, 1877-04-07


alton, If any formidable minority of the
population ar" opposed to them on prn.
ciple; and that will he the certain re-
suit, If the EvnngeliCnls proceed to eX
ccu'e their nascrnt, blnndrring purpose
OF tightening their grip ON the schools
by Chrstianizing the State. Abandon
ment Of the principle OF State education
is the terminus ol the r0a upon which
they have started; and it is evidently
the end which the Catholic priesthood
/ secretly contemplate in this Ceasrrss
agitation OF the school question. They
are simply leading the Evangelical Pro-
trstants into u iatu ambuscade GUnd
ing them to inscraate folly 10y exciting
their Protestant bIgotry, they mean to
split the State School majority into ir-
rrconcMbe factions to divide if they
cannot conquer, and to conquer by dI-
viding,
That is the probable reason ot this new
attack of the Pope on the irre public
schools of America. To rouse the blind
prcjudices and fears nf the Evangeicals
by fresh administrations against the
school systemic scare them with the
cry Of "godIessN schools, and drive
them into defending the present unjust
Protestant ascendancy by measures which
will inevitably react against the State ed.
ucation principle-such cannot tail to
be the consequences. intended or not, of
the renewed warfare of the Vatican on
our schools. If indeed intended, it is
mastery strategy; and students Of his
tory will expect no less from Rome.
There are, we believe, but two possible
ways OF defeating it, Que is for the
Evangeliculs to prove themselves wise
enough to accept the situation and estab.
lish the State education principle on the
impregnable rock of absolute secularity
to save the public schools from all just
reproach, and rally all their upholdels
under the broad banner of Equal Rights
in Religion, by voluntarily relnquishing
every form OF worship IN tue schools
from pure love OF justice. Would that
Protestant churches could only rise to
this moral height But if they cannot,
the only other way of defeating the plots
of Rome is tor the now dumb muttudus
who favor even handed justice to unite
their voices in u mighty, combined de-
mand for secular schools. II they
f should do ths--if they should in this
manner reveal and make effective the en-.
ormUus numerical us well as moral
strength of the liberal party, and demon
stratc the utter iutilIty of the rapidly
maturing Evangelical programme the
EvangeIicals themselves would perceive
that they must choose between secular
State schools and no State schools at all
IOTCGu W luls ALTERNATIVE, VIC DVlNtNe
that they would not long hesitate to
choose the former, rather than yield up
the future OF the American people to the
domination of Rome.
Upon the Liberals as whole, there
fore, devolyes the great responsibility of
; solving this far reaching school problem.
II they should now with emphasis and
unanimity assert the absolute necessity
of secular public schools, the EvangeIi-
Gals could not and would not venture to
; move lJr Bble-in schools amendment
to the Constitution, which otherwise is
, only question OF time, and which, when
it comes will be the beginning Of evils
for which no words are an adequate
measure. In default OF this grand col
) lective affirmation of the secular prnci--
pie as the only possible basis OF u perma-
, ncnt system Of State education, Il bitter
and terrible struggle in the future can
alone undo the mischief which the craft
= of the Vatican Jesuts is already leading
the Evangclcas to commit. How much
better to avert this struggle beforehand /!
The National Liberal League offers
ready way to do it, II there is better,
. let it not be neglected but time is pre-
+ cious. Organization, prompt and uhi-
versal, can alone give effective utterance
to the voice Ot American Liberalism,
ane thereby foil the Republics enemies;
and the National Liberal League, with
, its broad and just and pacific principles,
is to-day the nations truest and rcadlc't
peace-mnkcr Is there not enough wis
dom in this great people to know the
things that make for it its own peace and
! happinessl What miseries could lie