The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-01-03

~ S.J
CATION of the gospel over these and other
lands-we mean the itinerancy?
The M. L, church, as a denomination,
will have either to sit down heavily on
the s'call' business altogether, once for
all, or abandon the p~retense of being led
by the drawings of the Holy Spirit in the
making up of appointments at Conference
one or the other.
We see by the New York papers that a
party has recently been formed in this
country for heading off the Catholic plan
of obtaining appropriations from State and
city for building and endowing parochial
schools, said schools which are nothing
more or less than places for instruction in
the Catholic church dogmas, and as a con-
sequence wholly sectarian.
This, the establishment of parochial
schools, is a pet theory of the Catholic
Church, willy and sinister though it be,
and is a direct blow to the maintenance
and perpetuation of our common school
system. 81 have seen some of the text
books used in their school" says a late
writer, ''and the histories are Invariably
distorted in order to put the Pope, and
Catholics generally, i'll the best possible
light. And | have seen some of the most
violent and untruthful attacks upon the
public school system from the pens of
Catholic writer's"
Now we think it high time this whole
business was brought up with a short turn
and the church that aims to place itself
and a foreign potentate first in the affec-
tions of our youth, should be invited to a
back seat, so far at least as the manage
ment of our public schools are concerned.
If the contrary should MAINTAIN, in two or
three generations we would have Irish
Americans, Commandments and Scand-
inayian-A Americans instead of American
| Americans.
The Cal says: The movement is not
aimed at Catholics as Catholics, but against
the principle OF alternating children from
American life through the parochial school
system. We have Hebrews, Episcopalians,
PresbyteTians, Baptists and Methodists in
our organization, and members of almost
every other denomination except Catholics.
But if there be a Catholic who owes his
allegiance first to the United States and
afteIward to the Pope we will be glad of
his cooperation.
1.-The league is composed ofgentlemen in
different States who are interested in the
public school question and wish to prevent
the appropriation of national or State funds
for UNCONVENTIONAL purposes.
tsTha aor1n,nn So1,na1c n no +locn brn,oJ, |
which foreigners and the sons of foreigners
should pass in order to become good
American citizens, and we feel that the
appropriation of State or national funds
for the purposes ofsustaining the parochial
schools would serve instead of making
those who attend them American citizens
to raise up a second or third generation of
foreigners in our midst, who would be Just
as ignorant of American institutions, and
just asdevoid of the true American feelings
as their ancestors, the emigrants, were.
whatever the faults Of the common
school system may be it has the effect of
impsrting the national feeling to children
and it thus amalgamates various national
tiles and assimilates the heterogeneous
elements which enter into our national
life
The paper concludes with: SIN regard to
Sft 'Nee'C VI 80 "a va III
school no sentiment either for or against
has been expressed by the members of our
organization. | presume that there are
members in our league who are opposed
to the reading of the Bible in The
public schools and some who favor it, but
that question can be postponed for future
consideration. Our sole object now is the
protection of the common school system
from its enemies
The organization numbers among its in
corporators such distinguished gentlemen
as John Jay, Alexander E. Orr, Churchill
II. Cutting, Clinton b. Fisk, John ID. Stay
back, William Relieves Morgan and James
W. Montgomery. The organization was
formed last July, and is said by its found
ers to be non-sectarian and non-partisan,
and its chief work will be to secure amend
ments to the constitutions of every State
i'll the Union which will prohibit the APP
preparation by the State of any money for
sectarian schools.