Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-10-07


Movement OF the Catholics.
The Catholics held another agitation meeting on
Monday night for the discussion of various inciden-
tai questions connected with their claim TO portion
of the Common School Fund. The Right Rev BIZ
shop Hughes, aud the Very Rev. Dr. Power were the
principal speakers on the occasion. A rerort was
made by James McKeon Esq. of the presentation of
their memorial to the Board of Aldermen, and the
prospect of an early day being fixed for the hearing
of ali parties favour of and in opposition to the Ca
tholic claim.
The Rev. Bishop Hughes said the question was
now in the hands of those TO whom power was given
by the Legislature, to determine whether their Just
claim should be granted. Stript Of all mystifcation
in which their opponents had enveloped II, II was an
exceedingly simple question; it resolved Itself into
this whether the intention Of the Legislature of tie
Sta.e OF New York wa, TO fix the nhaDitauts (
this city, and support by taxation reaching eye-
ry citizen, system Of education of which one-ifth
of the population could not avail itself and, If this
system to be constituted, they found IL 10
be- s. that Catholics could in their conscienees,
allow their CT idren to participate in its benefits,
then were they excluded not by an act of the lie
gislature ana did the Legislature intend that they
should paw for system of education and receive no
benefit in return That the Legislature did not,
Legislature ard the School Masters there must have
been iaiquity to pervert the stream OF justice
He said Catholics wanted no money from the State
of New York for the purposes of religion but for the
purposes Cor which il claimed from them in taxa
ton purposes OF education in the stric; of
the term. He aware the present schools were
ssen to III ir children, but if they entered IT to
learn nothing that sacred or honorable in the
Catholic rame-it was to have Protestant pes sons
and Protestant writers brought up for their admra-
tion-and to maize children familiar with things that
were of their Church, while they were left in
ter ignorance of every thing Catholic unless il
10 bring ia the Catholic grace some tragic incident
and then he brought in executioner. They
were not allowed 10 read any Catholic writer, al
though there were so many respectable ones who
wrote with Towering pens in the departments Of his
tory morality, legislation and polite literature; but
they were allowed to read about the execution of
Cranmer, and the betrayal of John Huss by the de-
ceitful CajAocs md if il not for the purpose
of bringing in Catholics in these characters, their
children Won d not know from this system OF Com
mon School Eiucation that their religion was older
than Norm orisn.
They were told that the State intended 10 exclude
all religion from the schools, and to confne them
TO civil purposes but if all rel gon excluded
their children were brought up like heathens, aud
inhdels woald derive the benefits which were in
tended for all. Bat again, TO satisfy Protestants,
they said, oh, no, we do not eXclude all religion
Well, thea, If all religion not excluded, were
Protestzuts TO teach religion to Catholic children
at the charge Of Catholic parentsl Catholics did
not expect that these schools should teach the dog
mas of Catholicism, but they did OBJ ect a system
by which al that was good was extnguished in the
process and By which the child Of the Catholic pa
rent would beco me half Protestant before he was
half scholar.
The question, he said, presented itself TO the
Common Council, which had soon 10 decide on
it, ON these grounds: Are Catholics 10 be compelled
against their vctions to support system 10 suit
the gentlemen OF the Common School Society, who
are not Catholics, and who have scarcely feeling
in common with them Was it TO be Insisted upon.
that Catholics should pay taxes, from which, in the
exercise of the guaranteed rights Of conscience,
they could derive no benefit Or, were the proper
officers prepared to relieve them from the taxation
Or, would the Common Council grant them their
proportion Of the money, TO educate their children,
which the legislature had apart for tina, purpose
The question thus redaeed, admits, then, Of bat
these things. Ifthey were freed from taxation Tor
schools OF any description, they would stand ready
with the money thus saved, To hel9 their own
schools the next point was, would they allow Ca
thocs TO have the benefit Of education withou, the
violation Of conscencsl If not, there was no alter
native; but, as they were Catholics, it was a pity
their consciences would not allow them TO enjoy a
system which suited the School Trustees
Ia the course Of the remarks made by Dr. Power.
he said that in this city Catholics were about 20 Oou
10 number. This was not bleated slculation; and
according to Parson Nautilus, this number ought "a
give 5000 children, and IL fourth were eattlcd
20 be recipients q this money, the amount at $
each would be $4,000 s.yesr; and this was a sun.
which he cons dered worth struggling for.
STEAM Boar AccIDESr.-Tbe steam boat Swift
sure burst der bser yesterday, abeut eight mile.
below Albany, AMI seaded FIVE persons belonging to
the boat The Only new. j. a letter from the Cap
tain, which says" The Swiftsure burst her star
board boiler at two o'clock, and Ia. sealded Mr.
Ravens, engineer, Robert Grsres, Daniel H.gernan.
George White, aud new fireman, nam. no, knovr.
badly" The cause of this accident !. upknewn 4,
the owners, as the Swftsure had recently been n,
nshed with new boilers, of the strongest descrip.
tios, and work. but moderate pressure Its con-
jectured 20 have resulted from some imperfection
in the sisrboard boiler.
NEw YoRK AVID ALBASr R,fLRoAp-Why car.
not this road be commenced az once, and extended
mp to White Pisinsl -Four miles in Westche-ter g
graded, mp TO near Powelrs School, and We under
stand that 900 COO sabscrit ed in this city without
any conditions. will secure the road 20 White Plains
cf their road under contract Immediately. What