The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-03-25
/ H Il DISPATCH.
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| FRIDAY M0kNIE9 -,
Tns boston school Troubies-Let,
ter from tue Bishop Of BOSTON.

~~H~~1-~--s- --s-1s-s..-,. - '
The Boston school Troubies-Let.
ter from the Bishop Of Boston.
The troubles at the Eliot school In Boston. havs
not ended, though nearly eli the Catholic children
nave returned to the school. Another marty n,
ni'y ooys lett tue school on Monday. Save the
whipping OF one Of the children by a teacher. an
act which is denounced by Protestant and Catho.
1cs alike, the difficulties have been treated With
marked degree of fairness by both Catholics and
Prciestants Bishop Fitzpatrick has addressed a
| letter to the school committee, in which be rs.
isonstrates against-1st. The enforced uae of ,ba
Protestant version of tine Bible Cd. The en- nforcod
learning and reciting Of the Ten Commandments
in their Protestant form. Sd. The enforced union
in chanting the Lords Prayer and other religions
chants. He says:
l. catholics cannot, under any circumstances
sckoowiedge. receive and use, as o csmplete col,
lection and faithful version of the insniraS hoor.
which compose the written Word of God the
English Protestant translation of the bible stiiI
less can they 90 acknowledge, accept or use II
Mneh ,,s eniorcement as such is coupled expressly
with the rejection of that verson which their own
church. approves and adopts aa being correct and
authentic. And yet this is required of them bv
Jaw The law, as administered, holds for tn the
Protestant version to the Catholic child, and says
receive this as the Bible" The Catholic child
answers 81 cannot 30 receive it," The law as adj.
mtnistered, says, 'you must, or else Won must be
soonrgeG, and finally banished from the SCHOOL,
Ill. The acceptancaand the recital of the Deca
iogue, under the form and words in which Protes-
tants clothe it, is offensive to the conscepce and
belief OF Catholics: inasmuch as that form and
those words are viewed by them, and have bot nm.
frequently been used by their adversaries, as a
means OF attack upon certain tenets and practices
which, under the teachings Of their church they
hold as true and sacred.
III. The chanting OF the Lords Prayer or pIasms
or hymns addressed to God ,derformed by many per
sons in unisou, being neither scholastic exercise
nor recreation, only be regarded as an act of
public worship Indeed, it is professedly intended
as much In the regulations which govern our pub
lie schools. 1t would seem that the principles
which guide Protestants and Catholics in relation
to communion in public worship are widely differ
snt. Protestants, however diverse may be their
religious opinions, Trinitarisns who assert that
Jesus Christ is true God. aud Unitarians, who
deny that He is true God nd no difficulty to offer
in brotherhood blessing and apparently harmo.
NOUS worship, and in 80 doing they give and re.
ceive mutual satisfaction, mutual edificatiop The
Catholic cannot actin this manner. He cannot
present himself before the divine presence ia what
would be for him a merely simulated union of
prayer and alteration. His Church expressly for
bids him to do SO. She considers indifference iu
matters of Observation-Disclosures as to the dstnc.
tion OF positive doctrine in faith-as a great evil
which promiscuous worship would tend to spread
more widely and increase Hence the prohibition
of such worship, and the Catholic cannot join in
itwithout doing violence to his of religious
duty.
These three points the undersigned simply set
forth as facts sppertainDg to the faith of Catho-
lics and to their conscience in matters Of religion
Auy discussion or show of arguments to prove the
fsasoDabeness of such belief.and of such con.
science, would seem to him out of place, inasnucb
the question to be solved is, not why people be-
Iieve, but what they beleve-save always the laws
of common morality, and the respect due to all
such things as may be essential or integral to
the COnatitUtiOn. uuuar which the Com mo- -
is governed
The undersigned will not bring his communi.
cation to close without disavowing the slight.
est thought of inputing to the gentlemen who
framed the school regulations any design to dis
regard the rights the feelings of Catholics
His personal knowledge of several amongst them
excludes such an idea from bis own mind, and
the bare inspection of the rules is, he thinks,
enough to prove that good and just and honest
intentions presided in their counsels.
The undersigned begs leave to add ore word more
in conclusion. 1t has been supposed that because
he silent, he satisfied with the state of our
public schools. This is not so. He has always en-
| tortaihed the same sentiments which he now ex.
presses. But whenever and wherever an effort has
been made by Catholics to effect such changes as
they desired, the question has been distorted from
its sense, and false issue has been before
the uou Catholic community. 1t has been repre-.
sen ted that the design was to eliminate and prac
| tcally annihilate the Bible. This has never been
true; and yet this has always been the believed,
aud ralying cry, $50 the rescue of the Bible !"
has been resounded on every side. Angry passions
have been reused, violent acts have been commit.
ted, and, almost invariably, the last condition of
things has been worse than the first.
In the light of this experience, any attempt to
bring about a change seemed calculated to cause
much strife but very little good, and therefore,
not advisable.
To-day, however, circumstances known to ALL
| seem to make it duty for the undersigned to &C.
| and speak. He does without reluctance, since
it is duty; and he hopes that what he has said
will be received as it spoken in spirit of con.
c!iatiou, and with true disposition to promote
good will aud charity amongst all classes of citi-
Zens.
The undersigned has the honor to be, with much
respect, gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
fJoHN B. FITZPATRICK,
Bishop of Boston.
Boston, Monday, March 81, 1859.
The Traveller says:
Some of the scholars said their parents told them
that they must repeat the commandments, and yet
they refused, Indicating that there power
behind the parents which they preferred to obey.
While our reporter was in the school house NUNS
ber of boys who had been discharged. came back
with their parents. Upon being questioned by
the teacher, Mr.. Mason, the parents said they
wished their boys to obey the rules of the school,
| "What shall do" said Mr.. Mason to a father, "if
your son dses not obey" whip him till he
does"
Another man said to the teacher, "If my boys
come home again they will be sorry" One boy
| came back alone, and said his mother sent him
back, and told him "she'd lick him" if he did
not say the Commandments. Another woman
who came back with her boy, said to Mr. Mason
that the trouble was "more 10 the legs and badness
| of the boys than in anything else. They want to
| get out of school aud have good time. I'm q
Roman Catholic said she, shut my boy must
| obey the rules of the school,"
Last Sunday a number of the prominent clergy
men of Boston alluded to the troubles in their
sermons. OF these addresses, that of Father Wi
rt,x., all nra1t havn tnsn OF Tod
| the troubles, naturally attracted the greatest
attention. His remarks it is stated, were calcu-
| lated to fan the smouldering flame OF religious
| dissensiun. The Journal says that the burden OF
Catholic sentiment there sis overwhelmingly
against the course taken by Father Wiget." At
| the Same time, however, they are opposed to the
rules of the school compelling their children to
observe sreligous service which their consciences
and education do not approve.
| Father Haskins, of st. Johns Catholic church,
| In his sermon on Sunday, though disappearing OF
forcing the children to read the Bible, said that
he did not believe that in this instance the chill
| drep had been actuated by any religious motive
| II seemed to him that the boys thought this
good opportunity to get rid Of attending school,
and 80 they rebelled against their teachers, in
order to accomplish their object and thus secure
| tn themselves q long vacation. lie bad asked
| yery large number of children who instructed
| them TO pursue the course which they had, but
not a single instance had presented itself where
| there had been any direct instruction given BY
the parent or priest 10 uisopey tno tu'es Va TUG
school. The answers to his interrogatories were
| nearly all the same, and that somebody had told
somebody, and somebody had told them, that they
ought not to recte the Protestant version OF the
Lords Prayer and Ten Commandments aud so
they had given credence to the vague ana IN
| founded rumor, and taken upon themselves the
responsibility of disobeying the rules OF the
SCHOOL,
The Protestant cergymen generally censured
the alleged Interference of Father Wiget, but
spoke with moderation and an evident appreciation
of the updoubted rights of their Catholic fellow
citizens. Rev Mr. Gaylord, q Unitarian clergyman,
observed that If the Catholics took exception to
the supposed sectaran of the Protestant
version Of the Bible, the unitarians VINO aisDe-
Iieved the doctrine Of the Trinity, might do the
same, and 50 every sect might ind, or think they
fad, something therein opposed to their peculiar
dactrinea