Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-01-12
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JUDGE AXTELL'S ANSWER,

ucator" has introduced some statistics to
prove something, do not clearly under
stand what, against the common schools
l herewith hand you some statistics which
may offset his, and prove something in
favor of such schools, generally speak
ing. ! believe ignorance, poverty and
crime are closely allied. This Catholic
educator also asserts that am in favor Of
Goddess schools" and also that wish
to rob the poor Catholics of about the only
thing they have OF any value, their reig-
ion. My friend is laboring under Il great
mistake. 1t is Just the one thing don't
want. If l had it would not know what
to do with it. l have often heard Of per-
sons getting religion" and losing "re-
ligion," but never knew exactly what
they meant. As for Goddess stores and
Goddess carpenter shops and Goddess
schools, it is all Greek to me- am con-
WINGED Catholic Educator" is right when
he says am not qualified to discuss such
questions. St. Paul says Good is not far
from every one of us, for in Him We live
and move and have our being"
Possibly he may be with the
dear little children in the common
school, even if not introduced by Cath
Ole educator. Some people are crazy to
put God in the constitution of the United
States, and others want to keep him out,
andmy poor frightened Catholic Educa-
tor" thinks l intend to keep him out of the
common school. Don't worry, my friend
I shall do nothing of the kind, for Jesus
said, "Sufer little children to come unto
me, and forbid them not, for Of such is
the kingdom Of heaven" What I wish
to keep out of the common school is
bigotry and bigots, and sects and secta-
rians, and religious quarrels and religious
dogmas and doctrines, and such men as
Catholic educators. We have no right to
establish religion in our common schools.
The constitution OF the United States de-
MES even to congress the right to make
laws respecting the establishment of re-
ligion. If We are to believe "Cathollc
Educator" this is goddess country, for We
have no state religion, nor can We ever
have till the constitution is abolished and
the republic overthrown. l regret that
Catholic Educator" could not discuss the
question of non-sectarian schools without
INDUCING in personal abuse, but this may
be owing to the fact thai possibly he was
not educated in the American common
school, where among other things pupils
are taught fair play, truth and respect for
other rights. s. 3. AxTELL.
The common school stands or falls with
the right of the state to educate. Now,
in republic at least, the state is not a
thing apart from the people. Materially
it is the commonwealth. Politically, it is
the whole people exercising the functions
of self-conservation and self-government.
The ground Of the common school is the
right and the duty of the state to educate
the whole people to such extent as will
secure the preservation of the state and
the full development of its life. The state
not only has the right, but also is under
obligation, to educate its citizens in just so
far Us is necessary to secure the two great
ends of self-conservatiOn and self-develop-
ment. The state must educate, because
commercial and industrial prosperity and
material progress OF every sort depend on
general intelligence. In 1870 a special in
vestigation was made in fifteen states of
1898 inmates of alms-houses and intirma-
RES. OF these 1927, or nearly 81 per
cent, could not read and write; while in
these fifteen states the average per-
centage of iliterates was only q
per cent of the whole population
From this = per cent came that
% per cent OF the paupers. 1t
seems to be well established that, even
under our present industrial system, an
illiterate person is from ~ to 81 times as
liable to become a pauper and an expense
to the community as one who has received
a common school education The state
must educate because the integrity and
health Of the nation depend on its moral
lty, and morality is virtually dependent
on diHused intelligence. Moreover, edu-
cation is not simply an intellectual pro-
cess; it is also moral process. 1t is the
rule that the moral life of individuals, as
well as of communities, rises pari passu
" it'll rise of intellectual life. But mere
ly intellectual training is only part of
education, Which, properly speaking, is an
unfolding of the whole nature.
Mr.. Dexter A. Hawkins, of New York,
has shown from the United States census
of 1870 the following figures. taking the
public schools of twenty-one states, the
parochial schools and the schools of this
state:
crates. Paupers. nais.
Roman Catholic schools .l,4J0 4IU 100
Public schools Of q states. 800 40 10
Mass. public schools. II 40 IL
In the six New England states in 1870,
only 7 per cent of the inhabitants above 10
years OF age were unable to read or write
yet this per cent produced 30 per cent of
the criminals, that is, the proportion of
criminal illiterates to criminal literates
was as SO to l. This fact sufficiently vim
dicates the moral effect of the New Eng
land system of public education against
Cardinal Antonelli's implied charge. A
careful examination of statistics gathered
from twenty states gives the following
average results:
!. One-sixth of all the crimes in the
country is committed by persons wholly
illiterate.
2. One.third of the crime in the country
is committed by persons wholly or sub
stantially illiterate.
3. The proportion Of criminals among
the iliterate is, on the average, ten times
as great as it is among those who have re-
ceived at least the elements of common