Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-10-23
THE RUTLAND HERALD.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1878.
THE CATHOLICS AND THE PUB
Lie SCHOOLS.


The Irish Catholic Benevolent Union,
that has been in session in st. Louis,
during the past week, has shown in the
discussion of the learned and influential
men of the Catholic church, cause fol-
the hostility of that powerful organiza-
ton to the common school system of
America. The American system of pub
lie schools is one of the foundation
stones of our Republican institutions,
and whoever assaults that system can
he set down as an enemy of the Repub-
lie; but with that important element of
free citizenship, the common school, we
found our prosperity upon a perfect
freedom of conscience and religious
worship, and we should protest as Wig
orously against any attempt of Protest
ant communities, to in any manner in
terfere with the entire freedom of the
Catholic church to carry out the whole
economy of their worship, as we do
against their onslaught on our common
school system. The Catholic, the Prot
cstant, and the man who dissents from
both, all stand equal before the law, and
any attempt to affect the standing or in
Auence Of q man on account of his re-
igi0us faith is unchristian, undemo-
cratic, and contrary to the teachings of
the American system of government.
The committee on resolutions at this
st. Louis meeting, introduced, among
others, this sentiment "Resolved, that
the present system of public schools,
ignoring all supernatural authority, and
making God, the first knowledge, the
Last thing to be learned, is a curse to our
country and fiood-ga of atheism and
of sensuality, and of civil, social and ma
tional corruption )" and upon the discus
sion that followed this resolution, Fa-
Their Phelan, of st. Louis, one of the
bright intellects of the church,
frankly confessed that the Cath
oIics stood before the country as the
enemies of the public schools, and for
the reasons stated in the resolution that
If children were sent to the public
schools they wOuld surely loose the faith
and that they were afraid that the chill
dren would come home at night with
something in their hearts blacker than
he'll, if they were to attend the public
schools, and as an illustration he said
'the public men of America are edu-
Gated in the public schools and are ex-
of the system, and are the
most corrupt and dishonest of any coun-
try in the world; that the children of
the country go heels over head to the
devil must be attributed to tke education
they receive in the public schools, which
does not fit them for the temptations of
the world, and they turn out to be learn
ed horse-thieves, scholastic counterfeit
crs, and well posted in all schemes of
deyiltry.
This reasoning is what might be ex-
pected from a man who thinks that some
narrow Interpretation of religious truth
Is necessary for the salvation of the
world. 1t is natural that men should
love their children and be anxious about
their spiritual well being, but it is a
sad commentary on any mans religious
faith, that he is afraid to trust the youth
of his denomination under scholastic in
struction, unless the peculiar dOgmas of
his subdivision of the Chistian dispense
ton are mingled with it. The public
schools are the common heritage of every
child, and they should be perfectly free
from all sectarian influences, so that
he parent can feeel when he sends his
,hildreR to the school house, that they will
not there be learned any system of here
" that will bias their free choice in the
way they should interpret the scheme of
salvation, when they arrive at years of
Parents who have the
welfare of their children'at heart, should
perform their whole duty in giving them
religious instruction, and they are emit
led to have that instruction left to its le-
climate effect on the mind of the child,
without being destroyed or subverted by
other instruction in the public schools,
and we fully agree with the Catholics in
heir efforts to prevent Protestant doc
rincs from being taught there but
when they carry their opposition to
beyond its exclusion from
The public schools, and insist upon the
of Catholicism, they are
wrong.
The work Of the Christian church
'hould by assisted by the labors of the
school master, through the greater intel
igcnce of the rising generation, but the
chool should be wholly unsectarian, so
hat the Catholic. the Baptist, the Congre-
the Methodist, the Quaker and
The URiversalist, can send his scholars to
L with no fears that his UNCONVENTIONAL
belief will be pointed at as heresy by
-hc teacher or authority of the school.
The Catholic idea that the peculiar
doctrines of Protestanism should not
Ne taught to their children in the public
chools, is right and they ought to be
able to enjoy the benefits of public
without any fears of such
but they should be consist
mt enough to allow to their neighbors
he same right they claim for themselves.
md not demand that Catholic doctrines
hould be taught to Protestant children.
The kingdom of Christ is spiritual
which requires no govern
mental aid, and while there are so many
among the various branches
If the church, it is the manifest duty of
government to simply maintain neutral
ty between them, giving each the utmost
freedom to- teach their peculiar tenets and
serving all alike in the advantages of gov.
and in the enjoyment Of their
preferences. We are
glad to know that this resolution did
not pass as first introduced, but did pass
in form nearly as objectionable But