The Portland daily press., 1889-03-06
Tho state Reform school.


10 the. Editor Of The Press:
Have the trustees Of the State Reform
school any right to permit any kind OF sec
tartan teachings among the inmates?
This question thus far has not been dis
cussed in connection with the attempt to Sc
cure an enactment in the interests Of the
Roman Catholic church at the State Reform
School.
The following are few of the reasons for
answering it in the negative:
First-The trustees are State officers. They
represent all the sects in the State, and must
be, therefore, non-sectarian in their admnls-
tration Of the duties Of their Office
Second-They are men under State author
lty. or any other man, as private cltlZen,
might be willing to grant TO any boy. aiter
MS conviction, any OF the religious pIlyl-
leges possessed before his imprisonment,pro-
yided they were isolated occasions, made at
his personal request and did not involve the,
regular services or instruction OF any sect.
But the trustee cannot act as private cit
izen in his management OF the school. What
ever, in his best judgment, as the representa-
tive of the State, would interfere with re-
formatory discipline or will not "best secure"
to the inmates their reformation, amend
without violating his oath of Office and the
law of the State. Revised Statutes, 142, sec.
IL.
Third-While each boy in the Reform
School may be allowed perfect freedom of
conscience, and does exercise the same TODAY
without any restrictions, no one interfering
with his private opinions or devotions. all
his moral and religious instruction must be
determined by the trustees of the institution
Legal decision has settled this point. Hon.
Henry r. Selden, judge of the New York
Court Of Appeals, said
.As 70 those who are 100 young or too feeble
minded 10 form opinions of their own on religious
SUBJECTS the question arises whether the right to
Determine what religious instruction shall be
given 10 them rests with the managers or whether
they are bound to consult with the wishes OF the
parents or guardians of the children in that re-
spect
AS question of legal right think this power
that by the conviction and Imprisonment of the
cniloren, the parents or guardians have lost the
possessed.n-Ihe Coetdt3on Of Minors In Respect
to their Religious Rights In Public Institutions
Neao York 1880, page IA
Two things were settled by their decision.
children have no inherent rights in respect
TO their religious training but they inhere
| (al In the parent If the child is not imprison-
ed and 10 they are removed from the parent
| to the managers of the reformatory institu-
| tion to which the child is committed when
| sentenced for crime.
| Fourth-lnasmuch as the trustees are
| State officers, and inasmuch as it is their
legal right to determine the religious train
and inasmuch as by the State laws
they are to preserve reform-
atory discipline and must instruct
the boys "as will best secure their reforms
ton amendment and future benefit" there
fore 1t is the duty of the trustees in the rnles
OF the institution to represent the non-sec-
tartan character of the State and to permit
nothing which in their best Judgment will
not best secure" the reformation amend
ment and future benefit" of the boys COM
mitted to their care
Flfth.The sectarian teachings of the Ro-
man catholic are not calculated to "best Sc
cure the reformation" and amendment of
tne boys who are committed to the State Re-
form School.
The non-sectarian teachings of Roman
Catholicism which are like the same taught
by Professionalism are the foundations of vir-
tue and morality and furnish the basis of the
instruction now given at the Reform School
involve other matters.
what these are we need not discuss at this
time. IL Will be sufficient for us to quote the
declarations of tEeir advocates.
Bishop Healy claims that one-ffth of the
population Of Portland is Roman Catholic.
Ihat one-ffth furnishes large proportion
| OF our criminals and paupers.
Bishop Healy claims that 0ne-eighth of the
population OF Maine are Roman Catholics;
tnat one-eighth furnishes large percentage
| OF the inmates of our State prison, ard one
| School, ~
Mr.. Looney declares that 900 of the 1900
| soldiers cared for by the government at To.
gus are Roman Catholics, vet less than %
per cent of the Union army were Roman
Catholics
Hon. Dexter A. Hawkins of New York
city Educators In Council, 1884, I" page SCI
after presenting tables of official Statistics
sums them up thus: "a child trained in the
parOchia school is during life more than
three and quarter times as likely to get in
TO jail as the child trained in the free public
school,"
The Vicar-General of Boston, In his pub-
lie lecture, March 18th. 1879, after quoting
from the Catholic Telegraph of Cincinnati.
1T VIII be glorious day for the Catholics
In this country when under the blows of
Justice and morality, our school system will
be shlvered to pieces" added, Rome has
never favored the education of masses. In
her relation to them she has adhered to her
own proverD. Ignorance is the mother of
DEVOTION
In Protestant countries like Germany and
the United States, where there is a Strong
sentiment in favor Of popular education. She
mas been compelled TO open schools of her
own, But her real attitude toward the edu-
cation OF the masses should be inferred from
her course in these countries where she has
kept the people in besotted Ignorance For
instance her own Italy, where 70 per cent.
OF the population are illiterate: or Snain
where we find so per cent. or Mexico. where
70 per cent. belong to this class"
win such record and such testimony the
trustees In their non sectarian position cam
not rlghtfully admit Roman Catholic teach
ing into the Reform school.
Respectfully,
IT,