The Portland daily press., 1889-12-09
TINE FLAG OVER the PusLic
SCHOOL"
The Sermon by Rev. Henry Blanchard
Yesterday

chose for his text the fourth verse of the
sixtieth Psalm, "Thou hast given banner
to them that fear thee, that it may be dis
played because of the truth" In the Scrip
lures we do not have the word flag In the
sense in which we use it today. There are,
however, two equivalents, banner and en-
sign. And all three mean something around
which men:may rally, a symbol of national
life. To us who fear or revere God. has
been given the flag of our nation. 1t is to
be displayed because of the truth for which
it stands, the truth that this is nation
whose government is Of the people, for the
people, and by the people. He would con-
slider, first, the cause of this action, the
raising of the flag over the public school.
That cause is the profound and widespread
feeling among American citizens that there
Is determined efferl on the part of the cit
lzens OF the republic and of others living in
another land. to overthrow our system of
public schools. 1t is said that the first
movement to raise flag over public school
was suggested by lady of the W. G. I. u.
In The West. But as the spark without
flag needed the patriotic sentiment in many
breasts. We find it in the members of the
Grand Army of the Republic; in ministers
OF all denominations; In the great multi
tude of teachers in schools, academies and
colleges; in the select company of philo-
sophie students of history and governments.
These all see the need of the public school
to help the State, to perpetuate patriotism.
These will have the flag over the school.
In the second place, the question is to be
asked. Is there justification of this feeling
which has led to this deed of raising the flag
strongly that there was. Look at the facts.
study the history of the common school.
We owe the origin Of our public schools to
Christianity. In pagan lands there was no
conception of the need of public education.
Even in Sparta and Athens schools were
only for the patricians and the rich. Chris
tianity taught the brotherhood of man. The
Catholic chusch In the ninth century tried
to establish schools for the poor. The coun-
Gil Of Lateran in 1179 decreed the establish
for the teaching of the poor. The council
of Lyons in 1245 ordered their enlargement;
but it was hard to carry decree into effect
Practically 1t was Luther who established
common schools. Knox in Scotland helped,
and Germany and Scotland show benefcent
common, schools. They called them foun-
tains of learning. Connecticut used her two
millions of dollars received for sale of
western lands, not to pay the debts of the
war OF the Revolution, but to establish
her public schools Massachusetts
ucCu buo pIUCccuo VI tu6 lOEtolo VI Wudt uOW
Is Maine to establish hers. Over the whole
Union we have our public schools: Mean
while immigration has set in. Irish, Ger
mans, Scandinavian. Italians have come.
Statesmen see Its dangers. Now there is
heterogeniety where oAce there was homo
not the Roman Catholic laity Of America
wish to establish .parochial schools. Anglo
Catholic or High Church, Ritualist
Episcopalian wish to found their
own: So do Lutherans, Baptist,
Methodist, Universalist: Bat all
save the first two named, believe in the pub
lie school. The facts may warn us. The
feeling that there Is some danger to our sys-
TEN of public schools Is well founded. 1t
bias raised the flag over the public school. In
the third place. it may be asked: Shall this
feeling be deepenedP Yes, Tne student of
lie school has played In the past; he believes
IL has great part to perform in the future.
II stands on the American principle that the
State shall secure the education of all its
citizens. 1t will not leave this duty to par
ents or to church. 1t will provide means
and demand their public maintenance. 1t
will suffer other schools to be provided, if
paid for by those who wish them and if open
to the inspection of the representative of the
State.
We are to say then to Catholics and Anglo
Catholics and Lutherans-we will have no
interference from foreign power. We are
a democracy. We have done with forever
all monarchy and aristocracy. Be Ameri-
cans If you come to America.
We say we will not divide the school fund
Spacious arguments may be made; appeals
to generosity may be urged, but we must de-
ny all divisions. Once begun, disintegration
of our system would follow. We say to any
polite an or any party who attempts to
harm our public schools, the people will
bury you under their condemnation.
Last of all, the question may be asked: Is
the flag over our public school the symbol of
the perpetuation of ourlsystem of public edu-
cation? The answer is-yes. The reasons
are many. There is an unconscious Ameri-
canizing going on among our foreign born.
Mr.. Blanchard gave several illustrations.
The Catholic congress at Baltimore proves
how dear our schools and our country are to
American Catholics. Every word in favor
of schools and in eulogy of America brought
down tumult of applause. Cardinal Glib
bons, Archbishop Ireland and others are
loyal Americans.
The spirit of the age is for democracy. 1t
has made France and Brazil republics. 1t
will doom all monarchy in church.
Let all Americans unite then in thanking
God for country and for schools. Children
of the PuritaDs, or of other religionists, we
to DO Matthew Arnold said, '.America
holds the future" Bancroft wrote, "Puri-
tanism was the only religion struggling for
the people, war against tyranny and
superstition"
We believe America is to be the saviour OF
the nations. We believe her public schools
are to perpetuate the republic. Let us pledge
our heartiest efforts to help her fulfil her des
tiny.
Before the sermon a patriotic hymn was
sung, and at its close the congregation Joined
with a will in singing "My country tits Of
thee"
CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH.
At the Church of the Messiah last evening
the pastor, Rev. q. E. .Gilchrist delivered a
lecture on some of the evils of modern jour-
nalism. Mr.. Gilchrist said in part:
We have right to ask, is the press edu-
eating the masses today in the right direc.
us look at the present tendency, or the gen
eral drift of modern journalism.
l claim for one point that its present ten
dency is extremely sensational, and that 1t is
growing rapidly more and more so. Look at
the headings of the news columns! Papers
nounced fsul and unclean, are today seized
and devoured with avidity by the masses
The old, dignifed and honorable journals,
that formerly had the lead, before pure taste
had been sullied by degeneracy, are now out
stripped in circulation by the more sensa-
tlOudl bypS, anu cOuO udNO w
this deterioration, or, to save their business,
they have had to sacrifice their dignity and
follow in the path of their so'called enter.
prising contemporaries.
This leads me to remark that today we
have a wrong conception of enterprise, II
we use 1t anonymously with being fast.
Many of the modern reporters are getting
to be nothing but public nuisances, sources
of dirt. barnacles and leeches that are fast
ening their nasty grip, upon things other.
wise sacred, pure and lovely. They are ev-
erywhere present. prying into domestic Sc
crets. They are where moral filth and dirt
abound. Rarely are they at church, but al
a dog fight. prize fight, a game of sport. and
den Of vice. They invade the home and dis
cover minor weakness not worth noticing
and after filtering it through their wicked
imaginations they place it before the gas
of men, overdrawn and hideously cver-col
ored. They are the educators of GOSSIP
and scandal-mongering. Reputation and
virtue are sullied by their glances. The.
are the cats paw for depraved public
taste.
Another tendency which we observe, ant
which naturally grows out of the above, Il
the unreliability of the press. The great de
sire to obtain something sensational ant
taking leads to the manufacture of gr0s
lies and misstatements. In political con
test mud is employed as the most poten
weapon. The mud is composed of dirty lie
mixed with the water of pictorial fancy
Even the exalted position of President o
this great nation does not shield him from
the poisonous fangs of the newspaper ser
pents. No station is dignified enough Il
escape their blasphemy. They lower. thu