The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1875-10-28
OUR SCHOOLS.
Gen, Grants Speech at Dies
MOines Commented Upen.
The Rev. Vim. Kincaid's Sermon
az the Congregational
Church sunday.

| The following is synopsis Of the Rev
VIM. Kincaid's sermon at the Congrega
tional church, last Sunday:
Our Spartan President, who has DOM
more fighting than speaking, bit whose
words, perhaps for this reason, fall sharE
as his sword, has recently admonisbed the
nation in the following sentence:
ResotUed, That neii ..er the State no. nation
nor both combined, shall support institution.
of learning, other than those sufficient u
afford to every child growing up in the
land the opportunity Of a good common
school education, unmixed with sectarian
pagan, or dtheisiodl dogmas.
The great school question is undoubtedly
the question Of the day almost everywhere
Il has developed in smoking battles in
Europe, and is fast approaching, in this
| country, It's Bull Run. Whether the army
Of truth or error will suffer discontinue in
the frs great contest il is hard TO say. But
who can doubt the final issue? And is
| there not hope that even as the clear
thinking Carl schurz has 30 deity settled
the little matter OF common honesty in
Ohio, 40 when the school question comes 70
he logically and distinctly spread before the
popular intellect OF the country, ii will be
as rapidly and as happily adjusted, and put
out Of the way forever.
At any rate, you may be sure that the
great popular heart Is Overwhelmingly with
Gen. Grant when he says: Encourage
free schools, aud resolve that not one dol
lar, appropriated for their support, shall be
appropriated to the support Of any sectarian
schools" The common school system is .
root idea Of American craftsmanship. 1t
has become one integral part OF our social
system, growing with our growth and
strengthening with our strength. 1t can
never he abrogatei Or greatly modified
| while the genius of American institutions
| remains the same. Ii is not rested upon
any abstract theory Of the right OF duty of
| the State to educate its children as a mat
ter OF representation, or upon any repug-
nance TO private or priestly education.
These things have been conceived OF s;nce
But the common school system OF
| America was founded at first upon broad
common sense, and there is where it rests to-
day. The need of providing in some way
for every child growing up among us the
opportunity of elementary instruction was
deeply felt That opportunity, it was be-
lieved, could best be afforded by the whole
people in their organized capacity as States.
Time has proved the wisdom of this plan.
There are no complications about it. 1t Is
simply the teaching to every child who de-
aires it, how to read, write and speak the
vernaeular correctly, and how to make
| those simple calculations in numbers and
learn those simple points in geography
which are requisite in everyday experien-
ces. This business, it has been proved, can
most cheaply, most easily, most thorough
ly, and most certainly be accomplished by
the common school system. Objections, in
deed, have been urged. The public schools,
it has been said, bring the children Of vir-
| tuous families into association with the
vile. But this lies equally against schools
of any kind, except in the cities waere the
private school may be, though it seldom is,
select, the children OF any one neighbor-
hood, good and bad, will attend the school
together, whether it be private or public.
These schools have been condemned again
for their irreligious tendencies. But it is
difficult to see how the teaching of a child
to read. write and CIPHER few hours each
day, from five TO nine months OF each year,
and by teacher of approved moral char
acter, can greatly affect the child religious
y, Stou vi uS Ahoi a.
forces will still be brought to bear on him
at his home, where he spends most OF his
time, and through the religious associations
and alliances which his parents maintain.
The great masses of our countrymen, per-
ceiving this, are ready TO cry with the
! President, Encourage free schools" and TO
s,nite nth an iIrerOoablc condemnation any Sec
tartan hand that is reached out to destroy
them.
"Let not one dollar" says the President,
appropriated for their support, be appro-
priated 10 the support OF any sectarian
school" And SO say the people, uhen they
hare a chance 10 say Il, and were this our on
ly liability, the common schools would
stand.
But here the President interposes eau
ton which is SO vital that it is too Sc IN
urged. "Resolve," says he, THAI neither
State nor nation, nor both combined, shall
support institutions of learning other than
these !; /. G., other than sufficient to afford to
every child the opportunity OF good COM
mon school education"
When the Romish priesthood edict the
common schools as goddess" because the
Sister and the cruciix are not present, when
the infdel pronounces them an insult TO
liberty, because the Bible now and then is
read before the pupils, the common sense
OF the American people will stamp such
utterances as subterfuge and bubble. But
when you demand of the devout Roman
Catholic to send his son to Cornell or Ann
Arbor, or, to pay for the opportunity of SO
sending, whether he send or not when you
deny to the Nationalist q Darwinian or
Atheistic president over the institution
which is sustained by his money and his
vote, the common sense Of the American
people will affirm their loud complaints to
be reasonable and Just, and your Univer-
sites will go down, dragging the common
schools with them. The common schools
you may successfully defend against any
charge Of intolerance or tyranny. The high
schools and universities you never can de-
fend. Some one class or other lie cons. ant
ly subjected to the grossest injustice, and
the influence of perpetual rest
lespecting religion, an intermin-
able religious war carried On with
IN such institutions and without, will be
unspeakably sad in its influence on all par
ties. Every sect will have its monitor to
watch the college, lest Its distinctive tenets
should drop out of sight.
A Democratic government is, OF all
others, the most unfit to supervise q uni
versity. A monarchy or despotism, where
culture gathers about the throne, and the
dictum of the king is arbitrary, final and
permanent, may realize some success in
such an enterprise. An aristocracy where
precedent controls, and tradition influences,
and projects move in old, established lines,
may prove successful; but primaries and
town meetings and county conventions will