Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1853-04-21
From the ZanesrjHe co., Awma.
American Free Sch0OlS.

ly the pride and glory eff American citi-
zens, aside from their political freedom,
it is their Common Free SchooZs. In
Massachusetts,. New York, Ohio, Indiana
and many other States, their organization
and practical working, are more or less
perfected, and receive very general ad-
miration and support at the hands of
their citizens at large. We say cery gen
! eral, because not WH5CerSaL The Bible
known as King James translation, with
out note or comment, is very general
text book, though not universally so. In
our State, their origin was coeval with
her territorial formation as well as cree
ton into state. For the celebrated or
dinance passed by Congress, July, 1857,
organizing the northwest territory, af-
firms: that religion, morality and knoTl-
edge, being necessary to good government,
and the happiness Of mankind, schools
and the means Of education, shall forever
be encouraged And the same senti-
ments, in nearly the same language, were
retained in the late Constitution of our
State; and in the Bill of Rights forming
part of the new Constitution, (Sac. >
words very similar are used, to assert
the same principle. We have, for these
reasons, watched with no little anxiety,
the effect Of the resistance offered in GER
tain places, first to the use Of the Bible
as text book, and finally to the whole
common school system, BY Roman Cath
olic clergy. This has been particularly
the case in New York, Philadelphia, Gin
cinnati and Detroit, though to some ez-
tent it is co-ezistent with the spread of
the Roman Catholic religion. We had,
as it now seems, vainly hoped that this
resistance would be short-i7cd, and that
sooner or later, we could all give Com
mon Free Schools, cordial, hearty, u
nited, and generous support.
We 80 for TIE perpetual continuance
of the largest possible liberty in matters
of religious belief. Nor would we offer
any violations Of conscience.
But we DO think that the Roman Cath
olic clergy, are Iaboring under mistaken
notions, in their opposition to Common
Schools in the United States Mistaken,
We say, in regard to the ultimate results
to be apprehended from continuance in
their present hostile attitude to FREE
Schools in FREE AMERICA. Our rea-
sons for thinking they are mistaken, are
as follows:
lst. Their church Acknowledges for
eign head, who is temporal sovereign O.
yer the States of the church in Italy.
End. Their acknowledged spiritual
head in the old world, confers eclesiasti-
cal titles and privileges on their teachers
in their churches in the Z. States-Bhose
claims to spiritual dominion, harmonic,
but imperfectly, with the spirit of our
free Institutions.
3D.. The Catholic clergy cannot bring
the great mass of their adheronts to op-
pose our Common School system This
is evinced, from the fact, that they failed
in arraying them against the new Con-
stitutiOn, which they undoubtedly at
tempted. Still more recently, a petition
was got up in Cincinnati, headed by Arch
bishop Purcell, and signed by eight hun
dred others, and presented to our Legis-
lature on the 9Th of March, ult., asking
that a portion of Common School Fund
be set apart for the maintenance of Cath
olic Schools. This, though they knew
perfectly well, that the new Constitution
of the State expressly declares, that mo
religious or other sect, shall have any ex-
elusive right to, or control any part Of
the Common ScIt00I Fund Of this STATE
And, very recently, in the city of Detroit,
they attempted to seize upon the schools
in the election Of officers, and were sign
ally defeated.
4th. In countries where the Catholic
religion is predominant, no attention is
paid, by the church or government, to
the education Of the masses. These be-
ing facts in the case, opposition to exist
ing institutions, recognized in our State
Constitution, and encouraged and foster
ed by existing laws, opposition, We say,
may with some show of reason, and is
actually by many persons construed in