The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-08-01
Education by the State.

The attention of the non-Catholic public is
becoming more and more concentrated on this
subject, "Who is to oe tho educators of our
children-the parent or the State :" On this
subject it will be found that some of the most
enlightened public journals lean towards the
Catholic.yiew of the matter. The New York
Journal ef eo1as,erce, which styles itself Elm
tenseiy Protestantr thus speaks in an article
entitIed sBetweent Hyo fires@ 90 s
The recent assaults upon the common school
system from opposite sides show more clearly
than ever the difficulties inherent in this meth
cd of popular education. The Roman Catho-
lies are everywhere complaining that the civil
power, while interfering with teachers,
schools and books" is rejecting all the higher
on the minds of the pupils. This is nowhere
better or more clearly expressed than in the
following from eminent Authority in that
Church "Bitter experience convinces us daily
more and more that n purely secular education,
to the exclusion of n religious training, is not
only an imperfect system, but is attended with
the most disastrous consequences to the indi-
vidual and to society. Among Catholics there
cannot be two opinions about this subject"
OF course the remedy proposed by these corn
plants is the division among the Catholic
hierarchy of the proportion of the school mo-
ney which their children would be entitled to
share, the funds to be expended in schools ex
clusjvely under church influence.
On the other hand an important movement
has been made, chiefly under German patron
age, looking to a more complete secularization
of the common schools, and more elaborate
extension and application of State authority
in the thorou gh training of the children in sec
uiar learning, from the humblest "Kindergar-
ten" to the finished university. The friends of
this scheme have taken concerted action-held
at least two delegate meetings, and have inau-
gurnted formal campaign with n view of es-
tablishing their system. They boldly set them
all attempts .'to waste the time of the children
in devotional exercises" and urge intellectual
and physical development as the only good.
If the State is to undertake this complete
and thorough collegiate training of its children
at the public expense, we see no better way for
it than to do it entirely on the secular princi-
pie here demanded, discarding all attempts at
general morality and the ten commandments
as involving no secular disputes; but the
truth Is that no morality has any hold on the
The beauty of q Yirtuous life, its vindication
in conscious selfrcspect, and the applause Of
to restrain the ina2te ropenssg s1
in the human heart. The highest motives to
right-liying must be drawn from another
world, and this cannot be done without start
ing the sectarian controversy.
Nor viii it do to say that the moral training
of children IL no necessary part of the duty of
the state. The plea for a free public educa-
ton finds it's strongest argument in the danger
to every material interest from an ignorant,
vicious population. Then surely that part of
the training which applies directly to the pro-
~ 40
est in Importance.
In this view we have had the largest charity
for those Catholics who, Jealous in their faith,
have struggled to secure for their children q
suitable religious training in schools where
this was n dominant feature. Although in
tensely Protestant ourselves, we can sympa-
thize with one of another faith who wishes his
| child neither to grow up as n heather nor be
taught q form of religion he regards as hereSy.
1t is popular among Professionals to charge
Catholics with purpose to seize the machine
q schools a a psln a
the children alike in the doctrines of their
church, and thus to lead them as easy converts
to their faith. We have never credited this
charge, and have seen no reliable evidence
that the movement to establish schools under
Catholic influence had any other object than
to prevent the children of their blood and de-
church of their fathers.
1t may be said that the two movements VIC
hare noted, SO directly hostile in their aims,
| will neutralize each other the Catholics will
| he constrained 20 leave their children to the
chances of the State system, and the Germans
and their free thinking associates will spare
! the "devotions" a little time longer But the
| ultimate result can hardly be questioned.
! There must be State religion, or an eqHiva-
| lent denial of an Religious authority, or the
! final abandonment of all attempts to secure
| the thorough training of children at the State
| expense This seems to us n logical conclu-
sion from the premises established.
OF course this issue may be postponed long
! est where the least is attempted. Simple
schools for teaching the rudimerts of learning
may stand for years if opened only or chiefly
! for the poor and neglected; but university
education common to all at the public expense
| will lead very soon to its own wrecking upon
| the difficulties which are SO plainly seen, but
as plainly unavoidable
! Thoughtful people are growing annually less
| distressed at this result. Most of them now
| believe that if there were no State schools
there would be better facilities for teaching
| the poor and degraded, and that these, proyf-
| sions would be more universally accepted and
enjoyed by the class for whom they were de-
signed. At the same time, the increased ad-
vantages of q constant moral and religious
! training, uniting the Sunday with the week
day school, would be everywhere apparent.
Each denomination, of course, would be zeal
| GUS for the young of its own communion, and
liberal in its provisions for all whom it could
attract to its fold. RatiOnalists and free
thinkers could try their system on their own
| offspring. We would be quite willing that
our Protestant faith should take it's chances
| against either Catholicism infidelity in such
q field.
DEATH OF p. w. REDMoND ESQ, d. I.-Wer-