The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-05-29
Education PerSorce.

0oA'cA4son' Ane IrSO&Ne 10 in the pre,
what MI. Sumner il in the Senate, bold an
nnswerving in reaching logical extreme,
however absurd and monstrous.
Thus our fellow countrymen, in commo
with people Of other nationalities. have q
late years run mad with the idea of popula
edocation a. legitimate province Of tn
Government. Education was necessary t
inc good citizen, therefore the Government
nad right to furnish the means of educa
ting its citizens. From the same argumen
IL is equally easy to deduce the conclusio,
that that the Government has q right t.
snssst on educating its citizens.
The Tribune school of editors and politi
clans have not failed to see this conclusion
based on the popular error, and to adopt it
They propose to give the General Govern.
ment charge of education, and the powe,
| to c0erce attendance at class.
Will not the country pause when it sees
the force of its own logicf Good stolid
bigotry would generally be very hard to
dispose of finally, were it not for this rash
propensity of hair-brained enthusiasts in
its own camp to make fatal sorties of this
kind. These lay bare it's weak points to it's
own view. In this case, for instance, a
certain educational bigotry is willing-pro-
vided none but Papists can be injured by
ito attribute to the Government func-
tions to which it has not, and never can
legitimately, have a shadow of right, but
when 1t comes home to their own fireside
it is another thing. When it takes the
shape of national policeman conducting
little Tommy and Bessie to school, whilst
mamma insists with tears in her ewes that
they have the measles, then paSer-familias
comes to his senses, and finds that the
harmless hobby he has been riding with so
much complacency is really a Trojan horse.
We don't think that Messrs Greeley and
Sumner are going to make any serious pro-
gress with this particular "logical extreme
AS long as they confine the effect of their
sms to special classes or sections of the |
as long as the South alone is to be
robbed OF its property, or only Catholics
Are to be shocked in their religious convic-
ions, eood-natured majority may fail to
zee the fang of the serpent but when they
nadly attempt to make the application of
hose lsms universal, then every man is
obliged to look the monster right in the
mouth, and sees the truth in all it's de-
ormity.
This country is not yet ready for the
spartan heresy that the citizen belongs to
he State, that the State is everything and
he family nothing. Our people yet believe
hat Government is formed merely for the
'enefit of the individual, and that the
amily has claims and rights with which
he nation cannot interfere.
In monarchical countries, where naughty
ing can say, like Louis XIV, at am the
tate," there may be kind of selfish rea-
on in establishing Government schools.
through them all the children of the coun.
~, while nominally educated in science, =,
re really imbued with monarchical princi- :
les and tutored into partisans of tho 7
eigning dynasty. The schools are made !
ne of the most powerful political engines 9
the State /; and this is constantly done I
ow In Prussia and other European coun- I
les.
NO donbt in republic similar effect f
ould be attempted if the schools were A
alonal. lin our case the national teachers !,
1T in charge by the present administra- n
on would be as rigidly selected for ortho- IL
* republicanism as the employees about a,
Q Customhouse. The school books would =,
be OF I'ibuac approval and style, incul- II
ting free love, higher law and radicalism n,
every topic. In this way party, once n,
miy seated in power, might hope to p.r- al
tuate that power indefinitely. II
Grant to the Government the right of q,
ucation, and coercion would soon follow. ca
cry child would be obliged to 90 to the w.
tional schools or to those licensed as WI
hodox by the Government. Then good ur
to all liberty of opinion on politics or m
igion among the children. But one step to
Their and the Government would dictate A,
religion of all its people. on
And why not Z By the same reasoning 40,
ough which it can impose an education fire
its people it can impose a code of mo- Ike
ty on them, and even more logically, ia
ause morality is still more necessary to ella
N good citizens. But if morality is ca,
essary, religion is necessary, and if re- OBJ
on, why of course the right one.. nit
hen good clothing and healthful food in
necessary to the physical development mo
rood citizeus, and the next step is COM ivi