Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-05-17
HOW SHALL WE EDUCATE.

mondn is in the field IL seems, and on 1.-The
other side" This new champion of the
Roman Catholic Church evidently counts
upon riding down all adversaries at the be-
ginning of his onset At the start he
sweepingly alleges that they have only
"hurled abuse against the Church." that
thew have not fairly and lawfully discus
sed the subject and have not promoted
"the cause of TRUTH The public may adj
mire his prowess, but it will probably doubt
his discretion. A cavalier, who so modest
ly approaches his subject and shows such
astuteness in making discoveries beyond
the reach of common peoples vision, de-
serves to be treated with unusual courtesy
He proceeds to find fault as untrue with
a statement of "Rusticus,n the first clause
of which is that 1.-THE Roman Catholic
Priests and his friends are not content to
meet their fellow-ctizens upon a common
platform as regards free school education"
Now, how stands the case? Hear what
Father Finnegan says in one of his COM
munications last week to the CHRONICLE.
These are his words Have your common
schools, if you will the Catholics of Knox
vile have their own already. We mean
also to support them with or without State
aid.n Does not that mean that they will
not meet their fellow-citizens upon n COM
mon platform on this subject? Again, that
reverend gentleman has positively declared
that he and his friends must have day
given according to the particular creed of
their Church, and will not be content with
any other, such as the city free schools are
proposed to be. Hear him:
at is argued we can teach our children
their peculiar form of religion on Sunday.
We are not satisfied with this arrangement.
We believe that certain things are neces-
sary for the souls salvation. These things
are verynumerous and,require constant and
careful inculcation, and no school can be
satisfactory, except where the teaching of
these things go hand and hand with secu-
lar education
How can any one, after these utterances
of the clerical representative of the Roman
Catholic Church, deny that its advocates
will not meet their fellow-citizens upon
the common platform of non-sectarian free
schools?n
Then, as to the second clause of the state
ment of "Rusticus,h THAT the Roman
Catholic Priest and his friends demand
special and exclusive rights and privileges"
in this matter This also l will prove with
thePriest's assistance. He says, "if the Cath
olics of Knoxville are making an effort TO
secure for their children portion of the
school fund, they are acting in accordance
with the dictates of conscience, and they
have perfect right TO do sou Elsewhere
he speaks of his Claims and states their
right to a portion of the school fund. For
what? Is it to support school from which
religious sectarian teachings are to be eX
GUIDED? Not at all. But to maintain a
school in which shall be taught, not only
reading, writing, spelling, geography,
grammar and arithmetic, but also those
numerous things which he has said, as
above quoted, he and his church hold "are
necessary to the souls salvation" and by
which he means to include the peculiar
religious tenets of Rome. Is not this de-
mandng special and exclusive rights and
4. DaI ~
terians, or Methodists, or Baptists, or
Episcopalians, or any other religionists in
Knoxville, made a like demand? No!
And vet their religious faith and doctrines
and usages are, it is fairly to be presumed,
equally dear to them. And why do not
Protestant christians OF various denomina-
tions make similar demands: Simply
because a healthy religious liberality pre-
walls among them, and they have no dis
position to make the State serve their par
ticular UNCONVENTIONAL purposes, to the
detriment Of the common school system.
They do not breathe the exclusive, intoler'
ant spirit of Roman Catholicism, nor offel
to thrust their peculiar religious views and
ecclesiastical organizations into the work
ing Of civil public affairs, nor insist that i
the common funds of the people of the city
or State are not so used as TO promote anC
sustain their views and organizations, they
shall have their portion with which t.
conduct schools after their own specia
ideas But this is precisely what the Ro
man Catholic Priest and his friends hav'
offered to do and demanded" Is no
their demand manifestly one for ''eXclusiv'
rights and privileges" in this matter?
But the writer on "The Other iden urge
that the common schools are Protestan
schools, and it is not right and fair tina
Roman Catholics should be required t
support such schools. If he mean
to assert that the common schools of on
country are conducted upon principle
Of civil and religious liberty which are dis
tasteful TO the Roman Catholic Church AN
antagonistic TO it's principles, and there
fore that in order to do what is just an
fair TO Roman Catholics we should alloy
the common school system to be broken uI
and grant the demand of the Priest am
his friends for their share of the schoc
moneys, his proposition cannot be admit
ted, for it would involve the surrender {
the very principle of religious liberty. Bu
if he means that religious instruction
given in our common schools, pOsitivel
hostile to the Catholic Church, / aver m
ignorance of the fact alledged and my dis
belief of its accuracy, and | ask him
1.-THE otherside' to produce the proof Of n
statement. Let him furnish the evidenC
of his declaration that "in many of til
text books used in the common schools /
the United States there is to be found niue
that is abusivo-scurrilously abusive
the Romish Church.
But, after all how can such an allegedfac
in any event, materially effect the case
hand? The Mayor and Aldermen woul
raodfl,, land 4 baF tn a s,rcgo I,