, 1870-05-29

Aere, then, is the difficulty VIC hare to f4e,.
The extreme diB.euters. tho most rahid torica,
the Liberals who subordinate their causo 10 the
Church, the Roman Catholics who never vii,
Ingly tolerate any religion but their own, are
~ banded together IL opPosition to ths At
ton in England purely SECULAR, and thus 10
violate no conscientious scruples by making RI
exception in favor OF any ono creed, or sect, or
class.
TIE ExANPLE or 7IE UNITED s1ArEa.
Both parties have usod sone recent occur-
Fences in the United States n te1te for honie
lies In support Of theis theories. Appeals arc
made to the American schools, and it il alleged
that IN them religious instruction forms part
OF tho lessons. Others maintain, with bet
ter show Of reason, that though tho Bible is
read IN American common schools. get that
that, in reality. the teaching il purely secular.
The decisiou Of the Supreme Court Of Ohio
With regard 10 the attempt Of the School Board
Of Cincinnati to prohibit the reading Of the
Bible has been referred to only to be sarbled
nd misondesstsod. Il the aFst ,Ia,, plsse the e
hn1l, and that the Supreme Court Of the
Omitted States may reverso it. In the second
place. it is erroneoualv supposed that the in
Junction to read the Bible ia equivalent to or
dss5e der eeshas ss ess1eps tsidas bs1s bss0s to
you how the Clergy Of tho Church Of England
arc opposed to the children Of ali secss being
brought together in national school, and
there taught TO read, write. and CIPHER. With
ont being also taught to anHwor questions IN a
catechism OF repeat the words OF creed. But
they are not more zealous in this than arc the
priests Of the Church OF Rome. While We are
only now striving to introduce q national sys.
TEN Of education into England. MANY yoass
have elapsed since Ireland was provided With
such system b the late Sir Robert Peel In
Scotland there is system Of primary inAtruc-
mon Thch dates from the days Of John Knox.
which prevails in several Of tho States. It is
unseesatlan, and might be called secular, were
not the reading, Of passages Of Scripture
(Which school board, composed Of Protest
ants and Roman Catholics, have given their
approval), part Of tho arrangement Tho
NIT that, BY the children Of parenta processing
antAgonistic religions coming together in the
school house. Eeligiou8 aspetities are snoothed
and Gndlier feelings arc cemeuted- But they
aneEe. on the other hand, that Children edu-
Gated in tho NATIONAL schools are apt to grow
lnkewarm in the faith and arc hable to renounce
allegiance to the Pope. Rather than that the
church should loee = single membez, the
priests would destroy the school syntem from
which the country has derived great benefit.
II euch system were cstabliahed In England,
the argument for extending it to ireland
would s. Irresistible, for the priests would dis
cover that to copy the Saxon wAa " IN Irish
idea,n which ought not to be disrsgArded.
The time may osme when the Roman Catholic
priests viii give - much trouble to you -
they have done, and are doing, to us. Indeed,
unless err greatly, you hare already had !
foretastc Of their administration to eIalt theft
church 1t the expense Of the State, and te
make proselytes at all hazards. Thus, man,
in the United Staten must watch with interes'
the progress OF cur efforts to establish really
beneficial System Of national education in Eng
land, and it is probable that their good wishes
| will be with tbs Liberals who are nov resolute
| ly striving TO found system in which th.
teaching ahnl be purely secular, because pait
for by the State, md impaired to all tho chi]
| dren Of the people.