New-York tribune., 1880-10-31

schools shal be appointed in the manner now provided
by law.
A statement of the number OF plrochiai schoo's
with their location and the attendance OF pup'is aV
each was asked for by President Nelson ana prom
ised at an early dav Such a statement was never
gwen nor were any details furnished In reea'u W
how the pupils were taught. what they were tangh''
or when and where instruction was gwen III 'hc
original petitlon however. there was the genera
statennent that there were more than fifty schools
most of tbem having school houses suitable for from
3oOto1 600 pupils The total number then attending
the narochial schools was given approximately as
10000.
This petition was laid upon tho table and no
action was ever taken. 1t simply ano ther
attempt TO get the per capita allowance OF the
school funds in an indirect way Had 1t succeeded
school hours would have been fixed nominally at "a
certain time, but the scholars wOnid have come
earlier to receive religious instruction, ana even
during the school hours when religious instruc-
ton was given the teachers would have been jesuit
Brothers or Sisters. In fact every conceivable
attempt has been made by the church, through its
representatives, by political. personal ana sociai
efforts to get share in the school moneys anu
when unable to get one of their own iaith III
position to advocate this distribution, they nave
not infrequently secured person nominally
Protestant
at their hands. have yet to see the man strongly
identified with the church who is opposed to the
distribution of the common school fund among the
various sects.
THE REAL POINT N Mr.. GRACES CASE.
ain his letter of acceptance Mr. Grace said that if
elected il would be his aim TO preserve in its integ
r,tv the common school system and also that he
would not fail to give full and proper recognition
TO the prevailing American sentiment in this re-
gard This has often been said before by the
strongest advocates among Roman Catholics OF
their night to participate III the school moneys.
They have said. with few exceptions that those who
wish TO send their children to the common
schools should have the right to do so.
but that those who desired to have their children
receive religious as well secular instruction
shoud have the right to share the school moneys to
IN coual amount head with those educated i'll the
common schools under such general supervision as
the State might deem advisable
"The real point in this case is, Is
Mr.. Grace in favor or oppos d to sectarian
schools sharing in the school moneys
,- :, othcr words what does Mr. Grace mean bv
nroper recognition of the prevailing American sen
t1Ipenf' IN regard TO che common schools T.
"In The TRIBUNE Of Monday there was ref
crence TO the statement of a prominent Roman
Catholic clergyman. in winch he SAID that he was
n"f oruoscd 10 a common school system conducted
by the state but insisted that those who did not
,,sn to send their children to these schools should
shoro i'm the school moneys; and he con-
coded that in this case, 30 per cent OF the children
in its schools being Roman Catholics. would be
taken out, and an equal proportion would be lost
from other sects. So you viii see that Mr.. Grace
might have what he deems proper regard for the
school system. and yet if he advocates giving share
of the school money To sectarlan schoOis ne would
Indirectly favor the destruction OF the school sys-
" His power, if elected Mayor. to endanger the
1t,D0f fVt..g wf,rrlI lf4N~ N~..rxs,r
There are twenty-one members of the Board of Ed
ncation Under the law One-thlrd OF this Board
goes out Of office every year. Their successors are
9upcinted by the Mayor and as the Mayor holds his
ohce for two wears, it will readily be seen that
during this time the Mayor appoints two-thirds Of
the Board Of Education, Under all the circum-
Inr MIR Grace with the MayOraty, particularly
in view of the further fact that Mr.. Grace, his ap
pointees in the Board of Estimate and Apportion-
inent, and the president of the Board OF Aldermen
have the absolute control over millions Of dollars
Now the president of the Board OF Aldermen is.
IF course elected by the Aldermen, and the
Catholic Aldermen can be elected are. with one ex-
ception, Roman Catholics. he character OF some
of the, men who pa lar 10 make e., up the
Inv two Observation-Disclosures Z. KirSe and Jeremiah
Murphy now running III the lower districts Some
twelve wears ago these men were expelled from the
Roarl of School Trustees IN the Fourth Ward for
extorting money from school teachers in connection
with other trustees. A committee of the Board of
Education,
man, heard evidence proving that these men
had basely rol bed female teachers, and
voted to expel them. These
are some O. the men who, If clcc ed, WI make the
next President of the Board OF Aldermen.
POWER OVER TRUSTEES, TEACHERS AND BUILDINGS.
"Auother fact to be considered is that the Board
If Education has the absolute control of the ap-
pojntrnent and removal of the 100 school trustees
Of the twenty four waIds Of this city, and directly
OF indirectly Of the appointment of 5000 teachers.
"Again there is a point winch the general public
is not fully aware of-that tins Board of Education
and boards of have the sole power TO erect
school buildings or to discontinue schools. 1t Is a
well known fact TO the initiated that those conduct
ing The parOchial schools have III many instances
used their influence to prevent the erection of pub
Inc school buildings IN the vicinity of parOchial
schoois II is equally we-known that when the
parochlal schools allowed 10 share freely in the
Excise fund the Roman Catholic Church erected
scbool-hOuses in Roman Catholic neIghbOrhOods in |
the immediate VICINITY ol puDnc SCHOOLS, ana the
cIerpymen OF the Roman Catholic Church and other !
prominent members of that Church visited the !
of the children attending the public schools
and admonIshed them privately and III their !
churches of the great wrong tbey were doing the |
Church. This resulted, III 1869. 20 and II, III |
the diminished attendance AT the public schools |
This was deemed particularly uncalled for because
most of the teachers N the common schools and the
school trustees III Roman Catholic districts were |
Roman Catholics. THIS was notably the case IN the |
First Fourth, Thirteenth and seventeenth Wards. |
The tact that tie clergy used this Influence was
well known to the principals of the common schools
because the parents Ofien when taking their chill
dren away, acknowledged the superiority of the |
common schools, but sand they were forced TO |
obey the priests, which they did reluctantly. In |
fact If il were not the interference OF the clergy
the majority Of people OF the Roman Catholic faIth
would send their children to the common schools.
There Is one fact which should be emphasized |
that In lS69(70)7l money from the Excise fund !
md otherwise was given to Roman Catholic schools
and schools under the charge Of the Church amount
ng to more than 81 900, 900. and during that time
he attendance at the public schools fell oil Ii. 600
The citizens OF New-York have been exceedingly |
ibcral In reference to the appropriations for the
Ioman Catholic Church aud liz various benevolent
Institutions and schools. During the last eleven |
ears the Church has received over TGOOO,OO0 of |
,ubc money! and believe a large ma jority of the |
,eople think that Is all that could reasonably be |
.sked and now To give them the control OF the |
cEool system is more than any citizen unbiased by |
eiiRIous prejuGices bigotry should De willing |
o consent to-"