St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-02
ONE BROAD PLATFORM.
Leading Citizens Discuss the All
Absorbing Common School Cues

Leading Citizens Discuss the ALL,
Absorbing Common School Cues
ton.
Thomas Cochran will be pleased to see you
at his house, 90 Western avenue, upon Tues
day evening next at s o'clock, 10 meet Arch
bishop Ireland III order that you may inter
change with him and few other of your fell
low citizens opinions unon the pub
lie school question. American Protestants
and Catholics alike are now regarding
this question with deep interest and discuss
ing it with more or less wisdom upon the
platform and in the press. 1t would seem
therefore that frank though informal inter-
change of views upon it cannot but be bene-
iciat perhaps in removing differences of
opinion and at least in better understand
ing of what both parties to the discussion
really believe.
In response to the above invitation a
large number of prominent citizens of
st. Paul last evening assembled at the
residence of Mr.. Cochran. Among
them we're:
Archbishop Ireland, Bishop Gilbert Rev
DR.. MeLaren, Rev. j. E. Smith, DR.. Heath,
Supt. Kiehie, Gen. j. w. Bishop. H j. Horn,
d. r. Noyes, Capt. G.. H. Moffett Col j. H.
Davidson, Judge Macdonald, W. B. Dean. j.
Ross Nichols, Supt. Gilbert, d. s. B. John
ston, Col. Bend, Judge Kelly, Prof. Carmen,
Williams.
The informal talk was opened by
Archbishop Ireland, who, in the course
of his remarks, declared himself friend
of the public school system. He even
went so far as to say he was in favor of
compulsory enucation, on the principle
that it was the duty of the state to have
intelligence generally diffused. He
was, however, opposed to the inter-
ference of the state in the private
schools. The archbishop alluded to the
Bennett law in Wisconsin. He had read
that law carefully, and did not find it so
very Objectionable as some persons im-
agined it to be. If few clauses were
eliminated he could see no objection to
the enforcement of the law. He recog
nized difficulty in Catholics and Prot
estants agreeing upon any particular
form of religious education in the
schools; therefore they had to refer to
some other plan OF adjustment. He
had been impressed with what was
known as the Poughkeepsie On. " sys-
tenn. The Catholics of that town had
leased their school houses to the board
of education at a. nominal rent of 81
per year. The board had exclusive
control of the schools, which were i'll
session from 8 to IL and l to o'clock.
1t was, however, provided that before 9
O'Clock and after 3 O'Clock the teachers
were privileged to impart religious in
struetion to Catholic children.
DR.. McLaren, of the Central PreSby-
terrain church. the next speaker, in
. sisted that the summer schools should
be maintained upon their present basis
of non-sectarianism. The system was
essentially American; there should be
no deviation. Grant one denomination
something, and the rest would there
after desire the same privilege.
DR.. j. K. Smith, of Central Park M.
E. church, supported Mr.. McLaren's
view. and contested a point made by
Archbishop Ireland, that the common
school teaching had tendency to run
towards Seetarianism aud agnosticiSm.
Bishop Gilbert, of the Episcopal
church, took middle course. He was
favorably impressed by the Poughkeep-
sic plan, and was willing to see it
adopted, provided it stopped there. But
he knew the Roman church to be an ag-
gresSive church, and he did not think it
was any less aggressive in Minnesota
than elsewhere. His own preference
was to see Christian denominations
agree upon common standard of moral
teaching. This moral code should be
part of the common school instruction.
Supt KiehIe, Supt. Gilbert, Prof.
Carmen. Col. Ham Davidson and others
took part in the discussion thus intro
duced.
Refreshments were served, and
most pleasant and profitable evening
WAS SOput