The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-03-23

/ WAeIO0b iuotl uCtiOn IL Tue nan language.
and rather than deprive them of that knowl-
edge they build and maintain separate
schools. TIE representatives of the other
party argue that they can not allow their
children to grow without instruction in the
principles of the Catholic religion, and
rather than deprive them of that knowledge
they build and maintain separate schools.
Both urge that portion OF the tax which
they pay for n school system which they can
not avail themselves of, should be set apart
for their own use.
Now the common school system of
America is based upon the broad general
principle that a certain amount of elemen-
tsry knowledge is necessary to all good
citizens Of republic, and that it is the duty
OF the state to furnish means to sll children
to secure that knowledge. The common
sense of the American people has pretty
definitely settled what branches constitute
the knowledge which IL is for the interest
Of the state TO furnish, and il
| has heretofore held that neither instruction
in the German language nor in the doctrines
Of the Catholic religion is essential to a good
snd intelligent citizen. For a German
something of the tongue OF Goethe and
Schiller, of Luther and Bismarck, is emin-
emily proper, and shame upon him who
would neglect TO secure him such instruc-
ton. For Catholic father to see
that his family is we'll grounded in the
noble morality of the Catholic church
and well versed in the meaning of her
poetic and symbolic liturgy is in every way
| BETTING. Children 50 instructed in great
language or great creed are apt to become
! truer and better citizens, but such know
ledge, according to the American idea, it is
not the province of the state to furnish, and
be that would secure it must pay for it out OF
his own pocket. Considered politically, it
is regarded, not as necessity, but as lux
ury.
In approaching this subject, from the
American point Of vlew,l we arrive at II.
same conclusion, but by different routs
The people of this country likewise possess
a language of their own. II il one in which
the result OF the thought and labors of a
great people for hundreds of years have
crysIalzed. The formulas by which bust
ness is transacted and law administered have
it. In every department. of literature-poetry,
oratory and fction-it stands unrivaled.
It is the speech which the men who in
vented the steam engine, and laid the first
railroads, and built the first steamboats, and
stretched the first telegraph wires, made use
of. 1t is the speech which under the flag of a
great empire. and a great republic is gradu-
ally spreading to all quarters ofthe habitable
globe. Its supremacy in America must be
regarded as a foregone conclusion, and
anything which would tend TO endanger
that supremacy would be an act of unac-
countable folly. Assuming the census of
1870 a basis, SO SCI, S3S people speaking
this language have received among them
1000, 533 Germans, who have crossed
the sea, forsworn allegiance to
their former rulers, aud cast in their |
destiny as American citizsns. They bring
with them industry, and skill, and capital, |
and are universally acknowledged to be |
ma orisl of the greatest value to American |
nationality. The one great difficulty in |
the way of their ready absorption into the |
great mass OF the nation, is their sepa-
rate language. This tends to keep
churches, and gives them separate news
papers to read. Now, does it become the
nation to seek to perpetuate this barrier TO
complete union by paying out of the public |
treasury for the propagation of the foreign |
tonguef 1t Is not in the nature of the Amer
lean people to prescribe any creed, or
speech, or custom. They are too
confident in the strength and depth OF
their own character, which like the sea,
takes in all substances and yet retains its
own purity. They are not so jealous of
any outside influence as to legislste against |
foreign language as the rulers of Germany |
do in Poland and in Alsace, but /
does it follow that they should |
make use of public funds and public institu-
tons 10 aid In spreading an alien speech?
They can not but feel the truth of tina. say
ing: ga nation should guard its language
more than its territories-t is a surer
barrier and more important frontier than
fortress or river" Their institutions will
not permit, nor does their disposition
favor Encouraging a foreign language,
no matter how. rapid its natural
growth may be, but when that Ian
guage comes forward and claims to be
one of the few fundamental elements OF
knowledge essential to American citizen
ship, 1t is not certainly wise to commit an
injustice for the sake of advancing its pro-
gress. To put the case briefly, no people
ever possessed two national languages.
Therefore, either English or German has
got to prevail in this country. If the latter
can supplant the former, well and good,
but it should not ask for or receive govern
ment aid in accomplishing that task. 1t is
safe to assume that should German ever be
the prevailing speech of a majority of our
the decaying English would not be
lett long in the schools.