Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-08-05
Perils of the Schools.

Prof. j. w. Jeffers, of Wooster, de-
livered the annual address at the Ohio
Teachers recent Convention, taking
for his subject THE Perils that Treaten
| our Public School System
The public school system, he said,
has been the result OF gradual growth.
II is not yet perfect, but in its present
condition it is well worthy of pride,
satisfaction and admiration. Bishops
and priests have pronounced the sys-
tenn failure. A glance at its workings
and its result refutes the assertion, and
shows that those who make it regard
Spain and Mexico as having developed
the highest types of civilization. Every
blow aimed at our free school system
is aimed at our free institutions, an as
sauIt upon the very life of our Govern
ment.
Is the school system in danger? He
did not fear the final overthrow, but as
eternal vigilance the price of liberty,
so may be the price of that on which
liberty depends. The Romish priest
hood has declared war against it, and
is determined first upon the modifica-
ton of the school system and next
upon its destruction. This priesthood
is backed negatively, at least, by that
constantly increasing class in the large
cities who do not appreciate or use
school advantages. Also by small
rich class who prefer for their children
the eXclusivenesS of select schools.
Even if these are not hostile, their
want of support of the schools will de-
stroy their influence in favor of the
schools. Then there is the great class
who do not appreciate the benefits of
the school system, simply because they
have always been surrounded by those
benefits. This class slum bers, and on
this class the subtle minority, actively
hostile to the schools, depend for sue
cess. But the speaker believed this
class would experience ar awakening,
which would result at least in the
greater excellence of the schools them
selves.
The enemies of the schools have aa-
other reliance. They hold the balance
of power between the two great political
parties of the country. And this mi
nority which holds the balance is main
ly controlled by the priests of the Ro-
mish Church, and the priests them
selves are under strong and despotic
central control. Now this minority
can say to either party, what concession
will you make in the school question
if we throw all the votes we control for
your ticket? Here lies the danger.
Mr.. Jeffers here read from ROmish
authorities to prove their object to be
the entire destruction of the school sys-
tenn. They all reiterate the word of
the Pope in his syllabus of 1864, when
he pronounced the public secular school
system a heresy, words which every
faithful Catholic must regard as infal-
lible.
The demand for a division of the
school funds, If complied with, would
lead rapidly to the destruction of the
whole system. The enemies of the
schools would then possess the key
stone of the arch, and the falling into
ruins of the arch itself would be but a
question of no distant time.
And let us not Danish morality from
the schools, and thus enable their foes
to denounce them as impious and god
less. Our schools will be maintained
just as our flag was, and woe to that
party, foreign or native, that seeks to
trail the flag of free education in the
dust. Loud applause.