, 1876-09-25

jo,itIcs, whcl, would simply bo tho abro:
5s0n s1s q sny guiding rr!nnes'4e1e nd nd
majority would ntr@luce into the school. tho
EFng!lsh Fsas yeEslon 2t the blhlc, Issued by Ktng
Saa1ssj IN ,s,, ns!ghborlng eit5 Roman Catholic
ycrsIon; In . third, Nationalist majority would
ekelutlc both, and substitute book Of extracts
from from tlic korsu, the sasters, and writings of
secne Of perpetual conh,ct frnm year to year
! on this subject, o. with relation 10 ors1'nary
political qncstlons; and this would lead to en-
tanfllnE a!lianees with ono and anothcs party,
mancnt settlement of the 4uestou at issue;
since the minority would bo always renewing
t!'c strile, thinking to bccome ts,e majority. /
seo n9 hope Of . settlement which shall leave us
| whole matter Of religion from the schools, anl
! thus giving no o<taaaton Tor conflict 0n tho
ground that partially IL shown 10 Protestant
1vef Nonnnist' Or to Christian over Jew or
] man over the faith OF anothVr.
II, after the secular!zatton OF tho common
achoo1s, protestant or Romfsh parents prefer
j. positive religious instruction according to
tl1tt own faith, they can do 20 at thelr own cx-
pensc, as many parents now send children, .par-
tfeutaf'y tlclr Rlrls, to private schools: All Oh.
lection to tic scctarian nanagcmcntof Of the pub.
IL schools being thus ot,ytate1, the simple qcs-
tion for the people to decide will be, whether 10
natntaia,, at public expense, secular schools
open to NIL children, TINT there may be universal
Children to be educated IN religious schools,
supported by churches md pr,v1tc ndivduals.
Whea the certainty, the nnlscrsa1itys tho q,,al:
SHOULD BE- taken into consideration, there ean
be little doubt that the voice Of tho people
would sustain tho secnarizcl public schools.
Ihesc has bccH an attempt On tho part Of
mcnt, to shift their ground from re-
tls plsie Should r%1 ba Used Is sAs' !" 'tas sae
the morality upon whlrh tile State Is based.
But, plainly, more is, aud must be, claimed by
tho.c who insist on It's bein: read rs al intro.
understanding that its moral inculcatlons are of
Divine authority, then the religious question
comts hack in futl foree II that authority
sou1 he carefully discarded as = nny element d
standard: u.ld 1t conl1 hardly be done without
casting Doubt upon tllg fact ITSELF the book
claiming bueh authority In all It's utteranvcs.
Moreover, the contents arc not 70 nrranscd ~
to teach morals nlone, apart from religion.
and how stranEe would be the idea nt adopt
Ing textbook Of morals from which no lessons
must be given. out d which q few passages
only asc to be rcai, and those selected with dis
crctton, 80 as not to include religious teaching,
and III connection with which the tcarllcr must
nut os1er slnEiu word Of explanation! Plain
y, II The Bible Is used at at. It must be ~ n
recognized religious book Of Divine authority.
It tnay b. proper here to notice the opposing
ylcw Vi those WIN claim that this va. original.
lya Protestant country, and that Roman Catholics
hare no right to e7ll upon us tn change our
schools to suit t!ler objections that they do not
like what they ind they should quietly submit or
else return to H Catholic country. Such m idea
can be accepted only by minds which suffer
thsns;1ss 1 BE- ged hy religious
sa't country" only In the sense that, religious
ally oi the Rrotsstaat fa!th, |ust . they might
politically; aud tlIat our institutions grow up
| under corresponding formative Influence. It
IS tsuc, Us regards the CENSUS tables, hut not as
regar,is the Constitution and tho laws, a,ll It is
| but partially trur In n historic sense. In most
of tho orglnnl thirteen Colonies Of Grtat Britain
the Protestant religion was established by Inv !;
but, With the exception VI Massachusetts, and
New Hampshire wllcn they aecaue States, thi4
had placc In the Constitution Of tho
tnttca statcs. Hence, before the law all
religious denominations are Oh IN equal footing.
Ihs law knowa ,, , no Komansts anl no rro!ss.
fatth Is 4 matter uf tlcir own private concern.
When We Inquire after the l,isturic view vt tho
aIsc Is regards the CIV, whole country, tho incur
lind was originally settled BY Roman Catholics.
and Charles Carroll, man Of TINT fnitl, as her
delegate, signed the Declaration. OF InaepeMl-
cncc- So was Flortda, SO was Louisiana; the
Intensely Roman Catholic Power, FROM which,
| through Mexico, Of the same faith, came ulso
California and New Mexico. Iii the Suites
west OF the Mississippi! River ars on territory
which was principally explored by Jesuit mis-
stunaries. and Was ccded by Fraiirc, q Catholic
country: md the first settlements, half military.
half religious, were mule hy Ko,nauists, at the
TING when tho French ruled Canaaaz Hence the
always !latl on the CITY Of st. Louis, anil hcncu
the llust Ut geographical namts beginning with
Isl" scattered throughout ttls region. ilcally.
face m intc'ligen. pnbllc with tho declaration
that this has always been a Protestant country,
and that Roman Catholics arc foreign inter-
inpefs' who , ato hero on ,sul!srance! Why.
ycry State ii Illinois, Kaskaskia aud
Caliokta, were made By French isoman-
lists, two centuries uyo, In 1b13! Now II would
ne strangc step, i'eiecd, wero We quietly to
a!so t!l.t tho carly Church mud State policy Of
tic Colonies was publicly abandoned. mud that
immigrants of every faith wesu Invited to come
from all tlc world to help Us people tho wilder
ture the law, md were we to take the ground
that this Is a Protestant country in all matters
pertaining to legislation respecting 50 t.npor-
tant matter as tile public srhools Hy so do
tng, WI should simply burn the bra1id Of lypoc-
risy into our own foreheads!
And, apart FROM all this, eYen as Protcstants,
vi must l,e true To our principles. For tA this
land, Ut lcast, Professionalism means the com
ptetu dissolution Of tho union OF Church aud
State; ttic exclusion OF the State from the de.
cislon Of religious questions, anu irom tho ,nal,-
Hesitation Ut preference for one religious body
Or class over lllothcr; tue enjoyment OF perfect
religious freedom; this equal respect for all
cans2erres In purely Religious matters. These
principles wu ,n,tst carry out tuward Konanfsts,
In thu ,.aanasonaant VI public schools, precisely
d, In similar circumstances, aEd In country
wlcro VIC wera minority, VIC should demand
tlat t,cy aet toward us.
There remains the kiadred objection to the
position which have takon, that this country,
even L It bs not Protestant, Ia ut least legally
and distlnetiycly ChrIatlan; null that, c0nse-
quontly, Jews aud sktpttcs have no right 10 Oh
|ect to Christian religious exercises in tho pub.
In hat arf1SF,o f.tF 1f