The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-07-12
THE CATHOLIO SCHOOL QUESTION.

Is this, the argument being conceded
that Catholics bring up their children in
their own faith, the Chulch demands
that parochial schools become part OF
our common system. In other words,
the plan originating in Poughkeepsie,
N, Y, full exposition of which was
given last year IN our columns, would
Be satisfactory to all concerned. We
know of several places where this plan
of Joint schools paid for out of the pub
lie funds has been tried and found to
work tremendously.
In this connection we copy part OF
the recent commencement address OF
the Rev. Patrick F. O'Hare of Brooklyn,
delivered at st. LeOnard's Academy in
that city, and printed in full in The
Catholic Review of July 7th, as follows;
ut is a great pleasure for me, my dear
Young gentlemen, to be here on this in
teresting and instructive occasion. II is
likewise great pleasure to me, on be-
half Of my brethren of the clery, to pay
all the honors that we can to those
specially interested in these exercises.
You, young gentlemen of st. Leonard's
Academy, deserve the honor by your
meritorious work during your academic
course. Your parents, too, deserve the
compliment, for they have shown such
a sympathy with the Catholic doctrine
in the matter OF education that to give
you the highest training they have sub
mitted to be taxed thrice over-frst, for
the public schools, which they cannot
and will not use; secondly. for the pa
rochial schools, because they are work
Of Catholic duty; and thirdly, to secure
you the special advantages of this ad-
mirable institution.
81 will not dwell on the reasons why
Catholics wish for education inspired
and supplemented by religion, 1t ls
enough to know that we mean that such
shall be our education, will not tell
you that the most judicious minds in
the world, and those most Jealous for
the future of the race and the Republic,
say that we are right. 1t is enough for
you and for me to know that the Catho
lie Church has decided that its children
shall be educated in a religious atmos-
phere, and that the Catholic Church in
America on this question has nailed its
colors to the mast 1t therefore means
to win what Justice and experience de-
mand, and win il surely shall, even
though It's struggle may be prolonged
and arduous.
81 repeat my belief that it will not
take long to convince our fellow citizens
that they are unwise in arraying us as
enemies OF public education. Many Of
us, indeed, as citizens and taxpayers, on
economic grounds share with themselves
their sense of the manifest imperfec-
tons and in ustices of the system. Yet
as Catholics we do not specially urge
these. We feel that there is no necessity
of confusing and confounding the
grounds of criticism. If not the public
at large, at least the best thinkers
amongst its leaders, are already de
scending from the superstitious worship
OF the great American fetish, the sup
posed infallible, faultless and impecca-
BILE school system. They are beginning
to see the injustice of taxing the cottiers
of Hunters Point and Gowanus and the
toilers of the tenement houses of Cherry
and Mulberry streets, New York, to sup
port, as, in fact, they do, the schools of
the opulent farmers of Orange County
and OF the rich merchants of Buffalo
and Rochester. Il may say paren-
thetically that no one has written more
forcibly or justly on this point than a
distinguished and venerable Protestant
citizen of Brooklyn, Mr.. David NJ. Stone,
editor of the New York Journal of Com
merce, who has treated all sides of the
education question with eminent ability,
abundant knowledge and judicial fair
eess) They are beginning to see that
the State has no right to tax the general
public for the educational luxuries that
the silk. clad children of 'pauper million.
aires receive gratuitously in palatlal
grammar schools. They are beginning
10 see that the education which might
be fairly given in primary schools, to
those unable to secure it, is not suited
for them, that it does not educate them,
and that it does not fit them for the
work they are likely to be called on to
perform. These are injustices TO the
public in general, whether it be Protest
ant, Jewish or Catholic, and it is a great
misfortune that our non Catholic fell
low citizens refuse to consider them be-
cause they think, or have thought, that
it is solely q question of Catholic or
anti Catholic, of building up or destroy
ing the Catholic Church.
ION this very point, l am glad to
think that there is daily increasing
chance OF our coming to understand one
another. We suffer as they do from
economic injustices in this matter; but
we also have the sore feeling that our
religious rights and liberties guaranteed
to US by the Constitution of the United
States and of the State of New York,
are trampled upon by majority that
has not yet fully considered the in
justice it does,
II do not think that it will be said of
us that we are hostile to education, in
view of the sacrifices which in these
two cities we are making for it. can
assure you that much as we desire to
see the public schools reformed and i'm
proved, we cannot be said to be hostile
to the system in the sense that it is com.
monty supposed we are. We recognize
many of its great advantages and would
wish 10 see them increased. We recog-
nize the fact that there will be always
need, as things go, of a public school
system, but greatly reformed and much
improved on that which at present
exists. We are practical men and we
recognize the inevitable and the neces-
sary, while we are determined that our
own children shall choose a Catholic
education in preference to a purely
secular education. 1t is not impossible
to link in O friendly alliance the two
differing bodies of citizens who now
stand for religious schools and for secu.
lar achools.
"Now, gentlemen, let me renew my
request to you to help form not merely
Catholic, but also public opinion on this
question of educational injustice:
Firstly, it is the very depth Of mean
ness for great state or city TO throw
such tax on any section of Its people
in defiance of the Constitution of the
State and OF the United States. The 'es.
tablished school in Professionalism is neg.
atively taught by the exclusion of
religious doctrines, and positively taught
by books and lectures such as but re-
Gently were held up TO criticism here in
Brooklyn, the established school, l re-
peat, is as much religious persecution
as an established church. We can
neither use the school nor the church
which is not in accordance with the
teachings Of our faith. 1t is, therefore,
a double meanness to say to Catholics,
who asks you TO build these schools
and paw these teachers You can come
into our schools provided by the ma
jority Of the people. What is good
enough for III, ought to be good enough
for YOU The men who say that know
In their hearts that they say one thing
that is not true. Were we tomorrow
TO accept that bluff and send our chill
dren to the public schools, no places
could be found for them nor could they
be accommodated in less than five or
ten years, during which time the educa
tional system Of these cities would be
thrown into a chaos, children would be
denoralized in the streets, and there
would be endless bitterness and vexa-
tion of snirit-not 10 sneak of the heavy