The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-12-25

The Ksstsy~ Cas2ol;s, pabliahed In Do
eroit, in m article In . recent number ON
"Public Education in the United States,n
'aays:
"We hold that as there are many kinds
Of religion, the citizen has a right to choose
the kind he likes best, without interference
from the State, and that it would be the
most cruel tyranny to force anyone to pay
for q church he did not wish to use. Yet
we do this very thing in the matter of edn-
cation, and hatter ourselves meanwhile
that we are extremely liberal and progress
sIve. There are many different kinds of
education, and the citizen has just as muc.
right to choose the kind he likes best rs he
has to choose the religion he likes best. Yet
an unjust majority establishes a. sy stem OF
edrcatiop suited to its own Views, forces
IL upon the minority, and makes them pay
for il, against all their representations and
Inconsistencies. Is not this as mach. tyr
auny rs an established church Now these
are no figures of speech. They are plain
facts and they c.tnnOt be lodged or evaded.
These schools are just as mIeli against the
Catholic conscience as are Protestant
churches: 1t will not do for Professionals or
others to tell us that we are unreasonable
In this or that we are mistaken. They tell
us the same of the religious doctrines OF
Catholicity and yet they do not dare force
us to pay for building their churches.
They have just the same right to do SO,
however. They have exactly the same
authority as they have for thcir system OF
religion-their own private opinion. And
we nave exactly the same authority for enr
system of reiigion-the command of ous
Church. We Are just as much forbidden to
give money for the support ot what we be-
Hcve To be false religion. But IT the State
taxes us to build Protestant churc',es, or
Jewish synagrgucs, we can only remon-
strate and plead for our lights; we would
have to, pay the taxes all tie same. In the
sane manner VIXEN the State taxes us 10
hnild schools which are just rs much
against our conscience us are Protestant
churches, we can only demonstrate as citi
zens, and pay the tax with Il protest.
1u copying the foregoing IL Congrega-
tiOnal paper in Vermont observes:
We pnlish the above by request, but
can't SEQ the point. The argument is COM
mon PLACES, and is used SO often that it is
stereoty ped, and may be used by any law
breaker whose criminality demands incar-
ceration aud punishment. IL you will
prove, my good friend, that ignorance is
better fora people than intelligence, then
we will come to terms. Or If you will
prove that people without q Bible are
better of than with one, we will make our
humble bow. If you will prove that France
and Spain or any part of the Catholic world
are in the enjoyment of as high state of
moral, social, intellectual and religious
happiness as Protestant community, then
we will give up our rights to contest the
expulsion of the Bible from our schools, and
homes; and that is what the above commu-
nication really aims to advocate.
To which the New York Tablet rcjoins
A friend in Vermont requests us to reply
to the comments of Vermont paper on
the excellent article of the Western Cdtho-
nd nj v wi tf,a
because it gives us an excuse for laying the
article from our Catholic contemporary be-
fore our readers. That article presents the
whole question, SO far as it relates to the
public schools, in a nutshell, end expresses
truly the deternination of all true Catholics
of the Union. The Vermont paper says it
can see no point i'll the article; we can
only pity its blindness. 1t supposes the
question at issue, is whether IGNORANCE is
better for a people than intelligence" and
says tn t it we can prove that IL is, "we
will come to terms" Supposing the editor
to have been educated in the public schools,
we may fairly conclude that these schools
are far from being an infallibe specific for
dspeliing ignorance or for spreading in
telligence. The issue is not between ig-
norance and intelligence, but between god
less education and religious education, or
between our being taxed to support sect;:-
rian schools, or taxed only to support suc!!
schools as we can in conscience approve.
Education is a religious function, and as
such is a function OF the spiritual power,
not of the civil or temporal powe-, and the
State might as we'll tax us to suPpcre s"c-
tartan churches as tax us to support 81
rian schools, and the public scE''"' q o
secterian, whenever they are no; a
less schools. AS Catholics, We holh - n
ucatioE to be better than either srct"ilan
or IL goddess education. Ignorance Is bet
ter for Il people than intelligence without
faith or the true religion. We want our
children for heaven, for "What doth it
profit Il MAN if he gain the Whole world,
aud lose his own soui ~