The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1888-01-22

A Catholic Plan for the Public Schools.
We give elsewhere some extracts from .
very careful and conslderste paper in the
Gtholic World OF last March on the subject
of tho need of religious instruction in tho
public schools. The author Is the Rev. DR..
MCSwKENY, the rector OF the populous
st. Bridget's parish, on the east side Of the
town, and he takes for his text the remark
of DR.. HODGE Of Princeton College that
every school must Of necessity be either
Christian or un-Christian. and hat there Is
no such thing as a neutral education; to be
neutral in religion it must be imperfect and
.faulty-indeed, no education at ALL"
This view Of the distinguished Presby-
terrain theologian DIR. MoSwRENY speaks
of lag perhaps the nearest approach that
has yet been made by q non-Catholic to the
Catholic position on the school question:"
but DR.. SEELYE. the Congregational Presi-
dent Of Amherst College. has expressed
sentiments In close accordance with DR..
HODGES, and several Protestant bodies, rs
wo lately showed, AVE formally declared
the same convictions. It is true, however,
that o Of them has gone 80 far as DR..
HODGE In generous acknowledgment of the
tcAluA bNllS UuOlU 70 III Oliu VI III oCAtil
education. Writing In the closing DAYS Of
his life. he asked whether, "in view Of the
entire situation" it was not incumbent on
"all of US who really believe in GoD to give
thanks to Him that He has preserved tho
Roman Catholic Church in America to-day
true to that theory Of education upon which
our fathers founded tho public schools OF the
nation. n which have been 30 madly per-
verted." That theory he explains by saying
that education involves the training Of the
whole man and of all his faculties, Of the
conscience and OF the affections as well as Of
the intellect"
The logical extreme OF education without
religion is reached In the public schools Of
Paris. from which even the very name Of
COP ID excluded. With us religion is practi-
caily shut out not less completely, for the
whole instruction Is purely secular, and
great care is taken to exclude text books
which have the slightest religious lingo, lest
religious or i%rreligious prejudices should be
offended. II, therefore, our schools went 80
far as those OF Paris. they would be more
consistent with the theory on which they are
at present conducted. for 1t involves the
absolute divorce OF religion from education.
DR.. McSwRRNY, after pointing out what
Roman Catholics and 30 many Irotestants
believe to be the dangerous consequences Of
o purely secular education, proceeds to for
mulats two plans by which he believes that
religious instruction could DO provided with
out offence to the theory of our Government
and to tho differing convictions OF the two
great branches of the Christian Church. One
Is to lot the denominations establish n
manage schools according to the religious
requirements OF each, the State paying for
results In the secular branches. This 10 tho
principle adopted In giving State atd to re-
ligious ssylums and reformatories.
The other plan is for the State to "sppoint
Catholic teachers for Catholic children and
Protestant teachers for Protestant children.
prescribing the present neutral system OF
education for certain hours OF the school
day, and giving also O fixed hour or hours
for daily religious instruction" This can be
done. DR.. McSwEENY argues, without State
recognition OF any Church, regard being had
to the religious preferences OF the parents
merely. Something similar to this plan he
speaks OF as In operation In P~oughkeepsie,
where the teachers are Catholics In public
schools II and IL, just as they are Profess
tants In h other schools under the same
Board" During the State school terms in
those schools taught by Catholics-from 0 to
~ and l 80 to s-the instruction ID only secu-
lar. the religious instruction being confined
to tho outside hours. and no child receiving
1t except by his parents desire.
But II cannot DO assumed that plan which