, 1873-12-15
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Lecture by a St. Louis Priest on Tho
American Educational System.
Ho Believes that It Is Hostile to
True Religion.
And That There Is Too Much Teaching
in the Country.
Special Dfspateh to The Chieaoo tribune.

IN Inc country.
Special Dfspateh to The Chseaoo tribune.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 14.-Falhor rholan, who won
n uational reputation \ fow weoks ago by lss
speech nBanBt tho public schools at tho moosinp
Of tho Catholic Benevolent Association locturod
OIL tho Bamo topic tonight ut Mercantile Library
liall uo said Tint on tho school question, 25O,-
000000 Catholics wore pacnd In antagoniHm to
tho cntro auti-Cntholio world lie ntood
Oh tho platform as man, as an
American citizon, aud as Catholic to
defend against antagonist millions tho infalllblc
utternnces Of tho sovereign plaintiff On tic Blb-
joct Of education. People talk great daal about
TINT matter, md know very litt1o. It ia ofton
said boastfully that America Is tho strongest md
grandcat country In tho world, simply because
her rooplo nre educated. It ts assorted that
Gcrmany conquered Frauce moro by hor etluca-
cated aoldiery tilan by her Krupp guns. All this
iB
THE 8HEEnEsT NONSENSE.
Education is acquired not III tho Hchool, but
in the cloEet. The State hna no moro right to
provide US with dootors md lawyors tlan with wot
nuraos. 1t should only furnish tho commonoat
oducation, which belongs to all. II wo subtract
from honor aud famo what Providence and
cllatco hayo douo. tho rosiduum is very small
demigoda dwindlo to diminutive human bcingB
Even Won AIoltko said TINT tho Bucccss OF
Prussia was duo to valorous laundering. Rail-
roaus havc done moro to educate tho people than
all tho mon whom New England has sent forth
NAnlow-M1SDED nlGoTs,
who never wont beyond tho horizon OF their I'm
| mediate noighaorhood. Tho poor peasnntry In
France mud Spain have no education; but they
nntS Wn noH &t.o%Hf f,%>1N A,,A3 n ku
WHO aro ignorant, for We do not understand
their n:ods, Trade md comsnorco aro the gyoat
educators. Paddy with hls hoe, has brought
p! education to every freside on the land,
and he should DO placed on tho
nations shield, instead Of the Greek
lamp Of knowledge. 1t ip falso to
; say that We owe all our enlightenment t. the
public schools. We should be better-cducatod
! people to-dny if We Ind noyor lad them. Evory
nun who now paya dcllar on compulaIon
+; would pay ton for schools Of his own.
TOO MUCH EDUCATION.
! Tho speaker had no objection to being, taxed
| to support Bcl,uuls provided they wore all that
echoola should DO. Educated men arc
alrondy too numerous III Ano1ica states
mon and politicians aro becoming 30
! plcnty TINT tho Government will have to provide
syrte,n Of public schools, he went on 10 say, was
burden; but it is ono to which tho Catholic
would n,oHt cheorfnlly submit were it not besides
| II corruption, taintmg tho minds, hearts. and
souls Of tito people.
| RELIGION AND TIE SCHOOL. SYSTEM.
Religion alld the present school systoa, cannot
cooxisi OH this continent. a people wholly de-
void OF religion IL only conceivable outside Of tho
renlns Of he'll. Religion must bo acquired. It
! III not developed naturally. Religion must DO
| tausht i'll tho echools, for It cannot always be
Taught ut home, because parents are eitLor igno-
rant or incompetent. Religion might bo taught
i. at school NJ d relaxation fiom study.
! EXISTENCE or 4 STATE RELIGION,
! George WASHINGTON snid TINT there WIS nothing
!: try. The Secretary Of the Interior
Tns ass not Long nge It the
Indians to accept their theory. Geu. Grant has
/ given over tho Indlans to tho Qunkere. Why
| not hHvo Chnplatns for children az well as for
! tho ar1nya The Government has n religion, aud
is most intoerant in forcing conformity to 1t.
Tho Americans, like tho Asleniaus, worship IN
unknown God. Our educational systern ia
CERTAINLY A FRAUD.
! "Yeara for mathematics and not one yenr for
+, religion is written above the portals Of every
, Bclool-houso in Tho land. The exclusion OF re
| ligion from schools il tlpo ppecimen OF stupid
! craftsmanship. Tic Government goes to the
! very verge OF persecution i'll itB efforts to de-
! stroy tho Church. Tho State tcara from the
] bosom OF tho Church itB offspring by brutal
/ force.
\ CATHOLIC INFLUENCE FOR LIBERTY.
4; The speaker roloareod ut great length what
/; tho Catholics had done fer libetty III England,
Franco, aud elsewhere.
oun GOVERNMENT AST1-cArnoL1o.
| Tho Government respects THO demands of tho
| Quakers, but not tloso of tho Catholics. Timid
Catholics advise TINT wo speak low on those
points, but the Church will continue to cu,so
/ secnlallzoa education long after Americans haye
| departed for tho happy hunting g-grounds Tho
Catholic Church uoyor WIS coward.
1LL-ErrEors OF EDUCATION.
| Our public schools have robbed tho workshops
and saVpcd tho industry Of tho land. Education
units for manual labor and leadH to
1lagitious tlan TINT Of any mutton on tho faco Of
tho globo. Thcro arc moro murders. rapcs,
arHonY, robLorios embczzlomona, defnlcatonR,
moro c,kS.ng. false-awehring, and y,llgarty TO
| bc heard, keen, aud mot with lu America than in
the oltleas nation in Ch1istontlom.
THE scI1ooIs MAINTAINED nY nonnERT.
| Catholics don't watt to food lae public school
elephant any longer. They aro maintained by
systomntic robbery. II tho a:hol!cs III
sord their child,on to the public schools,
1t would require twenty now buildings, which
| would cuat 500, coo, and nn ,mmorse outlay for
teachers. Thon tho Catholics would DO cursed
by tho taxpayer.
| THE AUDIENCE AND TIE LECTURER.
| Tho lecture occupied about an hour in dcllv-
! cry, 4 largo audience was In attendance, mud
tho applause waa frequent. Father phclan is
! The brothor Of tho proprietor Of the lrestern
has h.mse!f been it's editor. Ills pastoral
charge iB at Badon, just In tho suburbs. Ho is
| q lnan Of Home natural forco and oloquonco,
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SAGINAW LUMBER.