The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-05-20
THE UNITARIAN CONFERENCE.
He SCHOOL QUESTION D1scUssrD-rHrr MUST

THE SCHOOL QUESTION DIsCUssED-THEY MUST
BE DEFENDED TO THE DEATH.
The New York State and HUDSON River Confer
ence OF Unitarian and Other Cnurcaes. as 1t is to
be known hereafter. met yesterday in Mr..
Cnadwick's church. Brooklyn. The annual SER
mon mad been preached the evening before by the
Rev. Mr.. Gannett, OF Boston. Alter a season or
devotional services yesterday morning, DR.. Bel
lows. OF this city, VINO was chosen president, ad.
dressed the Conference on the semtcentennial OF
the association, which is to be celebrated In Bos-
ton next week. lie briefly referred to tue work
done BY 1t during nrty years past Reports
from committees and churches were then maze,
and thus the forenoon was occupied.
THE AFTERNOON SESSION
was occupied manly In u discussion OF the public
school question as IL is now before this commu.
nifty In the proposition to take Catholic parochial
schools under the wing OF the Board OF Education.
Mr.. Mlllen read very aole essay the general
proposition. He declared that 1t was q point on
wnIcn we cannot AFFORD to be Indifferent. The
public schoos are an American lnstitu:
yeRs ago ana now oveispreadlug every
StIte IN the unlon- Millions OF dollars are
1900. oOJ pupns taught by 900 teachers la tie
puJiic scnOUis o. our land. rhe semi barbarous
nOrdes that come mere rom Europe ana ne SENT
baroarous nordes that our civil war mas liberated
and eievated 10 tue elective rancnIse has put
sucn strain on TINS government as ~ never had
ana as It's founders never anticipated. Our sys-
tenn IL pubic education has IL IL the capacity
TO regenerae rms entire nation. The speaker
took the ground that the state should provide
education for all ITS people and then should cOm-
pei attendance upon Its publlc schools. He re-
marked that thlriy-nve years ago the efforts OF
Roman Catholics began Tor the overthrow our
public Schools but ne called upon the American
people to defend taem with tuelr lives IL need be-
A delegate rom Newburg SAID tnat four towns had
submitted 70 the Catholic demand. lie mad heard
4 ROMAN CATHOLIC MISSIONER ~ sEwBuRG
declare IN puDlc address, that II he nad q son
VINO should enter a pubic school, ne 1.-THE mis-
sIOnerl woul0 stab nlm TO the neart. And with
this spirit these men Iravel up and down our
land. Dr. Farley said mat next TO toe Church or
Cnrst the school was the greatest agency for Sc
curing republican institutions or tnls ccuni ry in
the future lie thought nat TINS CathOic EFFORT 10
overtnrow them Ougat to call lOrth the most earn
est protest OF eve lover OF MS country. Rev. Mr..
Mu1gef, editor Oi the Christian Register believed
that tue masses Of the people preferred tue puOlic
to the pare chlal schools But we must watcn the
professional politicians and the Catholic hierarchy,
Tor wnen were the Jesuits at a ! IS Tor planY II
one fails they ADOPT another. The Roman Catno-
lie church, SAID, does not understand what this
CONFLICT may end N winch they are now proyok-
ing Oy their hostility TO our public schools. bus
they should be taught tnat we VIII defend then
with our Oaliots nrst, and with our oayonets alter
ii nseu De.
did not think that the secularizatlon or the
schools would remove the objections We can't
rule God and CHRIST anu the Chuf en- ont OF our
God. And, II we could, would not those schools
be more G0dless ana Carstess then tnan they are
now, ana more liable 10 this Charge as mace by
Roman Catnoicsg And he did not believe that
PresDyterians, Meth0dlsss. Baptists &C, would
be willing 70 send tnelr children 70 secular
IZed SCHOOLS, thaE mad shut GOd and Christ out.
Toe result would be breaking up or the entire
system Of pu0llc education ana a falling back on
sectarian scno0s. Inc subject was discussed ~
ing The Conference nelG a social meeting In tae
cnu rch, and thereafter adjourned.