Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-04-04
NON-SECTARI1N SCHOOLS.

A large and important meeting was
held at Cooper Institute, New York, on
Wednesday evening, to petition the Leg
islature for repeal Of the act passed last
year, by which a large sum of money was
secured annually for the support OF the
Catholic interest in the public schools OF
the city of New York. Resolves were
adopted which declare that "any and
every religious sect which attempts to sup
port its churches, sectarian schools, or
church charities. by the public money
raised by general taxation is, by that act,
uniting church and State. introducing sec
tartan bitterness into politics, and deserves
the condemnation of all good citizens"
Peter Cooper was chosen chairman of
the meeting, with list of Vice Presidents
containing the names of many of the most
distinguished men in the city, while the
speakers, says the Tribune, ''included the
foremost champions of Professionalism, and
their eloquent denunciations of sectarian
usurpation were received with unbomded
applause we Nopy 'iiN ioii'"i iiSi'i
the remarks of Henry Ward Beecher:
II did not come here tonight, to say sin
gle word against the foreign population, for
lust as soon as they are American citizens
they cease to be foreign citizens, and with
generous and fraternal feeling say that
they should have exactly the same chance and
the same liberties as we have; and we say fur
Their than that--they shall not have single
more. Applause Nor am here to speak
of the prejudices of one sect more than anoth-
er, for | hold that the Roman Catholic, as he
is one of the most venerable and respectable,
has just the same rights and privileges in our
country as any Protestant; and we are not dis
posed to be burden upon them, or to inaug-
urate or impose disability on them that we
would not do to our own church.
say for one that if this monstrous act had
been perpetrated by the denomination to
which I belong would have been tenfold
more vehement against them than l am
against the Catholics.
The moment you attempt to unite religion
and education you go back on the American
rlea-you have undertaken to make the
school-housc do that which may be done only
by three separate institutions, viz, the family,
the church, and the State We say that no
one, no power, has the right to usurp this
function, which is the business of the family,
and the community, and the church. Now
there is one thing that we have Il right as
Americans to say: that we will not be dictated
to. Applause. As Il country OF learning
we defer to Oxford and Cambridge. We have
something else to do in this country but study
books; we have country to explore and till,
and we are not far advanced in scholarship,
and on many other points we acknowledge
their superiority, but on questions of liberty
and progress we are about as good as they.
We will tell themthatwe understand and know
them better than they. (Applause.] We do
not object when the emigrant comes here,
nor to their antquated notions in respect to
clothing, good ideas, and their drinks provid-
ed they drink for themselves and not for us to
drink along with them. Laughter. But
when they come, bringing notions of civil
policy, say to them. Now you come upon
a ground that know better than you do.
Show us any good results achieved by any
competent Government and then we will take
hold, but we do these things better than they
do in Europe Applause. In this lies the
secret of public fraternity and we do not pro-
pose to go back on it; We propose to stand by
our schools that we have and we propose to
guard against every danger and the danger of
the prestly hand. Great cheering. l have
nothing 20 say against that great Roman sect
which is interested in this change of policy.
| do them the credit to say that in public and
tons. In the Popc's syllabus from Rome it
was announced that all schools under the care
of the State and secular influences were to be |
disapproved and denounced. They say that
they believe that their policy is a just one and
that they will fight for it. We are to meet
them and defeat them in the arena of public
discussion, and in regard to the merits of this
discussion experience has shown us that
where schools are conducted on sectarian
| 81, II. ~, tohl nr
the mischief has appeared that was predicted
by many when the free school system was
inaugurated. How noble and inspiriting it is
| to see the State educating its children to be-
| come good and proper citizens. In Europe
the people receive their education through the
Government; but here the people receive
education through themselves, through its
own citizens. They elect the body who es
tablishcd the schools, and they are subject
unto them, and they receive education
through them. | say that child is to be ed
ucated in the most perfect manner in the
knowledge of himself and his duties to men
but leave the chld's religion to the church, to
the parents. In the American idea of subd- |
vision of functions you are to take the child
in religion, not to the school house but to the
Sunday school, where religious education is
to be taught. His religious and secular cdu
cation is to he attended to, but there are var- |
| Gus SUBDIVISIONS 10 accomplish IL. "A ScnoOl- |
house should be moral and intellectual
training school. | am not afraid of matching
our children against any other nation on the
face ofthe earth, educated underline distinctive
ly American idea, and are we to change it ? |
We do not object to children being educated
in religious and secular knowledge, but we
do objee, to its being carried on under the
same house; we do not object to their being
educated by the priests, but we say that must
be done at home. 1t is not question of no
school, it is question of sectaran bias. l
hope that the time will never come when the
American people shall have TO meet together
to complain of the Free School system having |
been tempered with, thus vitiating the sacred
fountain of knowledge for our beloved child |
rem" tGrcat applause.
1t seems to be necessary to repeat, that
the former usury law of the State was re-
pealed by an act passed after the new in
terest law was enacted, and that parties |
may now legally contract for such rate of