The Arizona sentinel., 1875-03-06
SATURDAY, March 6. 1875.
SPEECH OF HON. A. E. DAVIS.

In the Territorial Council, Feb ruary 10th, Hon. A. E. Davis, of Mohave county, made speech upon the subject of public educa. tion, which reflects credit upon his head and heart. We regret that our space does not permit us to publish the speech in full, but we make room for the following extracts. The bill under discus sion proposed to take from the School Fund $500, and appropri- ate the same to the Sisters of St. Joseph, for the benefit of the St. Joseph Academy. MT. Davis said:
 MT. President: Our govern ment is based upon the theory that man is capable of self govern ment, and to put this theory into practical operation, the people must be educated, or the govern ment is rope of sand and must fall to pieces. Any government has the inherent right to do all necessary things to preserve it's own existence. It being con- ceded necessity to educate the peoplesfor and to fitly enable them to preserve self-s government when established, it follows that it is one of the plainest duties for the government to adopt the required measures and to see that they are enforced, to educate the people. These measures are being adopt ed by a general system of public school education. A common and neutral ground is established in the public hoOl-house by the exclusion of all sectarian books and religious teaching, SO that the children of every religious creed can go there without be- ing instructed in any religious creed, or hearing one word that shall conflict with their religious teaching at hone or in their church. Sir, I ask is this not fair and just plane to meet upon |? Should not every American heart swell with pride, ill the contem- plation that in our own free land, we are sbuilding a fountain of knowledge where the high and low, the rich and poor, the chil- dren of every creed and national ity, may go and at least be enabl- ed to obtain the rudiments of an education. Divide this fund up among the various creeds as is contemplated in small way by this bill, and what will be the re- suit? Sir, by the time each ofthe various sects have received a share, there will be nothing left for general system of education. The privileged few will receive d religious education, according to the tenets of the particular church to which they belong, while the masses will grow up in ignorance. The chief corner stone of their education would be bitter and re- lentless hatred to opposing creeds, and very soon those who would be called upon to govern and con- trOl the destinies of this nation, would by force of education, be religious bigots regarding the ad- vancement of their church as of more importance than country, republican institutions or any thing else on earth, and the ig- norant masses would be swayed and controlled by those religious bigots. It is needless to say that republic cannot long be sustain ed when this state of affairs shall exist, and it is as plain to be seen as the sun at monday, that this nation would have no existence as republic, in very short time, if our general system of education should be broken up. Sir, our government was based on the solid foundation of entire separa- tion of church and State, and it is essential that our system of edu. cation shall be free therefrom. Unite church and state, and pub lie schools will be destroyed; unite church and schools, and church and state cannot long be kept se- perate. If the friends of liberty desire to keep Church and State seperate, as the fathers of the re- public practically did by the adop- tion of the principle in the Consti- tuition of the United States, then they must keep seperate church es and schools. Educate two ge- nerations solely in the Mohamme- dan faith, and you will raise up a generation who will fight. if necessary, to raise the Crescent above the Cross; and so it will be with any religious denomination, no matter by what name if is called, or at what shrine it's fol. lowers worship. Let religious thought and action be as free as the air we breathe; but educate l the youth to be true American citizens, charitable and tolerent