Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-12-10
The Schools.

The Sch0OIS.
There has something Of an excitement
been started in Massachusetts over thu
separate Catholic schools but il has mostly
di, out since the Pilot gave an authoriln
tive statement of Archbishop Williams
position.
One Father Scully, of East Cambridge
we believe, had established Catholi,
school, and being very earnest in having
it attended by the children of the parish
refused some ministration of the church
TO parents who refused or neglected tc
have their children go 10 the parish school
This gave rise to consideration of the
school question at Il meeting of Catholic
clergy and II report went out that Arch
bishop Williams advocated an immediate
establishment of Catholic schools in eacl
parish.
1t seems that he look no such position
and that his view is about this: that reliS
ion is II part of the best education; that
where it is possible schools be established
in whlcl, this brst education shall be
given; that meanwhile the public schools
be used by Catholics SO long as they are
enIurable and nothing better is obtainable
In other words the claim of the arch
bishop is no more than that Catholics edu-
cate their children in schools carried OH
according to their own views whenever
they find themselves able to bear the
burden of disappearing such schools
1t is the duty of the state to establish
free schools, TO give all tho opportunity o.
education. But if any man sees fit to Civ,
his child an education outside the public
school it is none of the states business
except that the latter may see for its owl
protection that this outside and private
education is not mere sham and pretense
But he who resorts to other education
than that of the common school for his
children, must not only bear the expense
of that outside education, but also hi
full share of the expense of the public
school claiming no exemption because his
taste or conscience runs counter to thost
Of his fellow citizens who educate thcil
children in the common school.
Doub less within few years there will
come to be considered practically the qucs
ton of public and private education anc
the limos bounding the rights of each, ant
folks may be considering of these matters
1t must come that the Catholics gradually
cease 10 use the American common schoo
at least in most states outside of Yer.
mont.
In our own state, however, there is nc
necessity for this. For the real Catholic
grievance is not that the common schoo
is sectarian, that it is Protestant, but thai
it is Goddess"
The Catholic says religion is necessary
pnrt of educntion-tllat the American
common school is entirely secular. Well
in Vermont this need not be so. BY our
constitution this is II Christian common
wealth and there is no reason in the world
(unless it is from scrupIes Of Catholics
thrmselves) why in Vermont school dis
tricts where Catholics are in the majority
the schools should not have teachers who
re ID in school the Douay version Of the
Bible and pray according to Ctthol' C
forms rs freely and as legally as the King
james version is now read and Protestant
forms Of prayer used.
But in other states that are without Il
recognition of Christianity in their consti-
buttons there must come n cessation of
Catholic attendance on the common school
or a total change of belief in the Catholic
mind that religion must he a part of edu
cation and that purely secular education is
Goddess and sinful.