The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-03-15
eaornlug Star and Catholic Messenger
wEw ORLEANS SUNDAY. MARCH Is, 1874.
CONTINUED from sixth page)

y
targe towns is not like the Press of twenty
years ago. To-day there ia disposition
TO be fair in most of the newspaper. and
they have cast aside many of the old cal
uulinies against the Catholic Church. They
have put down much of the cant and big
otry that were common in the land n few
years ago. Why, that cant and that biRo-
try dare not show their faces before the
New York Press of to-day. But we need,
ny proper organization, to bring every pos
sihle influence to bear upon public opinion
an behalf of Justice and of right. Take for
example what you have still to suffer In
Shis State of New Jersey. The common
schools of this State are decidedly, clearly
aud positively Protestant. Some Will say,
<sbnt they arc not scctarian." There was
a meeting held at Oswrgo last week, sort
OF collateral meeting to the Evangelical
Alliance; and one of the ministers said mt
this meeting that you might take one min
sester into n church on one Sunday. min
!ster of another religion the next Sunday,
and between both of these, or seven or
esght of them, people would never know.
from the doctrines preached to them, that
there was any difference at all between
those seven or eight ministers of different
denominations. And this is what mean ::
in the common schools there may not be
tsectarianism in that sense that we can de-
sine it Protestant teaching there is but
there is not Methodist, Episcopalian, Pres
oyterian, Dutch Reformed, or any other.
But there are thrc" prevailing tones in the
society of the world to day. One is the
Catholic, another is the Evangelical, or
Protestant ; and the third is the Intidel
and all minds run in one or other of these
three channels. The shades of Protestant
ism that may exist are of very little con-
sequence bnt the Protestant tone is mark
cd and decided and that which we have
to contend against ia the Protestant tone,
no matter in what shape or form it comes.
and the Infidel tone, worse than all of
them. And hence we say that, since, in
every man-in every teachers mind-this
tone will influence the current of his
Shoughts-so that, never intending to teach
infidelity, or any form of Professionalism to
che children that come before im,-against
his will, even, that which is in his mind
will go out to those who are before him.
Thus it is in the State of New Jersey, and
SE ia not much better in the State of New
York. But, in the State of New Jersey,
your schools are more decidedly Protest
ant in tone; and you cannot send your
children to them-you do not send them.
But, nevertheless, it is possible, because
public opinion is against you, to do ono of
Che most unjust acts that was ever perpe-
Grated against q free people. 1t is posi-
ole for the law to come in against your
will, seize your purse and take from it
what it wants, not for the education of
your children, but for the education of your
neighbor's children. The New Jersey House
of Reformation, Reformatory, House of
Refuge, or whatever you call it, into which
are gathered those poor boys-sent there,
By lard fate, not always their own fault,-
brought up in large town,-full of animal
Gife, with poor homes to go to,-perhaps
fatherless and motherless,-poOr boys, the
victims of misfortune rather than of crime.
There are, of course, among them some
very bad boys. Those may have done
tIax-a Rr,t thny, I,nry
rights in this country, by the laws of the
land, rs sacred rs your rights or mine.
They possess one right the right of wor-
shipping their God as they please,-a right
That 1T IL not in the power of any body of
Snen with justice to take from them and
yet in spite of justice this right is taken from
chem, and it can be done simply and solely
because this vast body of Catholics oil over
SaeState of New Jersey, at whose side would
stand an equal number of right-minded
aDen, if the truth were only brought before
[lten,-are unorGanized-have no com y
Gination-no spirit of unity-do not come
together to give their time and their money
aud make sacrifices for the good of their
fellow men, and especially ''for those of the
household Of the Faith, 1T is possible to
Eerpetrate, in this State of New Jersey, in
this Nineteenth century, this gross abuse
and wicked outrage upon tho laws of the
end.
would not speak, my friends, SO strong
1y on this subject, did l not see the begin
ming of tho good work all over the United
States. Now the laity find out that they
have work that they need to do. There
arc some things that belong to them alone,
L may say. 1t is for them, in society, be-
fore the people, before their fellow citi-
xens, to rise and speak rs citizens in behalf
of justice and fair play. When they do
so how rapid will be tho change how
quickly will men desert the sinking ship;
now quickly will men get ready to proclaim
Che everlasting cessation of the gross in
Justice that now prevails all over the land.
But this will never come unless the laity,
ulen and women, everywhere, speak ont in
s'ehelf of right and Justice. Then, you
0eed organization. When you have got
through the days work, and come home
CO your family, you need to sit down for
Il moment and say to yourself-"ls my
whole work done am in this world for
myself and my own family alone P-or can
DO my duty to my family, and permit, with
my connivance, or through indifference on
my part, principles to prevail in the land
chat in time will sap the foundations of