 20 have any
set Of religion, than to be entirely destitute Of H.
society could not hssg together hour without
ugoa OF some sort. II ssps the foundation Of all
mO,y TO take away all regard for religion by thus
depnrng eduestioa of all form and semblanec OF re-
lig'oa. Md we see, contisusIy, too much Of this
silent progress Of infdslhy, net 10 denounce il
wherever we NEE, with H. Religion is the most
bsagial poetic, aginaive and sterling portion OF
the hppas mind and to sbasdon its cultivation, is
q sbandon the brightest part Of human existence
AID to leave II bsrren waste. And this - the in.
evtsble tendency Of the present system cf bringing
20 ealdrea in the public schools Of this city with
total Indifference TO religion Of any and every hind