, 1876-12-04

public school aystcn OF not; for compliance
with ethor Of tho alternatives suggested by
Chancellor paEaToN would nnqucstlonas'!y
load to tho permanent Abandonment Of tho
system whicl, now prevails in most Of tho
states. This will DO admittod upon consia-
Grafton Of tho following points:
l. Tho American public school system Ia
bnaod npon tho purpose OF providing secular
not otherwise provided for, and whose
parents either cannot afford Or do not desire
10 send them to prisnte schools where there
Is religious instruction. There Is no Inv In
any Btate In ths Union compelling
ohi1,iren to go to the FREQ eeculnr
schools, or denying them tho privilege Of
attending private religious schools. But the
moment any ono religious scot shall be or
empted from taxation for the support OF tho
FREQ secular schools, or receives sllare of
the school fund for the support of It's own
dogmatio schools, thon nvery other sect will
lave an equal right to demand tho same con-
siderntion. Exemption or division for tho
benefit Of tho Roman Catholics necessarily
implies exemption or division for the benefit
Of the Methodists, the Prosbyterinns, the
Congregationalsts, the Episcopniians, tho
Gornan L,,thcrnns. tho Unitarians, the Uni
versalists, tho 1sraelites, mud all tho other
religious socts. Then who will bo left to
support the FREQ schools for the mass Of poor
children who have no other moaus to attain
primary e<laoation7 The system woula nec-
essarily have to DO abandoned.
2. Az a question Of public poltty, II TINT
be admitted, it IL neither fair nor practicable
to exempt any ono sect or class from taxation
for the support Of any scheme necessary to
tho prosperity and welfare OF tho entire
people. Thus, if the Roman Catholic prop
erty-owners were exempted from their share
of taxes for the support Of free publio schools
for the benefit Of children whose education
cannot otherwise be provided for, how much
better c1aim to exemption would those prop
erty-owuars havo who have no children at
all, who cannot ayail themselves Of tho
school System even II thoy would, mud whose
taxes for this purpose ars like compulsory
charity. The old bachelors, the old maids,
and tho child1css couples who own property
md pay taxes, could demand exemption with
much better grace than any particular sect
which can get the benefit Of ita monny Il It
chooses.
8. To tho e1tent TINT the Roman Catho-
lies provide private schooling for thoir chill
dron, to that extent will tho demand upon
tho public schools DO lessencd md thoir
taxes diminished in proportion, for tho
school tax is used for no other pur-
poso than to supply proper facilities
for the primary education Of those children
that aro not taught elsewhere. Tho fac. IL
TINT largo numbers Of Roman Catholics
among tho poor classes avail themselves Of
the public schools not merely because they
have not tho means to send their children to
private schools, hut because, knowing that,
in their condition, tho children can get the
benefit Of schooling for only few honrs
each day, q few days each year, mud n very
few years ut best, they profor that alt the
time in school ellali bo devoted to tho &c
QUESTION Of secular 1earning, leaving religious
instruction to tho CHURCH, suuany- y-schoo1,
and family -circla in the abundance Of timo
at command in tho evenings, on sundnys,
aud holidays.
Z. Behind all this lies the separation Of
Church and State, which is one Of tho
cardinal aud essential features Of our system
OF Government. No eneroachmont can bc
| permitted upon this separation, aud yet lit
would be a serious oncroaclmont to give my
part OF my public fund to religious
scot for dogmatio aud proaclyt ting purposes,