The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-04-12

BISHOPS PURCELL AND HUGHES ON POPULAR
EDUCATON.-We have printed to-day two i'm
portant documents touching upon the much
vexed question as to the religious training of
youth who attend our free schools, or who are
admitted to share in the benefits of those insti
tutions which are controlled by the official
guardians Of the poor. The first is pastoral
letter from the Roman Catholic Archbishop Of
Cincinnati, and the second is petition
to the Board of Almshouse Governors
Of this city from Archbishop Hughes and
over two thousand other good Catholics
We commend these msnifestoes to the
eecial attention Of all our readers of whatsoever
creed they may be, Or indeed, il they attached
to no creed at all. The Archbishop promulgates
some ideas which will be considered as rather re-
markable, coming from the Primate of a city
which is the hotbed at once of Irish Catholicism
and German republicanism. He believes that
the United States is especially devoted to the
Pope (Which admits, to say the least, of rea-
sonable doubD; theoretically declares the Com
mon School system to be the main cause of the
murders, defalcations and other rascalties of the
OF their own money to educate their children in
their own way, and pronounces the despotic sys-
TEN of some European governments, under which
young men are obliged to serve term in the ar
my, to be preferable to the manner in which they
are allowed to idle about in our great cities.
This letter is evidently intended for the whole
country, aud, taken with the recent educational
kmeac in Boston, where the Catholic Bishop,
Fitzpatrick, took substantially the same ground,
may be intended as general declaration of
the attitude Of the Roman Catholic hierarchy
upon the much vexed question of popular educa-
ton. At any rate, it savors of the good old
apostolic knocks of the Middle Ages.
The same question, essentially, is taken up in
the memorial of the Catholics of this city, which
requests that the Catholic children entrusted to
the guardianship Of the Board SHALL in all mat
tiers appertaining to religion, be placed on foot
ing Of equal consideration and respect with other
children, and have equal and frequent oppor-
tunities Of attending such special worship
and instruction as shall be provided for them by
the religious body to which they belong. This
request appears to us reasonable so far as does
not interfere with the secular arrangements of
the institution. As the organic law Of the State
does not recognise Catholic or Protestant, it
would seem manifestly unjust to compel the re-
cipients efthe public bounty to participate in re-
ligious exercises which they look upon as schis-
matte and heretical.
The other question, in relation to the reading
If the Protestant version of the Bible in the free
schools, is not In itself of much consequence
The reading of the Bible can certainly do no
harm, nor much good. 1t might easily be dis
pensed with, and the children's souls be saved,
pr the contrary rule be taken and the same re-
suit be effected. But so long as any political
capital can be made out of it by stirring up the
bile of hnatics-Romsn and Protestant-so long
will it be agita'ed. The theory of Archbishop
Purcell that the free school system is RESPONSE
BILE for the rapid increase of crime, will hardly
be adopted in its entirety by Roman Catholics
themselves In this city many boys whose pa
reDts are devout members of Mother Church
positively refuse to pay any attention to either
priest or prince. They are, indeed no better
than heatbeos; and the Roman Catholic clergy
know it as well rs we do. If such youth could
re Christianized in any way, we have no doubt
hat the taxpayers would he willing to come
Town handsomely for the contingent. AS it is,
lowever, both sides are arguing upon set of
distractions while practically the school money
$ being stolen right and left, and the morals Of
he rising generation growing worse and worse
Every day.