New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-01-27


Common Sen, ,ols but make war upon the sys-
tenn unless il be radically changed. Nay: We
do rot gather that tn Archbishop esteems any
system Of really Common Instruction possible
in community of diverse faiths Ike ours
but. assuming that Protestsuts viii not con
sent to have their children taught Catholic
Doctrines. be clearly implies throughout thar
the Catholics must withdraw their children
from the Public and provide for their edaca-
ticn in pareehial or private schools and mat
Il will then have become the duty Of the State
to either l. ApportiOn them their equal share
Of the School Money, according 10 the number
Of their children or 2. Relieve them from all
taxation for the support Of schools and aliot
them their proportion of the existing School
Funds or 3. Abolish the Common Schools
and abandon the idea of Popular Education
under the control and patronage OF the STATE.
The demands of The FreemGE's Journal 10
the same effect, though less temperate and
less ably presented, We have repeatedly quoted
Its last No (Which We have mislaid) notices
our inquiries as to the willingness of the Cath
olics to assent TO and cooperate in Common
Schools where it Is morally impossible lowing
to the multiplicity of sects and the sparSeness
of population TO provide and maintain sepa-
rate schools for children Of diverse creeds, in
case separate and satisfactory schools for
Catholics were legally provided in cities and
villages where separation is not pecuniarly
impracticable-an gives us the Yankee an
swer, Gin substance,) What guarantee can
we have that you would aid us in securing
such Schools as We demand in cities and vii
'laces we consent to Common Schools in the
rural districts TO this we can only answer,
Judge of what viii be by what has been.
When Gov. Seward proposed the establish
ment of separate schools for immigrant chu-
dren, to be taught by persons speaking the
language and protesting the faith Of their pa
rents. We approved and advocated that propo-
sition in defiance of the general howl of mis-
representation and denunciation with which it
was greeted Again, when the Catholics pro-
tested against our corporate Public School
system, and demanded the establishment o.
our present Ward Schools, with their elective
basis and representative machinery, We sus-
tanned that proposition also though it was
temporarily unpopular and especially dstaste-
full TO the great body of our own party
We are now what we have been. The Com
mon School System as it is (at least with re-
spect to Religion is good enough for us we do
not see how it could be improved in thai di-
recton but show us how it can be made more
acceptable to any portion of our people without
impairing it's efficiency endangering its perpe-
tuity, andw viii heartily commend the change.
The greatest calamity We could imagine with
respect TO this System would be its destruc-
ton: the next the withdrawal or alienation Of
any large class of children. However firm in
the belief that our present system ought to sat
,sfy all the fact that il does not suflices to in
cline us to to do whatever we may to remove
the objection ani restore cOntentment and
harmony.
/ We greatly fear, however, that no accom-
mediation will be deemed practicable, and that
the Catholic children will ere long be very gen.
orally withdrawn from our Common Schools.
IL does not seem to us, from the indications of
Catholic feeling We notice, that there is any
expectation On that side that the difference can
be accommodated or the Schools made accept
able. On the contrary, the impression their
journals make on our mind is, that they have
no hope Of, and hardly desire for any accepta-
bic mOdifcation-that no other than Catholic
Schools will satisfy them.
We do not find, in any article we have read
on the Catholic side, an answer 10 the questions
We have frequently prOpounded-' Why may
not (and should mott the children Of diverse
faiths be taught the creeds Of their respective
Churches by their parents, pastors, sponsors
in baptism, &c. during some other hours
than the thirty per week mot one-fifth of the
one hundred and sixty-eight) which are APP
propriated to Common Schools How is il
Justly assumed that children are to be brought
up ignorant of or Indifferent to Religion, be-
cause they are taught Arts and Sciences and
not taught Creeds, during the six schOol-hours
each Of five days in each week Why might
not the energies now devoted TO getting the
Catholic children out of our Common Schools
on religious grounds be better employed in
teaching them the dOgmas of their faith out
of school hours How can il be assumed
that the children are irrelgiOusly educated
by our schools If their parents and pastors do
their duty by them out of school p IL does
seem to US that the logic which terms our
Common School Education goddess, inidel,
&c, does not at all cover nor conform to the
facts in the case.