Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-08-12
THE SCHOOL QUESTION.

defined its position on the school question,
and declared itself in opposition to any connec-
ton, direct or indirect, between Church and
State. 1t made no attack upon any church,
or any sect, or upon any form of religion. 1t
pronounced in favor of our free school sys-
TEN, and it is not in opposition to any party
or any sect except such as oppose that system,
but it is in opposition to that party or sect
that is hostile to our free schools, or that seeks
to control, in behalf of any sect, the legisla-
ton of the State or nation. This is not, as
Senator Thurman would have us believe,
Nothingism, or religious bigotry, or
anything of the sort. Neither is the Republi-
can party aggressor in this contest 1t is on
the defensive. 1t is defending the free schools,
which have been attacked, and defending the
State against sectarian dictation, which has
been undertaken.
No concealment is made of the fact that the
Roman Catholic Church is opposed to our free
school system. When the Bible was read in
the schools it opposed them as sectarian; when
the Bible was excluded in several of the large
cities, it opposed them as Goddess 1t takes
the ground that no schools are fit to be main
tanned in which religion is not taught, and no
one is competent to teach religion except a
regularly authorized representative of the Ro-
man Catholic Church. This reduces the mat
ter to fine point. The schools ought to be
religious; they can not be religious unless
managed by the Roman Catholic Church !;
therefore, all schools not so controlled are
Goddess and infidel, and ought not to be main
tanned by general tax; or, if general tax is
levied, the Roman Catholics ought to receive
their proportion, to be determined by popula-
tion, for the support of their parochial schools
This is fair statement of the case. That it
is so, no one will question. In pressing this
matter the Roman Catholic Church is consist
ent, and if we admit its premises we must also
admit that it is right. The Church first; the
State second, its motto. The Church is the
Roman Catholic Church, controlled by an in
fallible head, the Pope. Whatever the Pope
commands, all good Catholics are bound to
obey. The Pope commands that all the chill
dren of Roman Catholics shall not be sent to
other than Roman Catholic schools. Hence the
maintenance of Roman Catholic parochal
schools in all the cities. Upon this ground
the priesthood claim that the free school sys-
TEN and the school tax be abolished or that
the school tax be divided between Roman
Catholic schools and the free schools
The State, on the other hand, does not know
the Pope, nor any church nor sect; but it de-
cides upon the policy of maintaining a system
of free, unsectarian schools, in which all chill
dren, without regard to sects, may receive a
secular education. If it should depart from its
policy, and yield to the demand of the Roman
Catholic Church, then it would be compelled
to yield to the demand of the Methodists,
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Jews, and other
sects, until the school fund would be divided
into Insignificant proportions, and the whole
school system would be broken down. 1t is
very certain that division is very impractica-
BILE. Therefore the issue involves the free
school system.
The policy Of the State, we have said, is to
maintain free school system in which all
children, without regard to sect, may obtain a
secular education. This is the policy at this
time; but it is liable to be changed, as the par
ty in power for the time being fixes that pol
icy. Therefore, if the Democratic party
should control Ohio, it would determine the
policy in regard to our schools. 1t is true it
could not, under the present constitution, di-
vide the School Fund directly, but if it had
the power it might do either indirectly. The
dodge in New York City is to have the Board
of Education assume, nominally, the owner
ship of the Roman Catholic schools; the
Church to have the selection of teachers, with
the privilege of giving religious instruction
before and after school hours. Thus the priest
hood would control the schools, while the
State would foot the bills. That would virtu-
ally be maintaining sectarian schools at the
public expense.
But why suspect the Democratic party in
regard to this question: Would that party
change the policy of the State? Well, Ro-
man Catholics control the Democratic party.
Without the Roman Catholic vote, the Demo-
cratic party in the United States would be
feeble minority. Why Roman Catholics in al
most solid body adhere to Democratic party, it
is not necessary to our present purpose to dis
cuss 1t is fact and one that the priesthood