The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-07-17

taken exactly the proper view OF his subect-a want
OF judgment quite excusable in that quarter You
never expect person afflicted with ophthama to
discern objects with much precision.
The Courier affects great dread Of the terribly ad-
vancng progress OF mobocracy, and is, il would
lain make us believe, afflicted greatly by visions OF
some awful evil TO come What is the real state OF
the case? Nothing more or less than that the rot
ten, corrupt. huckstering politicians, and broken
down merchants and money-changers, are going to
perdition as fast as the fates carry them. The
Wall street press, which has heretofore sucked the
means of existence from these polluted fountains,
now suffers, of course, from the effects of the
drought, and is following its patrons with charac-
teristic fidelity 1t is determined, however, not to
die without making sign, land hence the lachryma-
tory articles which are daily elected from the
office of the Courier
REFORM OF THE FIRE DEpARTMENT.-We have
received the following communication from an in
telligent and highly respectable member of one of
the fire companies, and cheerfuy give it insertion,
sustaining as does so forcibly the proprety and
necessity of reform in this department.
To THE EpIroR THE HERALD D.
DEAR Sir
notice in your paper of the 18th inst article head
ed "Abuses OF the Fire Department" which article
cludes with Come gentlemen, what do you intend doing
with the Fire DEPARTMENT. which, suppose, address
ed to the Common Council There is one thing evident;
long the Common Council tnkers with the Depart
ment just long will they do it no goods" but if they
would sanction, and carry out the views and recon-
mendaons OF the chief and assistant engineers and sex
pei suspend, for few months, all dsorderly and
fighting characters, the objects OF full and more e
cient department would be attained for know there are
many men, who have served two or three years, who
would join again. but have become Disguised with the
fremeD merely in consequence of the supineness
fear Of loss of Office of our Common Councn not act
ing more promptly where occasion required rd Politics
uence keeps the disordery characters from being for
expelled You say. "wth the exception Of a few
companies who tolerably respectable" &C. Not only
olerably but highly respectable aow me add and men
whose characters would not suffer in comparison with
some of our most worthy traducers.
As regards the entire system being defective and
wrong do not acknowledge The and abuse of any
thing is very deren the use of the Fire Department is
to extipgush fires the abuse of has been the in
which the Common Council have acted in not expelng
disorderly members from the body who disgrace to
it. Hence the blame is throw the whole Fire Depart
ment and the cry is, 'the system is Subjective"
The Fire Department is chartered institution; there
fore they not exclusively bound by city council
but petition State Legislature, mistake not
would recommend a meeting OF oil fremen friendly
to preserving order and harmony in the Department to
take into consideration the apathy at present existing in
the Common Council and show the public they not
in favor Of having such men continued among them and
remove the stigma which altseheS to the nams OF
We are happy to find that our correspondent is
gross abuses which we have SO repeatedly exposed,
and that he is anxious to have them rectifed. We
are certainly of his opinion, that there is precious
small prospect of any effective action the part of
the Common Council. His proposition to submit
the question OF reform to meeting of the orderly
and respectable members OF the various companies,
is certainly worthy of consideration.
The PUBLIC Schools. The views briefly express
sed by the other day, relative to the admission of
sectarian books into the public schools, must ulti
matey prevail. 1t is obviously unjust to oblige
children Of different religious persuasons to swal-
low the same theological nutriment The course of
instruction in the public schools like the govern
ment of the State, should be entirely unconnected
with sectarlansm in any shape. A correspondent
expresses this truth with considerable force and we
will let him speak to cur readers -
Mr.. EpIroR-
We happy to find that public schools approach.
ing position they should always have occupied. We
have always considered public schools and colleges i'm
proper places for intoxicating sectaran creeds religion
the communication Of secular education. To what
sect does chemistry, natural philosophy, Mathematics
arithmetic, and reading and writing belong7 In all
science, there places enough to have religious
creeds taught without devoting the patronage of public
schools to such objects Have not about hundred
or three hundred churches in New York And has not
each church its Sunday School and its clergyman its
tract and Bible society all sustained at cost Of mons7
The proper place for tie aching the religion of parents
children, is under their own roofs, and in their
churches. Public schools should all be on the Grard
plan which pupils to obtain simply useful and prac
tca knowledge, suited to the and every day az
fairs OF life The duty of the teacher should be simply
to inculcate useful knowledge, and promote honorable
his when h: dome his duty is
confded altogether to parents and guardians. We
hope to the spirit of constitution carried out and
the laws of the State enforced Let all teaching Of secta
ran creeds be excluded from both primary public
schools and from public colleges also Let not the
creed secaian belief Of Jew Gentle be taught In
them. And have question will prove all the bet
ter for the community for the pupils themselves and for
the cause Of science and the interests OF religion
am yours, respectfully,
PROTESTANT BY EDUCATION.
Dominant secs will, Of course, kick terribly
against the advancing progress of such sentiments
as these. But we must one day come TO the uni.
versal admission of their accordance with truth,
reas and justice.