The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-02-16
ere the SO-CaIled Sectarian
schools Entitled TO the Public
school Fund
WESTERN TEXAS. Feb. 10 I.

70 e Editor of the STATESMAN.
| have just read the last number
Of The Journal Of EtlUcdtiOn, pub
she'd at Austin, and | beg leave to
offer few remarks on the subject
Of public schools.
ne school law of the state of
Texas has a feature, which, i'll my
Op ZION, must meet the approval of
every fair minded man in the state.
Ii allows the people to form school
communities, ands SO far, it seems
to give some liberty to parents. and
respect their rights and Judgment
IN : matter OF the highest import
ance to them and to their children.
Ii allows them 10 select for their
children the school which is the
best in their own judgment, and so
f. the law has the merit of dealing
cnnally and justly with all. But, |
as. after school community
has bee II formed, in accordance with
law, and the children of the said
school community have been placed
under the care OF a teacher rccog-
niZed by the government officers
rs competent, and i'll every way
qualified, who has the right to step
in and say that this same school
community is not entitled to any
pro rata of the public school fund,
on the protest, that the said school
IS, or is supposed to be, what some
chose to call a sectarian school !?
The supposition is: The law has
been complied with; the members cf
the said school community ere tax
payers they are satisfied with the
school, and in proof of this they
have affixed their signatures to the
petition to form school commu-
nifty. Their religious convictions,
the creed of the teacher to whom
they have freely chosen to intrust
their children, IN preference to any
other, the state has no right to in
quire into; and if it does, it acts in
direct violation of rights of parents.
The law requires, of course, that
teachers should be men of good
moral character, and expects them
10 give a moral training to their
pupils, and form good, law-abiding
citizens. Now their moral precepls
mnst have some sort of foundation,
but what will they be based upon,
if not on religious principles of
some sort? Even pagan legislators,
before the christian era, insisted on
ii necessity ,of inspiring to the peo-
! he fear of the gods; they attempt
ed embody some sort of religion in
Their laws but now, in the so-called
enlightened..age of ours, any sort of
religion must be banished from the
schOolrOom, and judging from the
decisions of the public school board
of education teacher, no matter
how well qualified otherwise, no
matter how fully he has the ap-
proval and confidence of his pat
rors, is not allowed to claim his por-
ION of the public school money I'M
less he is protested infidel or
or at least persistently acts
as such in the schoolroom. This is
depriving the teacher and his pat
rons of their just rights, on account
of their religious convictions, and
this is acting in opposition to the
spirit of the constitution of the
United States. / have seen
in n preceding number of the
WEEKLY STATESMAN, that not long
ago Prof. John M. Richardson
wrote letter to the Pittsburg
Magnet, taking high grounds
agains his provision of the school
law, The learned prof. deserves
: he praise and gratitude of all those
who have at heart the preservation
ofthe rights ofcitizens and bepublic
we fare; and 1 hope he will con inue
- agilate the question, and favor us
with some more communications on
I de same subject.
Hon. D. N. Hollingswortb, secre-
tsry of the state board of educa-
on, in answer to Prof. Richard
son, reiers him to the decisions of
ne state board of education,
which, N its annual report made to
The seventeenth legislature, had this
To say:
knowing that the public schools
OF the state are supported by taxes
imposed upon all classes of citizens
alike, without regard to their relig-
ious convictions, and without ex-
any class, believers or I'M
believers, whether numerically
weak or strong, it was and lis the
opinion of the board of education
hat all, Jew and Gentle, be-