The New York herald., 1878-11-11

We eNcrythin GOd-the pflVlIeSt
pray preach. sing and to give. All are absolutely
necessary for our spiritual healthtuness and our spr
iual upbuiding.
CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH
GoDLEssNEss AND sHIFTLEssNEss IN THE PUBLIC
scHooIs-sERMoN BY REV. A. d. MAYO.
Last evening Rev. A. d. Mayo. of Springfield,
preached the charge of "odlessness and shftless
in the Public schools at the Church Of the
Messiah. The speaker referred to the establish.
ment of the school system forty years ago. Any
tonal system of education said the lecturer, how
ever excellent. so variedy developed so
vast and chiefly conducted by local intelligence and
zeal will exhibit great inequalities and be open TO
forcible criticism. thousand evils will be charged
TO it for which the system itself is not responsible,
but which ailings in certain schools. Many peo
pie astonnded by the vast proportions education
has now assumed, and oppose it because II is so
much greater and more powerful than they ever
conceived it possible for any. public school
system be- 1t is obvious that large class propre-
tors and teachers of private senaries will oppose the
full development of free higher education grounds
OF interest, although the wisest public school men
the best friends of good private schools The large
class of municipal reformers whose sole panacea for
public ills Is TO cut down public appropriations and
tax public officials strike at the public school because
it often represents the largest single item of expen
diture. In each and all Of these criticisms which
the parlor and the press there is grain of
truth. And we believe nobody is now open to fair
presentation of truth as the men and women who are
at the head OF public schools The wisest kind Of
national legislation III is the act establishing the
Bureau of Education in the Department Of the Interior
at Washington and placing John Eaton at its head.
The most assiduois and dangerous assault on the
American system Of public education comes in the
of people now n have formed unnatural
league to mpeach the character Of the schools First
the solid army of bishops of the Roman Catho-
lie Church. led by their Cardinal who in obedience to
their orders from Rome. assail the common school
as Goddess and immoral and command their followers
TO remove their children from it as from spiritual
pest house.
PARocHIAL EDUCATION.
This charge has been taken up by the bishops OF
the Episcopal Church notably by the bishops Of New
York city and Indiana and pressure is brought to
bear upon the people to establish in the United States
schools All the clerical critics virtually demand that
the people of the United States shall deliver over
| their children to the clergy for secular educa-
| tion-an experiment that never yet was tried
| in any country without disastrous results.
From the opposite quarter of society comes up an
other charge against the schools as the nurseries OF
deness, concet and inefiiciency-what the New Eng
charge. Now, if the schools Goddess breed
| ers of idleness, educating the children of the
thus exposing them to failure in this world.
then the malady is incurabe. What IL the
system OF American public schools! Inc speaker
went on to give an interesting description OF tho
national system and continued by saying that he was
not defending the schools against the efforts OF wise
and conscientious people who are working in good
faith to improve them. He was simply putting in
general disclaimer against the large and influential
class. clerical and lay. who make these wholesale
charges OF odcssness and shiftlessness basis for
the virtual destruction of the most characteristic fca-
tnre OF American life. The speaker then went on to
consider the school system in detail and showed the
advantages and merits it possessed He also took up
the charges against the schools and disposed
said the people who believe in the Ameri-
can system OF government have , great
battle to fight in defence OF the public school. There
plenty of interested enemies who confidently pre-
dict its downfall at distant time It will not be de-
people viii be found all ready whei the day Of battle
comes. They will give the foe the choice of ground.
wind and sun with all the prestige OF the remainder
OF the world to back him. Then they will beat him
completely that in half century the common
school viii be as common as the sun and the air.
CORNELL MEMORIAL NJ E. CHURCH
THE INFLUENCE OF CHARACTER SERMON BY
REV. b. K. PIERCE
Rev. b. K Pierce, of Boston, preached in the Cor
noll Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church the
Influence of Moral Character" and cited as
ample Of what incalculable evil may be wrought by
misdirccted genius, the instance of Tom Paine and
his book. .Thc Age of Reason" while on the other
hand, he referred to the good that had been accom-
plished the thousands of lives that had been
turned to the paths of salvation by Bunyan's book.
1.-The Pilgrims Progress" Especially the minds
of children did he consider the influence of character
and teaching to have its most potent effect; for
is to bear fruit in one way or another.
Parents, he said unthinkngly say this thing or
u
part OF them-grows with their growth and strength
ems with their strength. People responsible for
the involuntary influence they exercise and it be-
hooves them to guard well the words they utter and
the actions they perform; above all things, men
should be prepared Tor self sacrifice. to give up hab-
its and relinquish purposes that calculated to
have a bad example. Wherever the Gospel has its
true operation in human hearts there is sacrifice and
conservation. The preacher was weary OF revivas
of religion They are ut best but u fash in the pan
and people return to their old courses Of living when
they What he wanted to was
att.. NJ Ife arI lha a.
What would be thought of who should go into
public places and into private families wearing gar
mens that had been injected by the plague and yet
how many there are who go about i'll the society
of their fellow covered with moral leprosy,
bundred-fold more disastrous in its consequences
than any mere physical con'agon; OF all the bril-
liant gifts that God has bestowed on there IL
equal to the capacity He gives to every human
being form for himself character for true manhood.
The preacher said that he would not feel unhappy be-
be could not sing or paint or carve statue;
but he knew it within his power, it was within
every man power to carve out charactc FOR him.
self that would bring him JOY and peace of mind and
..AMAzrsa POWER"
People who stand by the Falls of Niagara and gaze
on that mighty avalanche Of water tempted to ex-
claim There il power" but what power of water,
air fire equal the power Of Goiirected charac-
ter? What amazing power is that which lifts
of the gutter who has lost his manhood and his
all that kisses him with the kiss of peace and sends
him back joy and blessing to his weeping wife and
children The power of Christian character The
nlelts iron. but the influence Of good character
ncts the hardest human hearts, and there Is no man
ignorant or deraved that he cannot be melted and
saved by the influence OF the Holy Spirit operating
through human agency.
In the afternoon the tenth anniversary of the
church celebrated by assembage of 800 school
children. who gave various interesting exercises ami
many songs aud recitations Bishop Harris presided.
and addresses were made by Drs. Tiffany, Pierce,
Bishop Harris and J. H. Cornell
ST CECILIAS CHURCH
RENDER UNTO CESAR THE THINGS WHICH ARE