The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-08-31
Public Schools Immoral and An ti-R
publican.

cessarily SO in tendency. Catholics hold that
children become immoral, not MT rely from
being taught immortality, but simply from
not being taught morality. They also hold
that the only reliable, serviceable morality
is religion. From this it follows that in
the public schools, where no religion ls
taught, immortality necessarily sprouts up
aud grows luxuriantly like weeds in nm
titled ground. That is to say, vice is q
crop which need not be planted, but will
grow spontaneously unless kept down by
constant, diligent husbandry. Aud where
vice and Infidelity flourish, despotism ne
cessarily must govern.
Now this is not mere theory. Expert
ence daily brings it's practical truth into
bold relief, and we have candid admissions
in support of it from the strongest advocates
of the common school system. Thus the
Picayune, of the 9th inst, says:
The triumph of liberal principles is ordina-
rily associated with the spread of knowledge.
But in Germany, where education IS compul-
sorry, and where oil the sciences are most thor
oughly cultivated, absolutism finds its COM
pletest European expression.
From tho american Journal Of Education,
an avowed organ of the common school
system, in an article where it is speaking
especially of large common schools sup
ported by the State, we quote as follows:
Hence also the numerous petty receptions
practsed annually upon good natured pub.
the sense of the simple, honest truth in our
boys and girls, the after results of which upon
their characters are sad to contemplate: The
perfect freedom of the schools, and their very
% otrar han md hnilI nm ara nd
at the last to be a negative and destroying ele-
ment in our society. The fact is, the morality
in schools, both public and private and NOR
atty out of school are held by the majority Of
children to be two very different things, and
that lying and cheatlng-we use harsh terms,
but they are the only ones that will convey
the meaning-are becoming so common in our
school-rooms, that they are no longer consid-
cred disgraceful. And then we wonder at the
bank defalcations, at the breaking of faith, at
the violation of confidence, at the fraudulent
which our are daily filed. We train up
our children in way that when they are old
they do not depart from, and we are surprised
and grieved at the result
Then again we have the well known aud
we'll established statistics of the New York
prisons, showing that 80 large percentage
of the criminals are well educated men, and
the frighsful fact that new penitentiary
or State prison is contemplated in New
York making the fifth of such institutions
in that State of enlarged common school
privileges.
Yet as long as the world lasts men will
be carried off by wild, absurd, visionary
schemes of improvement and progress.
They will not learn that as there is no roy
al road to learning, so there can be no pat
emit, new-fapged road to human excellence.
Missionaries fatter themselves that inteli-
gence makes the man and that intelligent
citizens make the perfect State. There
fore the State can be made glorious by a
process of education which is just as GER
tain in its operation as the growth of crops
or the manufacture of shoes. All that is
necessary is plenty Of public schools and a
steady application of birch rods.
These parties want to get rid Of the ele-
ments of religion in their calculations for
obtaining a desirable population. They
recognize the moral order as being beyond
their control and therefore like to believe
that intelligence is enough OF itself.
Poor fools! They forget how intelli-
gent the devil is. They are so run mad
about the excellence of certain weapon,
that they arm all alike with it, not taking
the slightest precauton on the grand
question as to whether they will be friends
or enemies.