New-York daily tribune., 1849-10-23
Vote for Free schooI..

organ, and then decide Vnethef tney ought ~ Oe-
come parties - "a D1eTe coalition tortse Spo''i.
Vote for Free schools.
The Legal Voters OF our State are 10 determine
oy their ballots on ii first Tuesday Of next month
whether their Common Schools shall or shall no;
be FREE to all children seeking instruction there
n as they already are in this City, 10 Poughkeep-
SIZE and We believe 10 most Of the cities and IN
some Of the ,rger villages throughout tte state.
| At present these Schools are supported partly by
State funds partly by a tax on property, snd part
| ly by assessments on each scholar, known ~
| rate bills lnsignAcsnt as the suns charged Ia
rate bills may seem, they yet bear very hard on
many poor isboring man nth large family Of
children. FIVE or SIX dollars year are oitsn
charged in rate bills against man whose entire
earnings, though he works hard aud steadily, iSii
short Of s2OO year and out Of tins pttsnce be
mas to ray the rent Of his dSelliog and feed
Add clo,he family Of seven or eight persOns
The case is even worse with many poor
widow, left destitute with three or four chill
dren 10 support by neediework, at which she
cannot earn thirty con,e per day. though she
does her best IL is all she can do 70 cl0the
her children that she "a not ashamed
10 send them 70 school TO pay for their
schooling even partially is beyond her ability
Now it ia true they might go aud be snoered at -
paupers il she could not ard did not pay bat she
cannot forget the time when she held her head as
high as her neghbors, and it s hard 20 own herself
psuper while health and hope remain. 81 she
keeps her children at home, intending " teach
them herself but famine and rent crowd her from
hour 70 hour, aud their lessons are few, hurried
and meager indeed So the boys grow up untausht
ia the streets ex posed to every contamination snd
initiated into every vice, while the eirs learn TOO
little to ct them for the sphere in which their
mother once moved and too much from her to
content themselves in humber and the result
is too often their ruin.
The Education Of children is duty Of their par
ents when they are able, bot it u duty of The
community whether all the parents are able or
not Not Tor bis own sake merely nor mainly. but
for the sake Of the whole should every child he
educated. single ignorant person n asoGrce Of
peril and evil u the commonW eaith. That person
properly educated might have Invented some
thing evolved some laes, for want Of which the de
velopment and progress OF the whole race may be
arrested Tor half & century. Not only as the duty
Of ali bot for the benefit OF all We insist that the
education Of every child IN the community snail be
regarded and provided for by the action and E, the
cost OF ell. and We entresI every clector who
wishes well tO his kind TO sniicr nothing to detor
him from attending the polls at the ensuing Elec
ton and there deposting his ballot 10 favor OF
Free Schools.
w regret 20 see systematic and formidable
efforts to excite opposition 10 this bonehoeni
| measure, not only among the svsricious wealthy,
| from whom opposition Though mistaken was TO
| have been expected, bat among tue Catholic
voters cf our State. who, being oitensr poor thsn
! rich in nit' lucre will be very obvious gsiners By
| toe change proposed Nineteen tweniieshs Of
them plainly belong ourside oithe question. yet
| ii is attempted TO drive them into voting sesinst
Free Schools on the ground thst, since Religion
s not systematically taugh. IN our common schools,
they are necessarily lrregiou', therefore inhde',
and ought to be discountensnced and regarded
with dslayor
Now it Is true that the schools do not teach The
ology. but they are no more irrehgious therefore
than wood ohopping or algebra The common
school cannot teach Theology without Invading the
| domain Of Faith sgd Conscience, which .rsnscends
| the dominion oi the State wherefore the School
ntcrmts its inculcstons one day in seven express
| y ths, each child may attend the mlnisustions
preferred by that childs parents and be instructed
IN religion. Instead of being anti Christian. then,
our Common Schools are plainly Christian Ia rect
| ing on the Christian Sabbath aud thu, slowing
each pupil the proper opportunity TO attend the
sunday School aud Divine Service Of his own
people. Those parents ho choose to have thei
children instructed daily in the truths Of Christian.
ity have ample opportunity out Of school hours
| and the school furnishes excuse ior neelectinsi
We protest, therefore, against The charge Of inh'
| deity preferred against cur Commoa Schools a.
| unfounded aud perveTse. /. s less cxcusabe than
| would be charge thst Pixies Arithmetic and
| W oodbndges Geography are inhdel books. be
cause the science either processes 10 elucdste -
| not Theology. Let US once more entrea, every
eector, bu, especially every one In cur City where
| the benefits OF the systey are experienced, -
vote and persuade others 10 vote for Free schools