Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-12-09
CATHoLIC VS.. PROTESTANT.
The School Question from Both
Sides.
Springfield Republican.

Springfield Republican.
1t would take good deal OF bitterness
out of the controversies about religion
and the schools if the average Protest
ant citizen and Catholic citizen would |
each try TO really understand the others
position. We take it that the Catholics |
feeling is about this: 81 want my !
children TO be educated, and want re-
ligion to be part OF their education.
want them so taught in their schools as
not only to get book-knowledge, but to
be fitted to live good and pious lives,
and to 90 to heaven when they die, II
religious truth is truth at all, 1t is
more important than any other; by
all means then let it be taught in
school along With other things; teach
the children about God and their duty
to him and his care over them" So lar,
certainly, the Protestant, il he is a relig-
ious man, ought to understand and to
sympathize. But he replies: "What
YOU want is indeed desirable, but it is
not practicable. Religion cannot be
taught in the public schools, because the
public itself is irreconcilably divided on
religious questions. With you, a first
article of religion is obedience to the
Church; another is worship OF the Nlr-
gin and the Saints, another is confession
to priest. All thisseems tome erroneous.
NV Protestant neighbOrs and disagree
about religious questions. Therefore,
the schools which are common to all
our children cannot teach upon these
subjects. But they can teach many
most important things; not only book
knowledge, but obedience, good order,
cleanliness, kindness to each other, re-
sponsibility to the community. We
will make sure through our public
schools that every child is taught these
things; and we know by experience
that they can get religious teaching in
other ways" To this the Catholic re-
pies. our lucas anu Ai'hS oiN ~
different that we cannot work together
in this matter. | believe -
Just as your fathers believed
that morality alone will not
save soul from perditiOn. believe
that my child's eternal future depends
on his being kept in the Catholic faith.
Therefore, we who think in this way
will have schools of our own where we
can teach our children not only reading,
arithmetic and the like, but what we
think much more important-the reli-
gious truth that should rule and guide
their lives" This is the plea on which
the Catholic schools are based. Does
not the religious Protestant see that it IS
not only sincere plea, but to the Cath
ole mind an exceedingly strong one?
But the Protestant probably says to
himself, THAT all sounds well, but the
fact is the priests wants to keep the chill
dren under their own control, and they
don't want them to know much" The
first of these statements is undoubtedly
true. The Catholic church, its laity as
well as its priesthood, believes in its
rightful authority as much as evangeh-
cal Protestants believe in the authority
OF the Bible. The truth is, too, though
Protestants are often slow TO admit it,
that in this country certainly the church
and priesthood use their power largely
in the support OF honesty, sobrlety,
chastity, and all the moral virtues. But
however that may be, so long as the
! Catholics choose TO follow and trust
| their priests, the rest of us have no right
10 interfere; no more right than We have
TO forbid Col. Ingersoll 10 lecture, or the
free-religionists to make all the prose-
lytes they can.
The impression among Professionals
that the Catholic clergy do not want
their children TO know much, believing
that Ignorance is the mother of devO-
votion," whether well or i'll founded, is
very strong. And this brings us to what
is the real right and duty OF the State in
the matter of education, which is this:
To make sure that every child has a
good secular education. 1t ought, az 1t
now does, to allow children to go to
private instead OF public schools;
but it ought also, as it now does
not, TO provide through system OF pub
lie examiners that the pupils in all pri-
vate schools shall come up to certain
minimum standard OF education. This
is the defective point in our educational
machinery, a defect OF small Conse-
ouences while in point OF fact private
schools were generally of as high class
rs public ones, but which must be rem
edied if the private school system is to
beextended as the Catholics propose. In
fact, in any event, some private schools
are tolerated, entirely apart from religi-
Gus grounds, which need the correction
| of official examination. Besides without
| access to the rolls OF such schools, the
| school authorities have no assurance
that school attendance is universal. This
we think, is the point where practical
| action is needed; and 1t is point where
no mans conscience is trenched upon.
! The State says to all its citizens: "Send
| your children to private or church
schools if you want to; teach them all
the dogmas you please; only they must
| be taught certain preSCrlDeu amount
of general knowledge; and the public
must be certified, not at secondhand,
but through its own examiners, that
they do get that amount and quality of
teaching" What do the Catholics say
to this proposal? What does the Boston
Pilot say to it?
There rises naturally another sugges-
ton from the side of the Catholics; "If
we are to have our own schools and
pay for them, il is not fair that we should
pay for yours too. Release us from
taxation for the public schools, ordivide
the school funds propOrtionately with
u.s." That request must be firmly re-
! fused, but from the Catholic standpoint
it looks so reasonable that passion ought
not to mingle with the refusal. 1t must
be rejected, because it would begin the
destruction of the entire public school
system. If it is conceded to one religious
body, it must be conceded to every
other that asks for it. We should have
a universal substitution of church.
schools-and very soon OF anti-Christian
schools as well-for our present common
! 81 chic ,,nipf TO