New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-13
a SINGULAR rssrIMoNLAL.

John Ecollard, who dates his letter from
st. Hslena's (Cathol!c) Church Of Amite.
It is apparently intended q defense Of
that sstout Protestant" Mr.. Lusher, by q
jealous member, perAaps priest Of the
Roman Catholic Church, against the inn
putation that the Democratic candidate
for Superintendent Of Education is q
Catholic and lay disciple of the order Of
Jesuits. We publish it as we do any re-
spectfully written communication upon
matters Of public concern.
We desire to disclaim here once for all
any hostility to the Catholic Church, or
any member thereof, on account OF his
religion. We do not, as our cores
pondent supposes, desire to interfere with
any mans religion, neither do we want
any religious denomination to throw its
influence, as body, in the political scale
to defeat the well settled policy Of either
one or the other of the two great parties
into which the people of this State and
nation are divided. Mr.. Lusher may or
may not be Catholic For all the or
dinary purposes Of citizenship it does not
make particle of difference to anybody
but himself whether he is or not. Doubt
less Mr.. Wiltz is o member Of that Church,
and for aught we know or care, General
Nichols also. We have not objected to
either of the last named gentlemen on
that account, and shall not do SO, for the
simple reason that the official duties they
aspire to are not of such nature
as to bring them into hostility with the
chief tenets of that Church. The one will
make as good . Governor and the other
as good q lieutenant 30 far as their religion
is concerned, a. the best ''stout Pro-
testant" in the State. Not 80 with Mr..
Lusher. He aspires to an Office Of an
entirely different character. The contest
between the Catholic Church and the
friends Of free school system is too well
known to be repeated in this city, where
Catholic school teachers have Indignantly
left Church upon hearing the priests, nay,
Archbishop Perche himself declare that
any one who taught in the free schools Of
New Orleans forfeited the privilege of
communion. We have never heard of a
Catholic free school for the educa-
ton of the masses Of children
either in this country or the Old World
worthy Of the name. Their colleges,
academies and converts are good, but the
Church generally discourages the educa-
ton of the multitude, and even refuses
to let the people read the Bible, holding
that the inspired Word of God can only
be properly interpreted by those in au-
thority. It is deemed next door to q
mortal sin to read the Bible in our public
schools, and one good old colored minis
ter of the Gospel down town has been
severely censured by some Roman Catho-
lie members of the City School Board be-
cause he begins the days business by re-
peating the Lords prayer to the children.
The public schools of the United States
have been denounced from every Catholic
pulpit in the land, and every effort made in
New York, Ohio, and in other States to
close them up. We assume these facts
are known to our Amite correspondent.
This hostility of one church, therefore,
to what We deem the foundation Of
Am erican intelligence and liberty, natur-
ally excites our concern. We can not ad-
NIT that any man who entertains this
hostility, or who is in any manner under
the domination of those who do entertain
it, is . 6t person to occupy the responsi-
BILE position of head of our school system.
We believe that faithful and conscien-
tious discharge of the duties Of State
Superintendent would come in conflict
with the dogmas of the Church, or, at any
rate, with the daily teachings Of the IA
theirs of the Church.
It therefore becomes matter Of deep
concern to the friends Of free schools
whether either of the candidates for that
high Office are untitled by their religious
training and professions for the efficient
administration of our educational laws,
not only according to the letter, but the
spirit. If either be Catholic we do not
believe he is fit for the place, though we
should have no objection to him on that
account for either of the other State Offices.
We have been told that four out Of the
six candidates on the Democratic State
ticket are Romanists; but we do not OBJ
ject to any of them on that account ex-
cept MI. Lusher. II, however, he is such
''stout Protestant" as Mr.. Scollard as
sures US he is, that objection is Of course
removed, and we can find plenty of de-
fects in him on other grounds to condemn
him as Q fit candidate for q place he so
persistently and unluckily seeks.
The following is Mr.. Scollard's letter:
81. HRIxnNs CHURCH, I
Anite City, Louisiana, August 8, 1876.
EDITOR REPUBLICAN:
In your paper OF yesterday, received to-
day, 1 notice that You have again returned
to the absurd charge against Mr.. Lusher of
being . member of the Jesuit fraternity, or,
a. you put it, - lay disciple Of the Jesuit
order" Upon inquiry Of tho Jesuits them
selves, located in Bsronne street, within .
few squares Of your ofaoe, you could ascer-
tain that such . thing ID absolutely impos.
sible; for, in the first place, the members Of
the Jesuit order. both 10y snd clerical,
nnSrn 1ivpA ifvs