New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-15

weapons, more basely used by more unscrupu-
lOuS hands.
TIE ROM1N CATHOLIC ViEW or THE
SCHOOL QUESTION:
We printed, the other day, the statement by
a leading Catholic clergyman OF the position OF
his church on the question of the Bible III the
Schools. We have received long article from
another Catholic authority on the subject, ac-
companied by the following:
To the Edttor Of The Tribune.
SIR: have read your articles on this subject
lately and with all due respect to you, think you do
rot present the views OF Catholics the subject ID the
right light | send you an article from The NeT'I0f
Tablet which presents wishes and intentions larry
and fully, without disguise or conccalmeut We doh
object to Pedestrians reading the Bible In school II hcy
wish or using any schOobooks they prefer but as 5h
Catholics we bring up our children Ia our own
Way and teach them 20 he good Catholics THIS we can
NOT do i'm mixed schools and want 20 educate them IN
the true faith with our books and by good Catholic
teachers We do Mt want % mix up with irotcSiahts
and Jews and Inndcl5 IN school matters, because We
want our children TO grow up IN the Holy Roman falth
Ike their fathers and not mbbe the loose aud irregous
indepcndcnco Of the age Now. religions guides and
teachers have fully declared our purposes IN such nri
clcs as the one send you and therefore, what we want
ia our proportion Of the school money according TO the
number of our scholars and to teach children 10 our
own schools. This is what are striving to oOiaIh
and from past success IN getting what we want We
know we shall get proportion Of the school money
and have our own schools We don't Ike The goddess
schools where our children shall hear our Holy Religion
and our Priests dclidud nor any book, winch are not APP
nroyed by our Reverend Bishops and Clergy, and HIS
Holmes. our Sovereign POuuH II you will pub
ush tho article I send you. IL Wi! clearly
show tho views Of Ir!sh Catholics. expressed by
ourselves in a clear manner. ana the pub
lie can Judge that are night tn not dc.
srlug our children to be Amcricanzel." The Tabd
forclbIy puts IT, which means dcmoraii4cd from the
Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. the Mother
and NJ stress OF al churches. Now Mr. Greeley, We
DO Mt want you Dc deceived By any our views are
set forth in The TaJc and feel strong enough TO
try the question before the American people knowing
we are right IN views. We DO Mt want 20 disturb
your Public School System. All want ia share OF
the pubIc school money TO educate our children In our
own way Ifyou want TO educate the children without
religion We do not We believe IN training children
in the Holy Roman Faith at all times. and VIC believe
that best done by having separate schools OF our own
For this purpose have been fOr years establishing
separate schools all the city and think that our
fellow citizens will allow all the expense 90 fall upon
rs any longer. They have sgn!Aed their approval Of
our ability in many ways we think they will not now
object 10 our having proportion Of the Public School
fund for schools. At any rate, Mr. Greeley,
want the subject truly understood We do Mt want Our
children TO attend rrehgOus schools schools where
they shall be mixed up with other children; want to
send them Catholic schools, under Catholic teachers
and want proportion OF the school money accord
Ing 10 the number Of our scholars, and we enter the
controversy with this sole aim and purpose and
do Mt want any false issues made about ii. We feel
strong enough to carry out views. strong Ia the
ground We tako and In the justice OF claims. and
strong In The synpathes Of the public We challenge
opponents on the issues set forth In The Tabe'
lam your obedient servant, T. c. O'BRIES.
Comments by The Tribune.
We print our correspondents letter in prefer
ence to the article he sends us, because that
discusses sundry themes, while he comes
directly TO the point. Now, let us briefly sug-
gest considerations which render compliance
with his exaction impossible:
Most of the American People are and must
be widely scattered in the pursuit of Agricul
ture and subsidiary or kindred employments,
so as to render it difficult and costly at best
to bring schools sufficiently near TO our chill
dren to secure their general and constant
attendance If, now, we are to accord separate
schools to Catholics, we inevitably divide and
weaken thousands of districts so that they can
no longer maintain common schools, or we
compel the consolidation of two or more dis
tricts, and thus enlarge them SO that many
children will be unable to attend
With an anxious desire to make any reasona
bic and proper concession, it seems TO us that
compliance with the Roman Catholic demand,
as above presented is simply impossible, be-
cause incompatible with the preservation of the
Common School system in its essence. For we
cannot cOncedc to Catholics what we refuse to
others and Jews Intidels, RatOnalSts. and
every other denomination, may claim separate
schools, and we shall have TO coHcede them;
thus breaking up orr schools entirely.
Again: 1t is insisted that White children
must not be educated in the same schools with
ColOrcd and VIC are constrained TO say that
most Catholics support that claim. This, you
see, bisects the community on still another
plane. and renders the education of the masses
still more difficult. We must take Our stand
and fight for Common Schools, or consent TO
see a very large portion of our children grow
up illiterate and unfit for some Of the most i'm
portant duties of republican citizenship.
Any sect or class is at perfect liberty TO
educate its own children in separate schools
No one objects to that But Common School
is very different matter and that
we must insist on providing for all at the
public expense, If any class OF clan reject it.