The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-07-15
FREE SCHOOLS.


the promptness with which the Catho-
lies are establishing and supporting
these, the writer says:
The time Is not far distant when large pro
portion, II not the majority, OF Roman Catho-
Tic children viii be furnished with the means
Of education in the parochial schools. Then
viii arise a demand either for emancipation
from the requirement OF taxation for the sup
port Of public schools or for division and al
lOtment OF their share OF the fund thus pro-
duced. This demand will be successful in
spite Of opposition, for IL will be founded on
the eternal principle OF justice.
For one, 1 confess that was not pre-
pared to see such ground taken by so
Protestant sheet as the AdUance. It is
held by many that Catholicism desires
the destruction Of our common school
system; that she teaches that "Ignor-
snce is the mother OF devotion !" that
she desires the masses to be ignorant I;
hence she opposes the public school sys-
tenn, because It disseminates too much
knowledge. Is it possible that Protest
antism is going to occupy this same
ground? Has she not sufficient inher-
ent truth in her creeds and dogmas to
bear the light of trained intellect and
awakened reason p I bad supposed that
Professionalism favors intellectual light
and liberty that she is so confident of
her strength as to favor aud ask the
most scrutinizing search and study of
her tenets as compared with the reveal
ments Of science in the fields Of nature ;
and that to abridge the rights, privi-
leges and opportunities OF a child for
developing the germs of its being, she
would consider the height of Injustice.
But listen to the AdUdRce:
To compel a man who is spending his money
for the education Of his children in the man
ner which he believes 70 be for the highest
good-to compel such a man TO submit 70 bur
densome taxation for the maintenance OF a
system Of education which he believes to be
erroneous and dangerous, is the height OF in
justice.
There, now! Close the doors OF our
public schools Divert their fund to
sectarian purposes, and, above all, don't
you dare TO make education cOmpul-
sorry Because, "To compel a man who
6elieUes that child-labor," or lounging
about the streets, saloons and slums oi
cities, conduces to the "highest good -
'to compel those who believe that ignor.
ance is the highest good ;" ito compel
such to submit to burdensome taxation
for the maintenance Of a system" OF
free schools, ''is the height of injustice" "
But we will pay, without a murmur, the
expenses Of jails, poor-houses, peniten-
tiaries and criminal prosecutions which
this class engenderss We will willingly
pay the billions which our late civil war
costa war which a system Of free
schools in the South would have made
impossible, just to show our love Of JUS
tice for the paIochial system which did
exist there; nor will we drop one tear
over the half-miIlion graves Of the war,
all because those people 6elieued seces-
sion was for the highest good
Is it not perfectly evident that the
belig Of this man or that man does not
at all affect this question? The facts
are that in a government like ours-s
government of the people, by the peo-
pie, and for the people"-it is absolutely
necessary that the people themselves be
enlightened; and it is eminently Just
that such enlightenment shall be pro-
vided for by a system of taxation which
imposes relatively equal burdens OF tax.
alton upon all, since all alike derive the
benefits Of our free institutions, and
since these institutions themselves are
upheld aud perpetuated by the enlight.
eminent Of the masses more than any
other one thing. 1t Is equally just thai
a vigilant eye be kept upon these funds
to the end that they be applied to thu
purposes for which they were raised
and not diverted to mere sectarian prop
agandism-in short, to parochial schools
This whole outery in favor Of parochia
schools is a deadly thrust at our fre
school system. II comes from the enc
mics of republicanism, the enemies o
free thought, the enemies Of free speech
the enemies Of free religion, the enemie
of free government, the enemies of free
dom.
But says the AdUCHce again:
It Is useless to assert that intellectual trair
ing will make men more moral, or that it wi
add TO the security ofthe State. History teacht
10 the contrary.
This in face Of the faet-fresh in ever
mans memory-that want Of intellect
ual training among the masses in th
Southern States was what rendere
possible the late disastrous attempt {
overthrow this Government. When, il
all the history of the world, did intel
lectual training Of the masses overthrow
a government ? But how often-alas
how often-has their sectarian trafnin
overthrown governments, even from
the bsrbarities which the Jews iuflicte
upon the innocent Canaanites down {
the horrors between Christian aud Mo
hammedan In the late Russo-Turkisl
war.
Then, too, our free schools train tn
moral as we'll as the intellectual nature
for it is conceded on all hands that thos
great moral truths which are universall!
accepted should be inculcsted. This cal
be done aside from any ism. That it !
done, is evidenced from the fact that al
exceedingly small per cent of our crimi
nails come from the public schools, Will
very large per cent of them do come
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