The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-02-27
Communication.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
EDIToR FREEMAN-For some time past the
and so grossly misrepresented by various wri-
tiers through the columns OF your paper, that
IL Is Impossible Tor any W no is true friend
of education, true friend OF free institutions
in W hich the poor well the rich gain
productions. This, too, is done by men who
have been benefited by them, and who cOnse-
I Tenders. Even some teachers with other
means OF support, who have labored many
exceedingly praised for raising the arm of op-
position to the public schools, Why do not our
abandon the iniquitous business of teaching in
these GoGless institutions il they consider them
snE But we have host of others besides the
teacher $, all OF " nom have been missd 10y IN s.
taken ideas in regard TO these schools: | shall
therefore review their articles very briefly and
endeavor TO exhibit each side in its true light.
The 1rst cr these shall notice is ''F. J. P"
This gentleman, after many attempts to con
vince your readers that society is continually
growing worse, attributes this cepiorabIe state
Of affairs to the influence of the public schools.
But marx what ingenuity ne displays! He
does not wish To be understood as saying that
this condition OF things 10 prevalent every
where; he only speaks for Gallitzin. just think
or changing the common school system OF
Pennsylvania for the sake OF this one place,
continuing two or three hundred Iahabitants
IS not our State dOubly blessed for having with
In her limits this. very important tCwnF No
wonder he cries for liberty. 1t sppears to nae,
however, that the village spoken OF is composed
of nearly an entire Catholic population. The
citizens OF that place have the schools in their
own hands, and if they desire to have the pu-
pllS lF
principles, who is to hinder them! Parochiul
schools can accomplish nothing more where
people ali belong to one church. In some parts
OF lhls county IheV teach the catechlSIn, nave
prayer, and read the Bible, but il remains to be
come better Christians or hettcr citizens than
those who receive their religious instruction
in the church or at the fircside. In fact, one of
the worst schools ever saw had prayer, cate
chlSm and other rel .RiCus exercises every ds y.
This. of course. was not caused by such eyer
cises; out the pupils were not properly trained
at home, too much being expected from the
religious instruction given them at school, and
they had come IN contract with outside inta-
eUces the most dehasng and most vicious.
Again, is the conduct OF boys and girls educa-
ted in parochial schools, under heimmediG;e
direction of their pastors, any better than that
of children educated in public schools? Ob-
seryatlon proves II Is not while they are young.
Neither do thCg make better Christ iaus or bet
yer cItlZeis men they nave arrIN eu AT MATURE
". some or the former Will curse aud swear,
fight and steal far more readily than the most
vicious OF the lti t"rs Every IaiI I-iHlhueu man
mistakRbly show, Mr.. IF. J. P that your pro-
posed system of education is n ''deluSiOn and
a snare, productive or more eN u than the pres
ent one, and the man who would thus uphold
a scheme so shallow. directly opposed to every
principle or justice ana equality Is not a true
American, and renders himself unworthy the
projection of free government
The acq Iiremeut OF souud,uSefdl al knowledge,
such as Is impaired in our public schools Cpes
not tend to corrupt the morals OF any one. On
the contrary, IL mas tendency 70 elevate our
aspirations and expand our intellect. IN order
readily accept the teachings of our Divine Re-
deemCv. 1t enables us to form true cOuCep-
ton of our duty here below faithful Christ
ians, SO that when the time shall come Tor Us
to realize that transcendant beauty SO fondIy
cherished by our dearest hopes and ever dream
ed of in our brightest auticipations, We will not
be wanting in good works.
Where, then, do children acquire many
bad habits! some may ask, Surely not in the
public schools, as have cndeayn"ed to show,
they have learned and become hardened, many
Of hem, in nearly e. cry species of vice. II pa
other an ." old tooI W or something worse or II
they quarrel and even come to blows, how caI
we eGpect those tender Inihos cohtlhuaitE IN
contact with such degr2aing influences 10 es-
cape cont 1miE8t:on2 White walking the streets
these children ma Just the same KIND or I'M
morality, ana as conscG uence t::eir MINDS ere
stored with all manner of iniquity before they
enter school ut all. Then comes tho cry that
theSe dear uttte ones haze tot tien morals IN the
public $eIt0DtS! If you were to instruct such for
six hours every day for all eternity, you could
not improve th%r cCndLIlCR- Let, CHRISTIAN
parerts, then. reform their own hahits-lct
younger minds viii copy after them in their
virtues as they now do in their vices. Begin
present condition of s5cety viii be forever Ss.r
vain aud impoteuI." We do not want citizens
of talking about it. We have too many such
Christians. What we want is practical Chris
Benity. which consists not alone in hWDlCiUJ
ami beticgHJ but In doing W hat Is right Faith
alone will not save us is truth which every
child is taught who attends sunday school, yet
how few older heads ever thiuk OF il!
~. J. p" complains of tGc injustice done pa
rents who do not send their children to the
public schools by requiring them to pay their
share OF the tax necessary to support S:ia
SCHOOLS. W ny. IL Is TIE ne win every dc
Partm cnt Of public admin StratiOn in this cOuu-
try. We have almshOuSes, courts Of law, peuI-
tentiaries, and many like institutiOus-fOr MI
which we are taxed in exactly the same Ta ti,.,
yet many of us receive no benefit, directly
Indirectly. from either of them Many
pay road tax who have neither horse nor suT..
la cities people are IaXsd to maintain the fire
depaT tment who may not need its services Ollcc
in = life time. Now, you tire not compelled to
get the worth of your money from tlsfse, hi.t
you pay your tax SO that you may have the
privilege of using them whenever necessary or
desirable. So il is with the schools. If they do
rot suit you, why just let good enough alone.
for no person will compel you 10 send your
children to them against your will. We know
that thousands Of dollars to support the pub
lie schools ere collected yearly from persons
who send no children we know that ''thous-
ands of dollars to pay for the administration
of justice are collected every year from per
sons who never have any business in our courts;
know that "rhOusaGds OF dollars are co..
lected from US year after year for things that
HeUcf be of any.possible benefit TO why
do yOu not complain OF al, hF. r.. J. P.'T u,
consistency! "d1 UJE iIOJC gDiIg to desert US -
/ shall return TO this subject next week
STpNET.
Johnstown, Pa, Feb, 20, 1874.