The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-10-25
Mixed Schools.


Under this heading, the Bulletin, of last
/ Thursday, gives certain facts which serve
it as q text for some very discouragipg re-
Elections. 1t says that negro children are
regular pupils in almost all the public
schools of the Third District, and actually
compose a majority in some of them. The
Bulletin then discourses on the impossi-
bility of computing the exact amount Of
! moral injury that will in consequence be
inflicted on the white children, and says
that it would be better for them to leave
the schools than suffer the contamination
In it's anger our neighbor styles Brown Il
| drunken negro, and one Boothby it calls q
jackanapes. 1t then asserts that We, that
| is, the white people, can abandon the
schools and refuse to pay the school taz.
Now, we do not understand how this can
be done, but should like to know. If peo-
pie can refuse to pay the school tax by
abandoning the schools, our Catholic popu-
lation will be glad to know it. They have
abandoned the schools years ago but have
never heard nything about their right to
refuse paying the tax.
The Bulletin will no doubt think that
there ia radical distinction between the
against mixed schools is well founded,
while that of Catholics against non Catho-
lie schools is baseless. Let ne see. The
Bulletin complains that these mixed schools
are shot beds for the dissemination of the
most injurious doctrines, the nursery of
vice and of all sorts of denominations"
That is just what Catholics say of all schools
not under the control or influence of their
clergy. There is, and can be, no guarantee
that the most "ipjurious doctrines" will
not circulate among their pupils, either
unrepressed by the teachers or emapatipg
directly from them. They grievously fear
that such a school will be nursery of vice
for two reasons first, that religion, which
Is the only antidote for vice, is not Taught
there, and secondly, that non Catholic
schools have not generally the best reputa.
ton in this respect. Thousands of Pro-
testants send their children to Catholic
schools for the express purpose of avoiding
the contamination of morals prevalent in
their own institutions.
Press have never been willing to concede
to Catholics the right to have any such
fears as this; they have never dreamed of
letting them retain their taxes by with
drawing their children from the Public
Schools; they have never had the sense of
justice or fairplay Or candor or manliness
to permit Catholics to think for themselves
on that point; bat they are qnick enough
to see the point in their own case. When
the corruptipg influences operate against
themselves, or at least, when they think SO,
they want to have their opinions or pre-.
JUDGES respected, and can see very we'll
how they ought to he exempted from tax
alton for schools which they cannot con-
scientnusly use for their children.
And yet the XIX century talks of irs
refined justice, and the 80 called Anglo
Saxon race prides itself it's fair-play.
The Latin race in France, Spain, Italy,
every where, in point of fact, gives fair play
on the echool question SO does even the
German race in Catholic countries. 1t is
only the self-vaunting Anglo-Saxon race
which is essentially bigoted, and determined
to make every thing conform to it's fanatic
ism, while boastng gifts imaginary fairness
But our good neighbor must remember
there is such thing as "chickens coming
home to roost." There is such a thing as a
watchful Providence that metes out to
trausgressors such justice as they give. III
the non Catholic whites of New Orleans
want justice on the school question, let
them be willing to give justice,
Consistency.