The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-02-08
Our Public School System Arraignsd
by Bishop Mc0uaid.

OF common school education. Tho
article Is an open attack on the whole
public school system. The bishop
characteriZes the system of public
schools as an experiment, the success
OF which seems TO be in doubt, judg
ing from the many conflicting opin-
ions on the subject. lie says also
that the public school idea "is radi-
cal departure from fundamental
ideas" He says:
III there Is any one principal, over
and above all others, underlying our
democratic-republican form of gov
eminent, it is this-that the political
state should not undertake TO do for
the people what the people can do for
themselves. Meddling with the duties
and work of families in the
SACRED RELATIONS OF PARENTS AND
CHILDREN,
Either TO interfere with their rights
or to relieve them of their response
bilities, Is highly dangerous under any
circumstances, and when perpetrated
against the wish Of parents. is unmit-
igated despotism.
The public school system he charac-
terizes as common school communism,
and says: IF the state owes its chill
dren an education at the common ex-
pense, there is no escape from the
communists demand for food, cloth
ing and shelter at the common ex-
pense. Let him work for his food and
clothing, may be said, but the rotor
will be prompt, why not let him work
for the education of his children? Our
state governments, creatures of ma
jorities. setting aside wise political
axiom, have established schools on
this communistic principle in utter
disregard of the rights of large num-
beers of their citizens. These citizens.
heads Of christian families, find them
selves grievously encroached upon in
the exercise of inalienable duties to-,
ward their children. 1t is an act OF
might against right, and like all such
acts of a gross injustice it will come
back one day to torment the guilty.
So large usurpation Of power could
never have been effected without
plausible pleas for the misleading OF
the people. One such plea based on
an appeal to the heart. Look, said
the humanitarians and seculaIists, at
those poor, homeless street ARABIA
at those wild boys, at those waits. VIC
tins of our progressive ciNihza-
ton. We must rescue them from
vice, and save society from the curse
Of their vagabondism. Every tender
heart melted with pity. TO save
these unfortunates and protect our
selves, they must be raised up from
their degradation and receive an OK
cellent education ON the same benches.
side by side with the refined and vir-
tuous children of the neighborhood.
Society owes them an education and
a consequent uplifting, and they shall
have them. The promise was large
and venturesome. How has il been
kept2 The streets Of our cities and
towns swarm with these dangerous
classes more than ever, and our
PRISONS AND REFoRMAToRIEs
are thronged with them. This part
of our experimental common school
system has failed lamentably."
The right reverend gentleman says
that another appeal for the establish
ment of public schools was made To-
the pocket on the ground that IL
would be cheaper TO maintain schools
than TO support prisons, almshouses.
ETC., and then concludes in this Ian
guage: But, alas, prisons and other
blurs on our Christian civilization.
high culture and consequent moralI-
ty, and multiplying out OF all proper
ton with the increase Of population
in spite of unlimited expenditures for
educational uses. Secular schools
from which God, the redemption.
eternal rewards and punishments,
have been excluded as sectarian doc
trine, have failed TO redeem the world,
to dispense with prisons, or 10 save
| tha .f II 1ff A..
part Of our experimental and tenta~
tive system Is meeting with rude
shocks"
He goes Oh to say that the economy
Of the system Is not quite so plain
after all, that the buildings increased
in cost, that high schools, academies
the teachers began TO demand
Dor. The system Is not fair
when it is considered that Christians
do not care to send their children to
the secular schools preferring to pay
double taxation. "The appeal to the
pocket is financially successful, but
EMINENTLY FASHIONABLE.
at would have been pleasant for
parents seeking a Christian and safe
education for their children to have
made the statement presented to the
board of education of Rochester, New
York, by a special committee ut its
last meeting. To understand the full
significance of this official report, it is
but just to remark that the public
schools of Rochester are patrOnized
almost exclusively by the native
American non-Catholic- population.
| Tho Catholics Of oil N afinnoIiff haxra
schools of their own, in which nearly
all their children are to be found.
The German Professionals also have
their church schools. 1t is, therefore.
not possible to attribute the sad dem
onstration of the public schools to con-
tact with ignorant foreigners, or
benighted and corrupt Roman
lists. A few years ago the patrons of
these schools, alarmed at the prev
alence of vice among their pupils,
cried out for greater vigilance on the
part of teachers. This vigilance not
proving sufficient to check vice and
tyranny of the strong over the weak
and tender, the board of education
has been compelled to shorten the
hours of school attendance and abolish
the recess, for the reason assigned In
the report. After stating various
other reasons for these radical
changes, the committee. whose report
was unanimously adopted. says:
"'Again-the opportunities for acts
of petty tyranny, exercised by the
strong over the weak, will be lessened,
to the infinite joy of many a parent
of young and tender children.
"And again-and what is perhaps
of more Consequence than all these
considerations, it Will reduce TO a
minimum, so far as our public schools
are concerned, the opportunities Of
MORAL CONTAMINATION;
for, despite the utmost vigilance Of
principal and teachers, the recess
affords a most fruitful occasion for
the spread of vice.
"'Your committee has already been
advised by parents, who. for the last
reason alone, could not patTonize the
public schools; but who are now send
ing their children TO them. under the
new arrangement.
Thus It has come to pass that the
experiment of the common school
system. usurping parental rights and
duties. has failed at its inception, on
its plea of political statesmanship, OF
economy, of honesty, of morality. The
report of the Rochester board of edu-
cation admits this failure. and de-
clares that the childrrn of the same
school district, being all American.
and none Catholic. must not be al
/ nor.r,.fro<Ia nn tho