The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-03-05

schools. The Supreme Court of the state
holds that the board had right to have the
schools held on that day and that it had
right to make rule requiring attendance
under pain Of expulsion; that, just as courts
could be held on that day, SO could the
schools, and that rules had to be made for
all without exceptions of classes. The ac-
ton the board expelling the children was
therefore sustained.
We think the Courts could have struck
the solution of the difficulty further back by
holding that the parties who claimed to be
Catholics were evidently not such at all on
the face of their own papers, as they were
violating the injunctions of the Catholic
Church by the very act of permitting their
children to attend such schools. But, sup
posing that difficulty waived, the Supreme
as it did, starting from it's premises.
Catholics are not obliged to disobey the
regulations of civil authority unless they be
expressly contrary to conscience. 1t is q
sin to do aervile work on Sundays or other
holidays of obligation, but it is not neces-
sarily sin to study or attend school on
such days. If, therefore, the civil authority
had eDJolned servile work upon the children
for Corpus Christi day, it would have been
an invasion oftheir rights of conscience and
probably reprobated as such by the Court.
But a rule to attend school not falling
strictly within that category, it could not
be held to violate religious rights as guar
anteed by the constitution. The children
could have attended school on Corpus
Christi without sin therefore keering them
away was not a matter Of conscience.
So the Court was right, bat < doca not
follow that the school board was. In order
to insure regularity, rule might perhaps
be justified which should provide for expnl
sion in case Of causeless absence, but what
kind of a rule is that which makes no al
lowance for the religious convictions and
customs CT a whole population What an
ineffable piece of bigotry and tyranny to
require the attendance of children on days
held by them as peculiarly sacred, just be-
cause the power of doing 30 exists, and be
cause they who hold the power do not
personally sympathize in the sentiments OF
the children.
Certainly no such inhexibility OF rule
would be thought of in private school
| Aud, yet, what is the difference between
them as 10 the respect due to parents Il
both CAGES parents pay for the education.
| for the money which sustains Public schools
comes from them, though il passes througt
! the public treasury.
| The BTattleboro business. therefore, IL
{ but another illustration Of the upftness o
! goTerpnectf 10 interfere in the control o
! edsestion. Tie rights Of neither paren
/ nor child vii! be properly respected whel
the teacher is totally Independent of tn,
| former. Though morally speaking he is al
| emk!oye of the parent, and in his pay, il
point OF responsibility he is not 30, Blu
holds uLder and of none save the boar
which has legal control of the school fund
The hardship and absurdty of making
General rules which shall put the children
totally beyond the control and discretion o
their parents are evident. People may
not want to see the absurdity, because the,
have no fear of it's coming home to them
but let the shoe once pinch those who are
now so safe and so satisfied, and how
quickly their eyes will open The right
of parents will become as visible as noun.
taius Immediately. And, yet, how can i
we'll be otherwise with public schools. Thu
teacher is not the real master of his estab
lishment. He is not the proprietor. How
can he have authority to decide when tn
conduct of parents is reasonable and whel
irtolerable in regulating the attendance O
their children. Tue public school teache
is not one of the contracting parties, as i
the master Of a private school. He is no
even an agent he is only an employe O
servant of the board, and the board woul
act very ipjudiciously in confding thi
supreme power of control 10 the discretion
of It's teachers. Discretion must be exer
cised by the principal himself, and til