The New York herald., 1873-11-11
THE PUBLIC SCHOOL QUESTION.
10 school and State, as wen ~
Church and Sfate-Lctter VI o
Smith TO Charles stebbinss

CHARLES sTEBBISs Esq, Cazenoyia;-
Nv NEAR SIR address this letter 10 you pc-
.ause number you among the deeply thoughtiul
and wisely benevolent men OF my acquaintance.
II Is now some twenty or thirty years since |
began to speak and write upon the radical evils OF
our common school system. SO intense still Is my
feeling in regard to them that. while life lasts and
these evils last, mast continue to speak and
write upon them.
All admit the paramount right OF parents TO
choose and control the education OF their children,
and their paramount obligation to delray the cost
OF IT, But many apprehend that, II this be left ex
clusively to parents, large share OF children will
remain uneducated, and win, by their Ignorance
and Its attendant vices, curse their homes and
their country. Hence the State is relied on to sup
ply the lack. But II the State will only stand aside,
voluntary offerings win now in and far more than
equal what is raised by taxation. This, however,
is denied. and the denial rests upon the
assumption that, before the common school
passed into the hands OF government, the
education provided in it was neither OF so high
srade nor SO generally acquired it has been
since. But whether this assumption be wrong or
right It does not follow that the school would
snffer now or hereafter by the withdrawal OF the
aud OF government In the former half century OF
sur national existence our fathers, Impoverished
by one war and much reduced by another, we're
obliged to yield to claims far more urgent than
those OF education. They had TO struggle
FOR the material comforts and absolute necessares
OF life Their supreme concern was not to feed
and clotne the mind, but to feed and cothe the
body. In the latter half we have risen into hap
pier circumstances and are free to engage il the
higher work OF mental cultivation We are now
able TO do much more in the department OF educa-
tlen than we were in the infancy OF our nation,
and we are too wen disposed TO do it TO need gov
N mall al lnr pi ~ mo
present generation, far SURPRISING IN this respect
the rich men OF monarchical countries, have
learned to pour out their money IKE water
In the cause of human Improvement. They give
hundreds OF thousands and even millions to ad-
vance the interests OF education; and the people
ut large have come into such an appreciation OF
the Dement'S OF the school that they no longer need
20 be taxed to extend them, but only lett Tree to
extend them.
The NEEDING OF the State with the school is an
mpertinence little less than It's meddling with the
Church. lawyer, than whom there Is no abler in
the land and who Is as eminent for integrity as for
ability, writes mel am against the govern
nents being permitted to do anything which can
be entrusted to individuals under the equal regu-
lati0n OF general laws.n But how emphatically
should the school be held TO be the concern and
care Of individuals instead OF the government 1t
Is not extrayagant to say that government is no
more entitled to a voice In the school than the
Church. Both are or ought to be religious instiru-
tions, and in the one important respect that the
average scholar is OF more plastic and docile age
tnan the average attendant on the Church the
school has greatly the advantage OF the Church.
admit the great Importance OF having the COM
mon school education as well nigh universal as
possible. Nevertheless 1t Is better that this educa
tion should not reach as many than that the hand
OF government be in 1t. Nothing serves so much |
TO maintain manly and independent spirit in the |
people-nothing indeed is SO essential TO their |
national lfe-as the keeping OF government within |
its normal and narrow limits. Apeople WHO hang |
neplessy on government, and instead OF doing |
their own work, look to government to do it TOR I
them make a usurper or their government and /
children OF themselves. And. just here, let me say
ana 10 especa ,he
children, is to be done by the people, the sole work
OF government is TO WELD It's brute force for the |
The signs that this evil OF state education is ap-
preaching Its end are multiplying Among themis |
the rising up OF the great BODY OF the Roman |
Catholics against IT, No wonder that they
feel themselves to be cruelty oppressed by 1t.
when the Roman Catholics or Ireland were COM
PEELED TO support the English Church in addition to
their own all Americans sympathiZed with them.
But is not the oppression OF our Roman Catholics
the same in principle was that Ours set their
hearts on training their children to be Catholics
from their infancy. Hence they naturally desire
to have their schools such as win promote this
warmly cherished object. But how can they sup
e own % sbe a. e ina. Rsre
burden that presses heavily not upon their con-
science only but upon their property also-all the
people, they are not rtch-certainy not so rich
the protestants whose children they are with such
Is TO mock the ignorance OF a large share OF
catholic parents, or, at least what they humbly
can themselves at their homes teach enough
religion to their children. Conscious OF their little
upon the priest only but upon the schoolmaster
also. And well would 1t be were protestant
parents more concerned to have the teachers OF
religious instruction. Scarcely less unwise is 1t to
exclude religion from the desk OF the schoomaster
than from the pulpit OF the pastor.
The Protestants are freshly endeavoring to load
the Catholics with the blame Of this school agita-
the already numberless editions Of the wors com
plants ol the lamb for rolling the stream. The
Protestants are themselves the responsible party.
foolish and wicked TO charge the Catholics with
For nothing less than conscience sake do they es-
tablish them, and burden themselves with the vast
expense; and for this aithfulness to their deepest
convictions they should be honored and not de-
Be ashamed, Protestantsi Consider who they
are whom you are so cruelty oppressing They are
your countrymen, and as patriotic yourselves.
On many battle field have they mingled their
countrymen. They are your brothers and Of the
SAM Father with yourselves. lou complain OF
men ran yoS own eon 20 absnrd a. ana
even farcical however. ID IL for the Protestant to
complain o. the Catholics religion, or the Catholic
stantially the same religion. The great doctrine
IN each Is supreme love to God and a love to our
Which party overloads this decisive doctrine with
the most or the grossest superstitlons Is a COM
parativey unimportant question.
Another indication Of the approaching downfall
OF the State school Is Its proposing compromises
Any institution may be regarded as near its end
when, to prolong its life, it falls to compromising
One OF these proposed compromises Is to forego
prayer in the school. Another Is to forbid all re-
hglous teaching IN IL, and especially to exclude
the Bible IRON 1t. Nothing could justify the ostra-
czing OF Shakespeare and Milton from the school.
Still less anything justify the ostraczing of the
Bible from 1t; Tor, admitting all tnat is said OF the
errors In the Bible other book equals II In speci-
mems OF the truest eloquence and IN the wisdom
and purity OF its precepts. Moreover, since Il is
rom the sublime and sweet inspirations OF this
Dook lar more than from any other source, that we
1erlve our ruling conception OF the Deity. ii follows
tuat 70 insult the Bible Is little less than to insult
GOO. Inc great disturbance which thus question OF
the Bible In the school Is producing will never
cease unth either the government or the Bible is
driven rom the school. God grant that the gov
ernment be the vanquished party
This allowed intrusion Of government into the
school opens the way for a still bolder usrrnatton
The proposition for compulsory education meets
with QroMnR favor. and the mar -..a.. s.a,.