Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-12-17
CHURCH AND stats. .
The Religion OF President Grants
Message.
lFrom the Richmond Disoa.ch, 1Ith.l

lFrom the r ch mond Dis patch, 11th.l
vIEws OF BISHOP GIBBONS.
Right Rev. James Gibbons, bishop
of this Catholic Diocese and Vicar
Apostolic of North Carolina, WAS yes.
terday asked to .sive the Dispatch his
views of those portions OF President
Grants message which refer to public
education and to the taxation of church
property.
Ia complying with the request Bish
OPP GlboOus said the Constitutional
| amen iments regariing he school On s.
ton proposed by Prosi lent Grant, if
| carried out. would reduce our Amer
eau republic TO the conditions Of things
Existing in pagan Ro ne. In the Old
| Roman empire the Individual was alb
sorbed by the Stae, which was po-
l'ticssl iuggernaut, CRUSHING under it's
wheels all personal liberty. In these
days the citizen had no individual
| liberty, tut was counted only as part
| and parcel of that vast and com piIcs-
| ted machinery called the Stsre.
The most crushing of all daspotisma
is that "f contraIiz d government. 1t
il the IDOL b fore which the citizen
m1st offer in sacrifice his personal
| liberty las we'll as his parental rights
over his children for the government
/ il assuming the education of the child.
! uSurps the place OF the father, an0 rob
! aim of his most sacred prIviiege-that
| o. directing tie training of his off
| spring. Aud what becomes of liberty
wien it Is lost in the Individual and in
| the family? 1t is to that personal
fcet dom, whica always involves per-
| SOnal responsibility aud personal ener-
gy. that We are caiehy indebted as
nation.
The. General Government has no
! more right to dictate to the father
WHEN, ana where, aud how he must
eluc!te his child than it has to pre-.
scribe the "a ttlty of his food or the
| shape of his clothes. Those who sd
| VOC ,te Tons syhtem of ceutrl iization are
| Sitvl~hly mitatlng the most absolute
| systems OF government Ill continental.
| Europe.
Bes des, if popular education is
wfeated from the family and the State
and placed ia be hands Of the federal
government, Of whatever political par
u, it will give tue administration an
nverwhelm ng pisrousge, which would
drstrry au Da.; re- of power iEd re-
once authorities 10 "A mere cypher.
l.
RiOu can both ne simultaneously exciu-
dAd from lhe schools, rs the President
proposes, for # an educ Irion excludes
ali rehelon II is necessariy pagan,
there oeiug no medium between tue
Two terms
To tax church property and charita-
bic institutions. the Bishop added, is
; pattiug premium on infdeity ard
nvarlce, aud makes religion and phi
lanthropy odlous by imposing penalty
on those who maintain Christianity
nd support charitable hou ses.
The Inevitable result OF such taxa
ton would be to Grippe the churches
aud increase tbs burden of t. State
Uy making 1t tnaalmOner of those poor
VIII ave now maintained by private
beneyolence. As an example, he said
that tue Catholic Church educates in
Richmond alone l 900 children, and
feeds aud clothes Sc orphans and aged
people. The educat on and support OF
those would cost the city annually al
least thirty-ive Thousand dollars, and
the amount expended 10y the other d.
nominations tor works of charity
wound no doubt swell these figures e
al enormous extent.
! In conc usion, rs expressed his con.
; hdence that Virginia would never be-
fund advo :atinx or even endorsing st
move. a Legislation.
Rv. Dr. j. b, Jetar, Rev, DIR. ID
J D. Hodge. and other. distinguished
gentlemen have been asked aud havt
cD-sented to furnish u, with thei
Views on these questions, which ar
now receivine very large share o.
: public attention, and are likely t
grow III interest and Importance fol
some yer, to come.