Litchfield enquirer., 1875-07-15
Sectarian Education

struggle between Professionalism and Cath olicism. Northern Europe adopted the new religious ideas. Southern Europe held to the old. With the close of the Thirty Years War closed the era of reli- gious wars. Since then, nations, kings. orspeoples, have done vast deal of fight ing, but religion has never been 8 chief actor in such scenes. Throughout Europe, however, State churches have dominated most of the school systems, and, there, all education is substantially sectarian to-day. The conflict between Bismark and the Pa pacy seems, indeed, to American eyes, a conflict between two forms of intolerance rather than that of independency with sectarianism. Our sympathies are rather with Professionalism than Catholicism, but the principle at the foundation of Bis marks attack is in reality as unsound as the principle at tine foundation of the Pa pal defence.
 America imported the sectarian system from Europe, and the influence of the old idea still dominates our higher educa- tion throughout the older states, where all colleges are more or less sectarian. In the Western states. collegiate education is mainly unfettered by sectarian restraints although the religious influence really ex- ercised by the professor upon the stu dent is probably as great in those as in the Eastern Colleges.
 Roman Catholicism has always been the most intensely sectarian of sects. It ex- ercises vastly wider influence over the believer than any other denomination. It discourages intermarrlage with Protest ants, co-education with Protestants, CO., operation with Protestants in temperance and other reforms. The church demands control of all the educational and reform atory as we'll as of all the distinctively religious interests of its members. The effectiveness of it's organization depends upon the control it keeps over all avenues of influence to which they are subject. In country like this, where Catholics are intermingled with Protestants in so- cial and business interests, the church feels the necessity of the utmost watch. fitness. Education in public schools in which all the text books are Protestant, or at least non-C Catholic in tone, is looked upon as an abandonment of one of the strongest holds the church has on her children. No doubt, viewed from the standpoint of denominational interest, Catholicism is right in denouncing our existing school system. Her priesthood are growing more and more earnest, year by year, in demanding that Catholic children shall be separated from Protest ant into parochial schools. Those schools may not turn out so good scholars but they turn out better Catholics and to the earnest Catholic it seems of vastly more importance that child should be a good Catholic than that it should be a good scholar. Supplementary to the require ment of sectarian schools comes the other requirement that those schools should have state support. This issue is already thrust on the people of New York city, ,and is prominent in the coming Ohio election. Appearances indicate that the issue is to be pushed wherever Catholics are sufi- ciently numerous to assert their power in politics.
 The importance of a correct determine tion of this issue to the political as we'll as religious future of the country cannot be overestimated. Protestants should be careful to meet it fairly. There should be no forcing of a Protestant bible on Catholic scholars. Our school histories should be purged of their hostility to Cath olicism. Our system of education should be made consistently and completely un- sectarian. Such a system we do not be- lieve that any denomination is strong enough to overthrow.
 The prevalent dread of the increase of Cathollc power in the United States is one we have never believed we'll founded. That it will be most powerful religious organization, perhaps the most powerful of religious organizations, that it will in- crease in numbers ard in wealth, we must expect. It has right to its legitimate growth and that growth cannot but be great. But with the increase of its appar- ent power we believe there will come de- crease of its real power. Its great strength now lies in the Irish emigrant population. Catholicism has c right to be proud of the infexibIe hold she has long maintain ed over a race long governed but never converted by Protestantism. We attrib- ute, however, the steadfastness of the Irish Catholic more to social than to relig- ious causes. In Ireland he belongs to . distinct caste dominated by another caste, and the difference of caste coincides with the difference of religion. In America he still remains in social isolation, associat- ing chiefly with his own race. Another generation or two will place him on SO. cial footing with the native American. He may join no Puritan church, but he will be full of Puritan ideas. Superstition and social isolation will no longer intensi- fy religious differences and keep him the bitter religious and social separatist his ancestor was before him, both in Ireland and America. Such social influences will, we imagine, weaken Catholicism vastly l more than wealth or numbers can strengthen it. Foreseeing how powerful. ly unsectarian education will work against them in this regard, the Catholic priest hood are hastening to force the fight with
 that system while they yet have sufficient
 power over their laity to fight with some
 chance of success.
 '.Infation" got double whack in one day, last week, at the West The Wiscon. | os, s,, AI,ns~