The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-11-14
School Troubles.


it is perhaps q political heresy in the eyes
of consistent Democrats to hold that the
State has any business to get up schools at
all, not being political paper, We can't
say,-ssiH we sympathize bona .fde in their
present troubles with our fellow citizens
who really believe in the public school
system and wish to profit by it's opportu-
mites.
1t appears that matters are getting e1-
tremely mixed in our public schools. Mr.
Edmunds, it is said, makes himself ridicu-
lous and the boys laugh at him. In q
Rampant street school, the girls are leaving
because of an aggressive move on the part
of the colored element. The daily papers
chronicle these things with mournful an
ticipations that the evil may become gene "
raj and break up the whole system. Of
course, it is all attributed to the accidental
position of things by which Cuffee takes an
upper seat.
Perhaps the enthusiastic gentlemen who
control the columns of those papers may
take different view of their hobby one of
the trouble is not accidental at all, but in
herent. Perhaps they will eventually get
an experience of SO many accidents" al
ways perverting the purposes of the school
system, that they will grow suspicious. In
all countries of the world where the public
school is under the single control of the gov
ernment, excluding all Church influence, it
is made a political engine. Youth 10 reared
with certain political views and indoctrina.
kal I'll A. ,,n6 - H..
favors. In monarchical countries this does
not attract much attention, because there
is very little variation in the line of their
policy. It is only a revolution which once
in while introduces a change. In Re-
public an election may do that every year
or two.
Of course, it is we'll to hope that the rev.
olution will go backward, that the evil
habit of to. day will be reformed to-mor-
row, that the politician having once his
grasp on the school can be forced to relin-
guish it. So also it is we'll to hope that
drunkard will reform, .or a gambler or a
swindler, but it must be quite young per-
son who would really expect such thing
except in very rare cases. The negroes are
little outlandish, it is true, in the open
ness with which they avow and carry out
the game, but, nevertheless, the precedent
is set, the ecrofulous faint is impaired to our
social life, and it will be about as bard to
eradicate as a cancer.
1t is in the nature of thiDgs--and men.
To hope the contrary would be just like
expe citing legislatures to quit stealing and
plundering the public purse SO long as you
give them the power to do it. Morality
consists, for the most part, in the absense
of good opportunity. Even blue blood
Legislature will prevaricate-yes, they will
steal-if an improvident Constitution gives
them the power to contract debts for the
public. to sell the franchises of govern
ment and to give away the property of the
people. Our virtuous fathers were ashamed
to desecrate the school by connecting it
with political intrigues, but our compeers
don't hesitate to do it, and our successors
will not go back to primitive customs. We
will soon have one regime teaching the
children communism, another ousting it
and teaching aristocracy, it's successor
going in strong on woman rights, and so
on.
On the other hand, the public school is
based on one perfectly eound idea-an idea
which captivates the popular mind because
of its fitness and reasonabieness. That
idea is that education must be free. This
has always been the controlling principle
in education in the Catholic Church. In
all the ages, o-called, of Faith, the grand
Religious Orders taught gratis. From
primary schools to the noblest university,
all was free as the air to every conner.
Every Monastery, every Convent was a
school where any one who chose could
come for instruction. Of course these
establishments needed support, but they
got their support otherwise, not as com
pensation for teaching. To-day in Rome,
or at least, up to the moment of its inva-
sion by Victor Emmanuel, there was per-
feet freedom of education. There was no