The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-09-18
Presbyterian Schools.

q
We see that the Independent of New
York has been taking to task the Presby-
terians of New Orleans for establishing
parochial schools. The reason assigned for
the scolding is that this arrangement will
play into the hands of the Catholics and
afford them aid and comfort. To all of
which the Presbyterian organ in this city
merely resp onds that the independence
must not all be on the side of the New
York critic, but that others also have
right to be Independent. The Presby-
terians of this locality do not, in other
words, mean to send on to New York and
submit their deliberations to>the approval
of that metropolis before acting upon them.
We presume that the meaning of the In
dependent in considering this movement as
favorable to the Catholics, is that it looks
to the establishment of a sectarian system
of schools, and if that takes place the pub
lie school tax will either be discontinued or
fairly distributed. But logic sometimes
changes with the latitude, and reasoning
that might suit New York does not neces-
sarily hold good here. Thus the common
schools of New York are not closed o;the
white Presbytefians by a negro policy.
The much Wanted common school system
on its original basis may be as much es-
teemed as ever by our Protestant fellow
townsmen, but with certain addenda it
may be made intolerable to them. Indeed
in New York, conditions might be thrown
around it that would estrange the patron
age of the Independent and it's clique.
No doubt there may be in this commu-
nifty few bigots who would be willing to
submit to any degradation in order to in
convenience Catholics and do them injus-
tee, but the mass of our people are not OF
that complexion, and will side with the
PRESBYTERIAN rather than the Independent
Indeed ow that they have had the tallloilty
of the common school system practically
demonstrated to them, it doubtful whether
it could ever again command the support
that has been SO unhestating in its favor
to within short time. Sometimes men
are invinciby blind, and do not see a truth
Which is extremely plain to others. They
continue to perpetrate Migrant injustice
without any real suspicion that it is such,
no matter how often told of it. They do
not realty think the charge worth investi-
eating. But let suspicion of the truth
once enter their minds and the blindness is
gone. Their native justice then triumphs
and the inquity becomes Impossible.
Thus our Protestant fellow citizens have
always forced Catholics to pay school tax
for institutions to which We could not send
our children. They smiled at our objec-
tons as chimerical, but now they begin to
suspect that there was something in them,
since their pet institution has proved capa-
BILE of being turned to unjust purposes. The
cause of complaint in the two cases are in
deed totally different, but the idea of in
vestigation is new one and it is precisely
the one .hat was wanting,
Then again to go still farther, our Pro-
testaut fellow citizens may have canddly
embraced the opinion that positive re-
ligious influence in the school, is necessary;
that the Church must preside there, and
thai the common school in it's purity is
Pagan. This being the case, it is not to be
supposed that they would consent to en-
tail injury upon their own children, merely
to spite the Catholics, or indeed that they
would consent to see the injury
inflicted on Catholics even withou refer
ence to their own interests. We
think that the day of the common
school in New Orleans is on the decline,
though we hope the City will always make
provisions for the education of poor chill
dren.