Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1869-12-30
The Roman Catholic View Of
the school question.


respect to you, / do not think you
present the views OF Catholics on the
subject in the right light. I send
you an article from the NeU York
Za1let, which presents our wishes
and intentions fairly and fully, with
out disguise or concealment. We
don't object to Protestants reading
the Bible i'm school If they wish, or
using any school-books they prefer,
but, as Irish Catholics, we want to
bring up our children in our own
way, and teach them to be good
Catholics. This we cannot do in
mixed schools, and we want to edu-
cate them in the true faith, with our
own books, and by good Catholic
teachers. We don't want 10 mix up
with Protestants and Jews and Inf
dels in school matters, because we
want our children to grow up in the
Holy Roman Faith, like their ia
theirs, and not imbibe the loose and
irreIigious independence Of the age.
Now, our religious guides and teach
ers have fully declared our purposes
in such articles as the one send you;
and therefore, what we want is our
proportion OF the school money ac-
cording to the number OF our schools,
and to teach our children in our own
schools. This is what we arc striv-
ing to obtain, and, from our past
success in getting what we want, we
know we shall get our proportion Of
the school money and have our own
schools. We don't like the goddess
schools, where our children shall
hear our Holy Religion and our
Priests derided, nor any books which
are not approved by our Reverend
Bishops and Clergy, and His Holt
ness our Sovereign Pontifr. fyou
will publish the article Isend you, 1t
will clearly show the views Of Irish
Catholics, expressed by ourselves in
clear manner, and the public can
Judge that we are right in not de-
string our children to be American
ized,' as Zhe Zadlet forcibly puts it,
which means 'demoralized' from the
Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic
Church, the Mother and Mistress Of
all Churches. Now, Mr.. Greeley,
we don't want you to be deceived by
one; our views are set forth in Ihe
IaJlel, and we feed strong enough
now to try the question before the
American people, knowing we are
right in our views. We don't want
to disturb your Public School Sys-
tenn. All we want is our share OF
the public school money to educate
our children in our own way. If
you want to educate the children
without religion, we do not. We be-
lieve in training our children In the
Holy Roman Faith at all times, and
we believe that Is best done by hay
ing separate schools Of our own. For
this purpose we have been for years
establishing separate schools all over
the city; and we think that our fell
low-citizens will not allow all the
expense to fall upon US any longer.
They have signified their approval
of our ability in SO many ways, we
think they will not now object to
our having our proportion Of the
Public School fund for our own
schools. At any rate, Mr.. Greeley,
we want the subject fully under.
stood. We don't want our children
to attend irfeligious schools, nor
schools where they shall be mixed
up with other children; we want to
send them to Catholic schools, under
Catholic teachers, and we want our
proportion OF the school money, ac'
cording to the number Of our schol.
ars; and we enter on the controversy
with this sole aim and purpose; and
we don't want any false issues made
about 1t. We feel strong enough &c
carry out our views, strong In thu
ground we take aud in the justice q
our claims, and strong In the sym
pathies OF the public. We challenge
our opponents on the issue set forth
In THE Zadlel.
am your obcdient servant,
Il. g. O'BHIEN.
We clip the above from the New
York Tribune, as an honest, straight
forward statement OF the views, de
sircs and purposes Of the Catholics.
Whatever else we may do, w
never will concede these demands
for to do 80 would be to seal the de
struction OF the Common Schoo
System. @1
Catholics have no better right to
distributivo share of the money
raised by taxation for the support 0
schools, than Jews or Inndels, Dap
lists, Presbyterians, Methodists o
Mormons have to share. And It !
very clear that such division Of tn
school Fund would not only destro.
the Public Schools, but would pre-
vent the very end and purpose OF tn
policy Of their founders.
The Com mon School System wa