The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-11
BIBLES In THE SCHOOLS.
ARCHBISHOP IRELAND BEFORE
THE TEACHERS.

bAO AOutu OI lnS country IN Eep-
arate Schools.
ST. PAUL, July l0-At to-day's session
of the National Educational Association
the following officers were elected: Presi-
dent. William K. Garrett, of Nashville; vice
presidents, James II. Garfield. of Lawrence,
Kan; W. H. Beadle, OF Madison, S. d.
Mrs. d. l., Williams, of Delaware, O.; J.
NJ. Baker, Of Denver; T. A. Futial, OF
Mariana, Ark; John T. Buchanan, of
Kansas City; b. S. Jones, Of Erie, Pa.
Mary e. Nicholson, of indianapolis;
K. R. Preston, of Jackson, Miss.
E. B. McElroy. of Salem, Ore.
NJ. c. Fernald of Orono Me Solomon
Palmer of Montgomery, Ala. Secre, ary,
E. H. Cook of New Brunswick, n. j..
treasurer, J. M. Greenwood of Kansas
City, aud a director from eacl state repre-
seuted in the convention. An unsuccessful
attempt was made by Mr.. Vail of Illinois
TO substitute DIR. E. G.. Hewitt of Ohio for
president.
George p. Brown of Illinois submitted
resolution favoring annual reports on the
progress IN pedagogical observation d in
qully during the year, and it was adopted.
A resolution regarding spelling reform
ives referred to the committee on resolutions.
The first sui ject of the morning was COM
pulsory laws and their enforcement.
STATE SCHOOL AND PARISH SCHOOL.
Archbishop ireland, of st. Paul, read the
nrst paper on the topic 'Sta school and
parish schools union between them i'm
p s'ible.m He said. in substance:
will be permitted 10 make at once my PRO
fession OF faith. ! declare most unboun led
loyalty to the consti ution of my country. |
desire no favors. claim no rights that are not
IN conSonance with its rights and privileges.
These privileges of the constitution do claim,
and IN dong SO | am but a trurr and more loyal
citizen. To the caild must be impaired in no
mean degree that the man may earn for himself
an honest competence and acquit himself OF the
duties which society requires of him for its own
prosperity and life. The imparting OF this in
structon is primarily the function of the child's
parent The STAKE intervenes whenever the
family cannot or will not do the work needed
AS things are tens of thousands Of children
might rot be instructed il tie parents remain
solely in charge of the duty.
DUTY OF THE STATE
The state must come forward as agent Of in
struction, else ignorance will prevail. Indeed
IN tue absence of state action there never
that universal instruction which we have so
nearly attained and which we deem necessary
In the absence OF state action
| believe unive sal instruction would never in
any country be possible. No tax is more i'm
portant than that for schools and it should be
dlsbursed by state officers for this specific pur-
pose unreservedly favor laws making state
education compulsory. Early instruction is so
much needed by eacl citizen for his own sake
and for society that the father who neglects to
provide for his child INSTRUCTION sins against the
child and against society, and 1t behooves the
state TO punish him. OF course the principles
must not be forgotten, and since instruction is
primarily the function of the parent the par
ent enjoys the right to educate his child in a
manner suitable TO himself, provided always
ttat the education given in this manner suffices
Tor tlB Interior duties gxPeIte1 DV society
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
Compulsory education implies attendance in
schools r1aiiItaned and controlled by the state
only when there is no attendance IN other
schools known TO he comp tent to inpart in
struction il tAe required degree The compul-
sorry laws recently enacted in certain states of
the union are, to my judging, obj &C ionabe in
a fcw of their incid ntal clauses These am
confident, will readily be altered in tie ap-
preaching legislative sessions, With the body
OF laws and their general intent In the direction
of Fastening among us universal instruction |
am in most hearty a cord.
NECESSITY FOR PARISH SCHOOLS.
Secular instruction in the state schools is our
pride and our glory, and regret that there is
necessity for the existence of parish schools
The spirit of the parish school, il not the school
itself, is widespread among American
Protestants, and is made manifest by their
determined opposition to the exclusion OF
scripture reading and other devotional exercises
from the school room. There is dissatisfaction
with the state school as at present Organized.
The state school, 1t is said tends To the elimina-
tion of religion from the minds and hearts of
the youth of the country This is my grievance
against the state schools OF to-day.
FOR THE VEAL OF ALI.
Believe me- my Protestant fellow citizens
that | am absolutely sincere when ! now de-
clare that am speaking for the veal of Prot
estantism as well as for that of catholicism. l
am Catholic, of course, to the fibre
of my heart, unfiinching and uncom-
promising in my faith. But God
forbid that desire to see in
America the ground which protestantism occu
pies exposed to the chilling and devastating
blast Of unbelief Let me be your ally In stem
ming the swe ling tide of irreligion, the death
knell of christian life and christian civilization,
the fatal foe OF the soul and the country.
RELIGION IGNORED.
The state SC ool- is non-reigious ignores re-
ligion. There is and there can be no positive
religious teaching where the principle of non
sectarianism rules. 1t follows, then, that the
child will grow up in the belief that religion is
Indifference will be his creed. A
great mass OF children receive no first
lessons and attend Sunday school, and a
great mass of children Of America are growing
up without religion. The state does not teach
religion, but for the sake OF its people and for
its own SAX lit should permit and facilitate the
action Of the church. But it hinders this action.
Two-EDGED SWORD.
Let the state look TO itself. The mind which
it polishes is a two-edged sword, an instrument
for good or evil. 1t fatal to polish it
without assurance that in all likelihood
it shall be an instrument for good. You
say this state school teaches morals,
but. morals without religious principles
do not exist. Secularists and unbelievers will
interpose their rights. do not impose my
iigion of secuarism Again, there are differ
ences among christians, and Catholics would
not inhict their belief upon non Catholics
nor should Protestantism be inflicted
upon Catholic children. Some compromise be
comes necessary Taxation without repre-
sentation is wrong and while the minority pays
school taxes their beliefs should be respected
America Is trying to divorce religion and the
school, although religion pervao5s our systems.
and the school was originally religious through
and through.
HIS REMEDY.
AS solution Of the difficulty would perme-
ate the regular state school with the religion of
a majority of the children Of the land, be it as
protestant as professionalism can be, and would
as they do in England, pay for secular instruction
given In denominational schools according to
results-that is, each pupil passed through ex-
accordance with the state programme, would
secure to his school tine cost Of tn ton of pupil
in the state school
ANOTHER PLAN.
Another plan would do as the protestants and
Catholics in Poughkeepsie and other places in
our own country have agreed to do to the great
satisfaction of their citizens and the great ad-
vancement of educational interests. In fough-
keepsie the city school board rents
the building formerly used as a parish
school and from the hour of 9 o'clock in the