The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-02
Opinion of the Press.
The Lirins Issue.
PARoCIIIAL SCHOOLS.

fAhOOulAL SCliOOLS.
From scribner's Magazine.
At some future time, we presume, tle
public will learn the reason of the re-
cent attempt on the part of the Catho-
lie parochial schools in this city and
elsewhere to secure Il portion OF the
public moneys for the sustentation OF
those institutions. This attempt could
not have been made with any expecta-
tion of success. Ii man, wearing a
sober and friendly face, should approach
his neighbor In the street, with polite
request that that neighbor should ac-
commodate him by committing suicide
he would hardly do it with the expecta
ton of hearing an immediate report OF
a pistol in execution of his demand.
The neighbor might possibly maintain a
show of politeness, but he would 60 OIL
wondering what the request was made
for. and what was to come OF 1t. He
certainly would not suppose that the
man who made it expected It to be
granted He would judge that this &c
quest was the preliminary of some other
request, or of some movement, to which
he intended to bring it into relation
This is precisely the request that the
parochial schools have made of the
public schools. " Will you be kind
enough, for our accomm odation, to COM
NIT suicide?' The specific request OF
the Catholic autho rites is not in this
form, of course, but it just as distinctly
involves the question as if the question
were distinctly stated. The moment
the public authorities recognize the
right of u sect to public money, for the
special purpose of holding its children
together for sectarian instruction, they
destroy the public schools, so far as any
action of theirs can accomplish that
end. One sect has no more rights i'll
America than anoth er, and the result OF
consent would be the abandonment OF
the public schools, and the transforms
tion of our Board of Education into a
Board of Apportionmcnt. We have nc
State religion. We never ought to
have, and we never shall have one. OF
course, no exclusive rights can be grant
ed to any sect, and the concession of
public moneys to Catholic schools would
be the practical recognition Of the right
Of every sect to educate its OWE children,
in its own way, at the public expense
The logical and practical resultsof such
a concession are so plain, that it is mere
waste Of type and paper to argue the
matter at any point 1t is one of those
things which cannot be done, and can
only be considered for the sake of court
esy or form.
But would the Catholics be gamers
supposing their request were granted
Here we touch the motive of the whole
matter. The Catholic Church as Il
power, and the Catholic people as por-
ton of the free American nationality,
are not the same Indeed, t, speak the
simple truth, their interests are not the
same 1t is no slauder, because it is
freely confessed, that the Church lays
its controlling hand on every conscience
and every life within its power. 1t can
hardly claim that those within It's fold
are better citizens, finer members of So
ciety, purer patriots, or more intelligent
men and women than those who belong
TO the different Protestant communions,
and have been bred in the public schools
without Sectaran hands TO shape their
opinions 1t would not be pleasant to
appeal to facts as they stand in this or
other countries, and we do not appeal
to them, further than to declare that in
90 point of advantage to pupils has it
ever been shown that a Catholic paro.
chial school is superior to the American
public school 1t has never made pu-
rer men and women, better and more
loyal citizens, more independent think
ers, sweetcr communities.
La nation like ours, whose welfare
depends in large degree upon homo.
geueity of material, common sympathy
where sympathy is possible, and cordial
liberation where it is not possible, it is
most important that all means should
be used tor breaking down sectarian and
party prejudices among the young. To
train children into bigots, to make them
believe that they and only those born or
gathered into the fold where they hap
pen to stand, arc the elect of God,
while all outside are heretics or worse,
is to make poor patriots of them and
poorer Christians. 1t matters not wheth.
er they are Catholic or Protestant-a
training like this is simply abominable.
There is not a church in America ac.
knowledging its allegiance to the tenets
Of a sect, and interested in the mainte.
nance and spread of those tenets, that
is fit to be intrusted with the education
of any portion of the American youth.
We are ashamed to say it, but it is true.
and just as true of the Protestant as
the Catholic.
Let us, as Americans, hold one insti.
tuition sacred--that one in which the
children and youth of all communions.
all classes, all parties, all conditions, are
brought together, and trained to respect
for each other, sympathy with cacb