Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-05-13
HOW SHALL WE EDUCATE
OUR CITY SCHOOLS.

| MESSRs. EDITORS "Another Rich
mondn is in the field it seems, and on "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
they have not Fairly and lawfully discus
sed the subject" and have not promoted
"the cause of truth" The public may ad-
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
statement of "Rusticus," !" the first clause
of which is that 1.-THE Roman Catholic
Priests and his friends are not content to
meet their fellow-citizens upon common
platform as regards free school education. u
Now, how stands the case? Hear what
Father FinnegaIl 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" Does not that mean that they will
not meet their fellow-citizens upon COM
=
reverend gentleman has positively declared
that he and his friends must have day
schools in which religious instruction is
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:
.@1t is argued we can teach our children
their peculiar form of religion on Sunday.
We are not satisfied with this arrangement
u. I>ols %l,at .+asra II
sary for the souls salvation. These things
are verynumerous and..require constant and
careful medication, and no school can be
satisfactory, except where the teaching of
these things go hand and hand with seeu-
lar education
How can any one, after these utterances
of the clerical representative of the Roman
Catholic Church, deny that it's 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,u "that the Roman
Catholic Priest and his friends demand
special and exclusive rights and privileges"
IN IN TINS matter. This alsoI will prove with
tnef 1 efriests assistance. He says, ffthe Cath
oncs OF Knoxville are making an effort to
seizure Ior their children a portion of the
sch9oL iupd, they are acting in accordance
VIII the dictates of conscience, and they
nave perfect right to do so.n Elsewhere
ne sPeaks OF his claims and states their
rlgnt 70 a portion of the school fund. For
VIVA! Is IL 10 support aschool from which
cluded? Not at all Rnf " a,y MAINTAIN ~ oi ca q
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-
mandlng special and exclusive rights and
privileges in the case? Have the Presby-: