St. Paul daily globe., 1889-12-08
He Likes the Courteous An
swer, But Objects to
the Premises. n
A Proposition to Submit the
School Question to
Arbitration.
The Division of the School
Fund Is Really the Mat
ter at Issue,
State Superintendent Kiehle has adj
dressed another open letter to Bishop

OldlC AGO "h
dressed another open letter to Bishop
elect McGolrick. 1t is as follows:
ST. PAUL, Mimi, Dec. z, 1889.
Rt Rev. james McGolTick.
My Dear Sir: l beg to acknowledge my per-
sonal obligation to you for the courteous
reply given to my inquiries of the 18th ult.
AS have already intimated, am inqulring
for the hindrances to the promotion OF an
American patriotism. intelligence, morality
and industry in the training of our youth.
And, hence, without plesuming to ask of you
any farther contribution TO this subject. ex-
cept as you may of your own choice be will
| ing to notice what may say, 1 wish here TO
express my views upon several of the mat
ters suggested IN your communication. thai
we may at least get the difficulties of the
situation before us. even IL no valuable con
tributlon is made to its solution. get but
| one meaning from your answers 10 my ques-
tions, namely, that the state
HAS NO MORAL RIGHT
to establish a free school system and to i'm
pose the burden of its support upon the prop
erty of all the people; and, second, that the
Catholic church as represented i'll Its priest
hood claim entire supervision over the
children OF the church in every department
of their instruction. Now just here is the
issue: The str te holds that its perpetuity and
beneficent administration require provision
| for the training of its youth III matters per
tanning to citizenship and industry which II
This conflict of jurisdiction would be serious
enough il we were all native born, but when
TO tn S is added the fact that large percent
age Of our foreign population are Catholics,
with priests who themselves are foreign born,
MANY of whom are suspicious of everything
American, whether Its language or its schools.
and who, in0ued with great authority, stand
between the state and It's children, | submit
whether it does not look as if we had some
thing very like foreign emporium in i'm
periog% And is not the situation sufficiently
important 10 merit the calm investigation of
patriotic eitizeus of bolh sides? Coming now
to some observations suggested by your val
liable letter. first give my hearty lndorse-
meut to your estimate of the family. and its
essential place in the constitution of society.
likewise agree with YOU that any education
that denies mans duties and relations to God
and eternity is essentially defective. L be-
heve that our American government is the
maturest fruit of our purest family and re-
ligious character. and that il would be moth
ing less than suicidal for the state In any way
to dwarf or corrupt the life OF either. But
the case is not whether the state shall au-
thoritatiyely interfere as between the Iarept
ana his children, but whether the parent is
flee to exercise his Intelligent and couscien-
tious judgment in the education Of his chill
dren. Coming now TO the public schools, l
cannot agree with you that il is 1mpOS-
sibIe in the nature of things for
the state to provide secular
education for its youth without mOnOpoliZ-
ing their time and attention, preventing
their proper religious training and conse-
qutn ntly meriting the opprobrium of being
characle T lied as goddess" Our govern
ment which we believe TO be the best of the
world. is purely secular yet it has for its
corner stones The family and the Christian
church, and recognizes its obligations to
these in the high place accorded to the
parent and the minister of religion, and i'll
the benefceuce OF its institutions. 1t can
not, therefore.
BE CALLED goddess
simply because secular. In ike manner
look upon our public school system as the
nnaturest and most honorable fruit of our
Christian civilization. II assumes the ex-
istence and influence OF the family and the
Christian church. and in an atmosphere OF
purity and devotion to high aims begotten at
the 6reside and the altar, teacher and youth
meet together to attend to duties and in
terests they have in common. In the
conviction tha our public school system Is
but q part of the educational provision made
for our american youth. believe tnat the
withdrawal of the Influence of our families
| of intelligence and refinement and of the
moral support of the Christian churches
would defeat their purpose and reduce them
to a condition which would verify the pre-
dietion OF their enemies. where the state
assumes p6ternal relations toward any or It's
children in its reform school 1t makes pro-
vision for their religious instruction hut
when 1t opens the common school near the
| home. and in the parish, it assumes that the
children will bring with them, for use and
assimilation in character, knowledge of the
truths of religion and morals. IL 1t IS OBJ
jet ted that this is not the actual condition or
| things. reply that the state is obliged to as
sumo the existence of both as essential to its
| own existence, as well as that of its schools.
PROPOSES TO ARBrTRATE.
| Noticing next the opinion that the multi
I tude of moral evils and heinous sins that
seem to be so abundant, some OF which you
have named. are the legitimate fruit OF our
public school system, must emphaticaily
deny the statement as one thai cannot De
proven. This is q charge repeatedly made,and
| generally believed by Catholics, and one that
| [ believe to be very unjust, indeed, as unjust
| as if these evils were charged to our Repub-
| lican form OF government, or TO the Protest
| ant Reformation. This being matter OF
greatest moment l should be very glad to
JOIN you in sui mitting TO persons OF impair
| tial and scientific abilities The following IN
| ouiries: tll To what ationalitles, and re
| lgions do these enemies eloHg. VIZ: inmates
| of prisons, warehouses and reform schools,
the iieentious, drunkaFds and drunkard-
makers? ri To what religious and social
influences were they subjected in youth. and
what portion of their training was received
in the public schools?
We shall then have facts to which all par
ties can APPEAL and whatever warning there
may be in them against dangerous tendencies
| or policies of government, good citizens VIII
listen to and heed.
That our school system is imperfect and,
| in many cases. very unsatisfactory, cannot
| be denied; vet it may be said for them, as we
| have to say of the Christian church in varl-
| Gus periods. that IL expresses the high water
| mark OF the moral and intellectual coadltlon
| of the people.
see no practical difficulty III more formal
| incuieation of the recognized principles OF
! Christian morality The reasonableneSs OF
j them and the moral beauty of the character
| that represents them, so commend them thal
| they are as reasonably accepted as the truths
| of natural religion. But far more important
| is the careful training of youth III habits and
| taste as to temperance. purity and cnarity.
| that make character, as distinguished from
| profession; aud in this believe the pubiic
| schools are doing valuable service.
| Respecting the provision which should De
| made for religious instruction, outside the
| public school, and yoHr criticism OF the ay-
| erage Protestant Sunday school. think you
| are substantially correct. and that the rellg
ions instruction of Protestant youth deserves
! far better provision than it has yet recei we'd
| but the evil is not the fault of the public
| schools, but rather in defective methods
which consume time with little increase OF
| knowledge. Finally, as to the remedy pro
| posed. the only one, SO far | am Informed
| that would be satisfactory 60 the Catholic
clergy, is the one referred to by yourself,
[ THE DIVISION OF THE soroOL FUND.
! allowing religious bodies to take charge oi
their own schools. If this plan is ever con
sidered it must be shown to be in the inter
| est of society. and for the well-being of tht
| whole state, and not merely the desire Oh {
| part to be relieved from what are reeog
| 1iZed public and governmental respon
sibilities But without undertaking tt
| consider the objections to this plan
| IL seems to me that we have entered upoi
| times when the people are determined upoI
| entire and independent control OF their gov
| ernmental affairs. without king and with