The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-09-14
Compulsory Education


that it has obtained the sanction of thai
paper. The article is not strictly editorial
it is true, but, how SO discreet aud able q
journal could publish on its responsibility
such tissue of error, historical and phil
osophical, ia difficult to divine. Let VI
take few examples:
The more Intelligent people are, the better
and happier they will be.
1t is through education that man attains
perfect manhood, both for this life and that
which lie to come.
According to this, St. Peter and the
other Apostles who were ignorant fisher
men, had but small chance of being either
good or happy or of attaining to any emf
neat perfection for the next life, while the
learned Pharisees of that day were the men
in. whom all goodness and happiness could
be looked for. According to this, too, az
unlearned man is prima faeie a bad man,
while great scholars like Gibbon, VoItaire
and Bacon, are almost necessarily good and
happy. Again:
Education has become a part of tho very
German idea of life, and it has been the euuci-
tion of the German nation THAT has raised her
up from the state in which ehe has been, to
stand now head and shoulders above all the
Christian nations III Europe. There education
is not optional. Every child must be edu-
Gated.
"Head and shoulders above all the
Christian nations il Europer' In what 7
Ia the true manhood which makes men
spurn despotism and despotsf The Prus
SLAMS, with all their learning, are the most
servile slaves to despctism in Europe. An
iron handed, military Government controls
their every thought. Their press Is ensaved,
their personal liberty is at the mcrcs Of cc-7
scription laws, their very religion is ..n:
free. Yet an army of well educated slaves,
disciplined as soldiers, is held up to Amerl-
car citizens as a nation-aT'' head and
shoulders above other nations" because
Successful for the moment as soldiers. The
first fruit of enforced education being
slavery, the next may well be the Com
mune."
Switzerland, with the exception of four can
tons, has compulsory common schools, free to
all her citizens.
Unfortunately, in the same proportion
as Switzerland eaforces education, she
forces conscience, violates religious liberty
and departs from her ancient traditions of
freedom. In fact despotism which does
not respect the sacred rights of the parent
will not scruple at anything. Again:
Henry Ward Beecher, in lecture on the sub
ject of education, says France, lowest now
OF the nations of Europe, but little while
ago the proudest, W as found, when struck with
the mailed band of Germany, to be hollow. 1t
was the want of knowledge among her com
mon people that pulled France down. Size
nn1 hnr
poor as compared with the army that ceme
forth from the German common schools. She
never VIII stand again as she stood before I'M
til she educates.n
Henry Ward is rather famous as a fabri-
Gator. The above does him credit in that
line Does Henry think that the French
peasantry are less learned now than for
merly If so he is far more ignorant than
we give him credit for being. The COM
mon school education of France has made |
great advance with this century. Yet in
the days of the first Republic and of Ma
ooleon, all Europe combined could not with
stand the fiery valor of that same French !
utterly ignorant as it was of the |
'rts of reading and writing.
Would Henry Ward risk his reverend |
carcass among his beloved and educated
russians if they were opposed by less than
heir own number of trained Irish soldiers
We have 20 idea that the shrewd parson
would make such mistake even if Der.
nltted to select for the Irish side those
oldiers only who could not sign their
ames.
1t is seen by all the nations of Eurone that
ducation is indispensable for their political
over. They have found out that Won can
ecure good citizenship better by the eiemnnt
knowledge than in any other way, and thai
oVernment is managed with more facility in
n Intelligent self-goverped people than in
ny other way. Government by force is easv
l the ratio of ignorance, and difficult in the
alto of intelligence. Bad government ia diaa.
lent easy. 9N s''e-
In Greece and Rome, as long as the peo-
le were rude and unlettered, they were
ood citizens and formed powerful nations. {
8 soon as they became highly cultivated
I'D learned, they fell into effemipacy. G
espotism, revolution and ruin. i
Popular suffrage is perdition, if the voters {
} not understand the questions involved in
10 election. In just such q proporfion 40
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