The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-07-01
The Catholic Church and the Public
Schools.

-
The attitude Of the Roman Catholic
Church towards our public school system
is one of aggression. II desires 70 get con-
troll of the education Of the young with
view to priestly instruction. Our common
school system is the offspring of free
people, and could only exist in a country
of free institutions. Indeed, it is I'M
suited to the habit of priestly tyranny,
which could only alter its character and
destroy its virtue. The Romish Church
breads the public school because the
youth instructed there know nothing OF
priestly intolerance. Bishop McQuaid AT
Cincinnati denounced the public schools
of that State as Goddess schools" as
there was no religious teaching. The
outrage pcrpctratcd by the Bishop, and OF
which he ought to be ashamed, consisted
in the fact that the reading of the Bible in
the public schools of Cincinnati was dis
pensed with through Roman Catholic in
fluence A State does not undertake to
teach religion, but among Christian ma
Bible is not an unknown book. A reli-
gious sect in this country like the Roman
! Catholic Church, which banishes the
Bible from the public schools in locality
where the ignorance of its church men,
bcrs abounds, canno. stigmatise those
schools as Goddess on that account
without deserving and receiving severe
rebuke. What it gains in Cincinnati in
this respect, it will lose with contempt in
States where the Roman sect has less
power.
Is it not strange that in Rome where the
Pope dwells, and the whole machinery OF
the Catholic Church is at work, the Ro-
man people neither love the Pope nor the
church? They desire to break away from
all priestly instruction and have their
children educated to become good citi-
zens They find that schools under the
supervision of priests are not such as they
desire to perpetuate. Even the Romish
''Parochial Schools" now clamored for
by the Catholic priesthood of New York,
the Romans hate, and will not have.
There are, therefore, Goddess schools"
in Rome which send out pupils better
trained for the duties of life than those
taught by the priests.
Moreover, the political power of the
priesthood is curtailed in Rome, and the
Romans are not to be hoodwinked as to
the political character of the Catholic
Church. In the Goddess schools in
Rome the Bible is read, and the boys and
girls are taught to love their country and
be loyal to their sovereign, while the
pupils in clerical schools are not, but
taught that their fidelity is due first of all,
to the Pope.
The difference is great. The elements
of patriotism and obedience to law are
wanting as subjects of instruction in
clerical schools, which exist in the public
schools of this country. The founders OF
public schools and those who support
them desire that they shall be made avail.
able for the instruction of children in the
best and noblest precepts of citizenship.
Where the Roman Catholic Church is
powerless for political evil, the children
read the Word of God with profit. The
Republican party is the party of educa-
ton; and has done more to extend the
public school system during the last de-
cade than the Democratic party during its
whole existence. The Democratic party,
for political reasons, is in league with the
Roman Catholic Church. That party will
aid the church in its designs for the sake
of the Catholic vote, which is cast at the
bidding of the priesthood. Free public
education is one of the cardinal doctrines
of the Republican party; and it expects
the support of every right thinking man;
for its principles are those which alone
can preserve the freedom of the country
and keep it in the true path of progress
Republic.