The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-03-10
REFORM SCHOOL.
Mr.. o'Donoghue's Minority Report
Reviewed.

to the religious instruction which he claims
should be allowed to the Catholic inmates.
To support his argument Mr.. O'Donoghue
cites Article l, Section 8, Of the Constitution
of Maine which proclaims that
All men have natural and unallenable right
| to worship Almighty God according to the die
tates Of their own conseiences, and no one shall
erty or estate for worShipping God In the manner
and season most agreeable to the dictates of his
own conscience, nor for his religious professions
| or sentiments.
But Mr.. O'Donoghue omits to give the re-
mainder of the section, che first part of which
| is as follows:
"Provided he does not disturb the public peace
nor Obstruct others In their religious worship;
and all persons deneanir0 themselves peaced6ly
as QO0d members Of the state, shall be equally
der the protection Of the lGaus and subordtna
tton nor preference Of any one sect or denontna
tton shah ever be established by td1c"
The meaning of the Article is clear 1t
means that the State shall show no prefer
ence of any one sect or denomination over
another, but shall treat all alike, guarantee
ing liberty of conscience to ALL 1t does not
mean religious classification of the inmates
of reformatories for the purpose OF lndOctri-
nation by the Roman Catholic or any other
church. The boys at the State Reform school
already have the rights guaranteed 70 them
by the law of the State, and hence this Arti-
Gle Oh The OF Mdluc w hOAP
the Catholic side of the question.
Several institutions are mentioned IN MI.
O'DOnoghue's report where the sectarlan
classification has been tried. 1t is true that
in some institutions the principle OF classih,
cation has been adopted, but think 1t Will
be found that in such cases 1t has generally
been adopted without much public discus
sion, just as it was in this State but. few
years ago. Where the question has been as
thoroughly discussed as the Importance OF
the subject demands, think the principle OF
sectarian classification has generally, If not
always, been rejected. In the State OF New
York where there is a strong Cath
olic element the question has been very
thoroughly discussed, and the attempts
which have annually been made for years to
engraft the sectarian classification upon the
A. Y; House Of Refuge, on RandalPs Island,
the oldest and largest reform school in the
| United States, have repeatedly failed. Once
bill to effect this classification passed the
New York Assembly, but was vetoed by Gov.
Cornell. In his veto message of June IL,
1881, Gov. Cornell said:
"The inmates of such places are not brought to-
gether primarily for the purpose of religious in-
structon, but for either charitable support Or cor
recton. Few OF them have had opportunities If
any disposition for spiritual teachings, and they
should not be subject to the rivaries OF sectarian
Zealots. The simpler forms OF religious 0bServ-
ance would quite fkey be as beneficial to these
unfortunates as the most elaborate and demon
feaching that would inevitably arise from the en-, en-
actment Of this measure could only lead to injuri
GUS results alike TO the inmates and the InStitu-
tion."
The attempts made to force the falsely
named Freedom of Worship" bill through
the Assembly have been ably contested by
the Evangelical Alliance Of the United States,
composed Of such men as Rev. S. Irenaeus
Chaplin Rev. James NJ King, Rt. Rev. Sam
uel S. Harris, Bishop VIM. L. Harris, Rev.
Theo. d. Woolsey, Hon. Robert c. Winthrop,
Rev. ]. H. Vincent, Hon. William E. Dodge
~ b.,nx horal or,d
nent men.
Last October the Synod of New York, COM
posed of delegates from thirty-one Presbyte-
ries, having on their church rolls $4,000
members. passed with vote of hearty en-
dorsement the following preamble and reso-
luton:
"Inasmuch as the adherents of the Church of
| Rome, known as the Catholic Union, have for
the legislature Of this State the enactment Of a
| bill under the specious and misleading title
| Freedom Of Worship bill' which If made law
would open the way to all forms of devisive and
proselyting measures, to the imperiling of civil
| and religious freedom;
ResotVed That the synod earnestly appeals to
our people to resist and oppose by all right and
| feasible means, Entertainments upon the spirit
and administration of our free institutions by an
| organization which has ever refused to others
that freedom of worship which it demands for
| itself
| cannot believe that in this State of Maine
| the mischievOus principle of religious clasSi
| fcation will be permitted to obtain foot
hold.
What are the facts in regard to the reli-
| gious instruction given at the State Reform
| School? The bylaw touching this subject
adopted by the Trustees and approved by
| the Governor and Council is as follows:
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION.
SECTION 1.--Diyine service shall be held in the
chapel every Sunday when practicable. The sup
erintendent may arrange with the clergy In the
| vicinity, and may fix the hour of beginning and
SECT 2.-Sabbath school shall be held ON Sun
| day by the teachers, under the direction of the
superintendent
eral precepts of the Christian religion the power
and goodness Of God, the truths OF the Bible. and
| lessons Of morality and virtue; but no Sectarian
| teaching shall ever be allowed.
| SECT. 4.-Clergymen of any denomination,
willing to observe the rule Of noIsectarian teach
ing shall be allowed to address the boys at suita-
BILE times, which will be fixed by the superintend-
ent
| Now understand there is no sectarian in
| struction allowed at the Reform SchOol-un-
less indeed teaching the general precepts Of
| the Christian religion, the power and good
| ness of God, the truths of the Bible, and
| lessons of morality and virtue" can be called
''sectarian." The existence of God, the au-
| thority of the Bible, and salvation through
| Christ are taught; but these are fundamen-
| tai tenets of the Roman Catholic church as
| well as of the Protestant churches. No spe-
ciic Protestant doctrines are taught. and
| fail to see why specific Catholic doctrines
| should be taught The religious instruction
| is right as it is now, the boys being instruct
| ed in those principles of Christianity which
| are admitted as true and essential by all
| Christian churches, including the Roman
| Ca holic church; but not being instructed in
| any of the principles peculiar to the different
| denominations or sects.
| The boys are allowed the utmost freedom
| of conscience and no religious restraint is
| imposed upon them. They are allowed to
| use the forms Of private devotion which they
prefer and no attempt is made to interfere
with or bias the minds of the inmates on re-
| ligiOuS matters No sacrament of any parti-
cular church or creed is used or allowed in
| the institution. Clergymen of all denomina-
| tions including Roman Catholic priests are
welcome to hold religious services in the
chapel on Sunday provided they observe the
rule of non-sectarianism.
All this apparently does not satisfy Mr..
O'DOnoghue. He wishes to have the Gath
olic inmates" instructed every Sunday by
priests in the principles and practice of the
Roman Catholic religion, to celebrate mass,
| to have confirmation, confession, etc, etc.
Mr.. O'Donoghuc tells of the ''denial of my
colleagues of the rights Of the Catholic boys
| in the Reform School to worship God in ac-
cordance with the dictates of conscience" as
| if they were now deprived of their right to
choose their religion by the light of the Bible
and their own conscience. They are not de-
prive1 Of this right; they have full liberty
of conscience and full freedom of private
worship.
What Mr.IO'Donoghue seeks, appears to be
not freedom OF private conscience and private
worship; he appears rather to seek to destroy
| freedom of conscience and worship. by sub
| jecting the so-called Catholic inmates" to
| the sectarian teachings of the Roman
| Catholic church. He would have the
Catholic inmates" placed in a room by them
| selves where they will be under the sole con-
| troll of sectarian teachers-not even the
| superintendent of the school being permitted
| to be present-and there for an hour and
| half to two hours every Sunday he would
| have the children brought under the control
| and authority of the church of Rome.
| Now if Mr.. O'DOnoghue's wishes were to
be granted probably the first question that
| would arise would be, Who are the Catholic
inmates?" Who shall decide the question?
The Catholic? God forbid! The State?
| What right has the State to separate children
into religious classes? 1t is neither right
nor proper for the State to hand over its
wards either to this denomination or that
for religious training. The parents? When
| parents and guardians train their children
| in vice and crime or So far neglect them that
the State has to interfere by taking away
their control over their children and itself
assume their guardianship, can the parents
| then have the right to dictate to the State