The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-01-24

SHALL Pooh MEN PAY R1cnf Ne 1Es,s Ass cn,,osogI
BILLs.-Under our Review Of the Week. y in
last weeks MORNING STAR, we stated that the
Board OF Public School Directors had taken mi.
tiatory steps towards reducing expenses As
the concluding sentence shows, we had little
confidence in the movement. These gentlemen
became alarmed at their own temerity. and nj
the next meeting of the Board the project was
abandoned. The following extract from the
New York San timely, and SO we print it. Tbe
editor, Mr.. Dana, is not of q race naturally in.
clined to favor Catholics; but his love of us.
tice overrides the marrow prejudices of his sect
and section. With regard to the charge that
the children Of the peor found difficulty in
gaining admission to certain schools, we were
cognizant of q case'some years ago, in this city
where the teachers of one of our public schools
outraged the feelings of pupils because their
shoes, particularly, and their clothing gener
ally, were not up to the required standard:
The public schools Of this city cost s., 900, 600
and upward annually. Every dollar of this
ton, every citizen who has anything to pay
with pays his shnre. His nnmc may not be
down on the tax books, but his landlords is,
and his landlord sticks his tax on to the rent.
His grocer, ia tho same way, pays the landlord
Of his shop the tax on that shop, and saddles It
in turn on his customers. So it il with the
butcher, the mi1kman, the baker, the tailor,
supplying peoples daily wants. They all add
whatever taxes are laid on them to the price of
the commodity they sell, and make those who
pay for them bear the burden. Some have to
stand moro and some less, but none escape alto
gether, except the paupers in the almshouse.
The S, OO0, 600 expended for public schools
comes, therefore, out of the pockets Of the poor
as we'll as of the rich, and they have right to
say something abont what shall be done with
it. 1t is 3 fundamental principle of American
Democracy that the Taxpayers shall be the tax
contribute directly or indirectly to the expense
of public education are entitled to . voice in
deciding what that education shall be, and to
protest against any needless extravsgance in
The public schools of this city have become,
instead of the institutions for the Importing Of
necessary and useful knowledge, which they
were intended to be, and originally were, elab-
crate and costly academies in which are taught
all the sciences and accomplishments of modern
civilization. A plain, substantial education,
tical duties of life, is no longer given in them,
but the scholars receive in it's place multitu-
dinous variety of teachings on all sorts of sub
intellectual toll. The consequences is, that the
schools are becoming daily more and more
crowded by the children Of the rich, while
those Of the poor are excluded. 1t is q matter
of complaint about several "crack~ ward
schools, that unless pupils can go dressed in q
certain style, and move in a certain rank in
society, no vacancies can be found for them.
Indeed, were it not for the efforts of the much
abused Catholics, the really poor of the city
would not he able to have their children taught
at all.
GOOD OLD TINES AGAIN.-Those persons who
attended the great sale of real estate by those
princes of .anctioneers, the Messrs. C. Z. Girar-
dey g. Co., at the timc-honored Merchants Ex-
change, on Royal street, last Thursday, must
have been grati6ed at the prospective increase
in value of property which this great sale in
dicated. Want of space prevents us from en-
larging on the bright prospects given us by
this glimpse of Sunshine through the dark
clouds that have enyeloped our beloved city
and State for the last eighteen months. But
when we enlarge our paper, we will have space
to make our market columns, we trust, inter
esting. For the qualification and information
of our readers we give q list of the property
sold and the amounts realized.
The Catharine Plantation sold Acknowledgement. s47oOo
And fortyseyen acresof plant cane at sso-.--- 1850
The McDonogh Tract adjoining the above iaSoO
The twostory brick store l6s Gravier $500
The four story brick store Union street l6s0o
The two story brick house 246 Gravier street $500
The thrt e-story brick buildings Commerce street
and 60 Tchoupitonlas street. 1900
- street and ~ Notre Dame ........-.... 1900