The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-01-21
Bigotry In the School.


schools and were seeking judicial relief from
/. that action. They had been instructed by
their parents not to attend school on the oc-
currence ola certain Catholic feast of obi
cation, and their obedience to that ipjunc-
ton had SO displeased the school authorities
as to operate their expulsion in body. The
relief from that action of the authorities,
which they sought, was refused and the
action itself approved by the Supreme
Court.
A very Influential and ably edited law
journal in commenting on this event dis
cents entirely from the conclusions of the
Court and in the course of it's remarks uses
the following language:
I at ia greatly to be feared that we are all
quite too Indifferent to the general effect of so
magnifying the authority and wisdom of the
common schools in the eyes of the children
above their parents in all matters, even re-
motely pertaining to education, and at the
| same time teaching the children that mere
| Textbook knowledge is superior to all other
| attachments. There can be little doubt this
| may have contributed more than we compre-
| bend to that general disregard and disrespect
| among the young toward their elders which is
| so much deplored by mauy. Bat when it comes
to the matter of religions teaching, which is SO
exclusively under the control of the parents,
|
| sacred above all other rights. it might be sup
posed no one could fail to comprehend the un-
| reasonableness of the claim here made. What is
said in the Constitution of the State about the
duty of maintaining schools, and the conse- |
quent necessity of their claim being vindicated |
by the courts. is all very we'll. Bat it must be
| remembered that the provisions in the Constitution
about the schools subordinate to those securing
freedom of religious Worship."
We quote the above paragraph to show
fhat in
men of great ability and influence, who are
capable of approaching the righte and rea-
sons Of those whose creed they do not share.
The public conscience is not, by any means,
all in the hands of bigots and infdels. On the |
contrary, when the Catholic issue on the |
school question is once fairly Eade and un-
derstood Catholic rights in the matter will |
be found to be most cordially and ably |
upheld by thousands of leading nom Catho-
lies.
In fact sophistry cannot get through |
prolonged and earnest struggle without be-
ing eventually exposed, and there is really |
no weapon but sophistry that has been used |
or that can be used against the Catholic
position in the matter of education.
Catholic opposition to education by the
State is two-fold. lst, it is usurpation |
on the part of the State !; and 2adly, schools
without religion are, as a system, exceed
ingly dangerous to youthful morals.
AS to the usurpation, that point is waived
by Catholics 30 far ss it affects any but
themselves. If the general public choose to |
patronize State schools, they will not find
themselves interfered with by Catholics,
these latter combining their objections to
the extent wherein their own taxes are in
question.
The question of danger to morals is far
more serious one. 1t ia 80 important that
Catholics as general thing cannot in good
conscience permit their children to attend
State schools because of the danger to faith
and morals which would be there encoun-
tered.
The great and controlling fact to be con-
fronted in this contest by the champions of
State education is thata school which is
purposely made non-religious to keep it
from being sectarian, is by that very
arrangement made sectariaD in another
way.
Irreligon is a sect; Atheism is a sect
Deism is a sect; Free religion, so called, is
a sect. These things, differing in peculiar
tiles bat one in essence, are at war with
religion. That war is fully as active,
nay, a great deal more bitter and full
of vitality than that carried on between
heretical sects as among Themselves, or be-
tween them as a whole and the Church. If
the State has no right to promote the inter
ests of one sect or church to the disadvan
tage of another, it certainly can have no
right to promote the aims and ends of Ire
ligiOn in it's contest with religion, of disbe-
lief as at war with belief. Atheism is as
much of a spiritual sect as Methodism,
Free-religiOn Presbyterianism.
But We are told that non religion in the
schools is not Irreligion or Atheism.
To which we answer: accidental non
religion Is not necessarily Irreligion, but