The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-01-02
PRESERVATION OF THE
PUBLIC SCHOOL QUESTION.

PUBLIC SCHOOL QUESTION.
d pcUor McGlynn was met with loud
applause on his second appearance 'be-
fore a Rutland audience 1Ast evening in
the Opera House. As on the previous
evening the reverend gentleman was in
troduced by DR.. Charles WoOdhouse. A
refreshing nights rest and pleasant
drive in the cold December air dIspelled
the look of tired nature that rested on
his eountenance on Thursday evening
after travelling 235 miles End rushing
from a railroad train TO a platform 10
address an audience whose looks betOk-
ened intelligence. TIE subject Of the
evenings discourse was "Our public
schools and their enemies" The speak
er began with "education as the funda-
mental principle of all society" "Edu-
cation" he said, sis peculiarly necessary
TO human belngs. Man is social ami
NAL. The achievement in the way OF
art, science and culture is but the result
of the ASSOCIATION of man with man IN
numbers and in territory. If we have
no education we are no better than the
ape or any animal of the brute creation"
= ing as an illustration that child born
the most learned and cultured pa
vents, placed in the most degraded fam
Ily in Africa, grows up with the sur
roundings, ignorant aud debased; and
child born of the most arbarous parents
of Africa. placed in one of our families
where virtue aud high moral laws are
taught,gro up and becomes in a great
measure and almost wholly good intel
| iigent child !; all showing the wondrous
potency of education. In fact, all facul-
ties are dead and undeveloped without
educational environments. 1t is abso-
lutely essential to place US above the
brute creation, and if we are thankful
for education, which OF course we must
be, we should desire to perpetuate what
is good. The church should not be &C
cOmpanied by the school house, for, by
he education at the school of culture
and ait we develop Gnd-given faculties
and are perfectly able to study thr
church and adopt that religion for our
4elves that meet with our own apprOba-
tion. -. ..
| As American people, we must foster
education. This country is the beacon
light for other nations. It's educational
facilities are away beyond all other ma
lons; but in our own country there are
a lot Of men who cannot read the ballot
th'y cast or the measure they vote to
adopt. That is one of the evils that con-
front our pubic schools; men being al
lowed to vote for measures relating to-
he school system when they can nei' her
read nor write; and women who, per-
laps, are teachers OF astronomy or PHI
OSOphy are utterly ignored.
The speaker then dwelt on the dutiea
# the State to civil society, regarding
the great subject of education. Then
DR.. McGlynn referred 10 he despotic
governments of foreign countries, franz
ing such laws as would not allow the
subject 10 become enlightened; keeping
nun In ignorance, instiling into hls
mind the principles of religion that have
1een handed down for ages. and which
he subject is compelled to believe in
and support. 's,A
The speaker then turned to the great
'st evil that confronts the public schools.
viz Sectarian religion 10 the schools
Our schools should be common" said
"; I'VE must not let old sores of the
eenth century embittsr US. We
must eliminate all questions that breed
iiscord, all old theological hatreds. II.
great farce on religion to hate each
,ther for the love of God. The Catholic
church thinks the public schools goddess
because religion is not taught more.
This is utterly wrong. No religion
,hould be taught in the schools. Five
nour day, five days in the week, 80
weeks in the year, should be devoted To
The studies common in the schools, leav
ing plenty Of time Tor religion TO be
taught by other masters and in other
places. Surely the seeds of infidelism
cannot be sown in the school if proper
religious training lie had outside. A
priest should not teach arithmetic. as
ironomy or any other of the sciences or
studies. his uty is to his church, and if
he would mind bis own business the
young child going to The common school
would grow up better Catholic and a
better scholar. The very atmosphere is
'mbued with the English language and
the American freedom. We must pre-
serve this, we must not allow any for
eign element to usurp our rights by
teaching their native tongue and relig-
ton IN our public schools with the end
in view of making this country French,
Irish or German.
| The ex-priest went on to illustrate ex
amples of German priests wanting to
start these parochial schools for the fos
terIng of the German dialect, and other
illustrations, showing that 1t was farce,
4s the young foreigner after he had gone
through the parochial school went OUT
into the world and finding he was not
rs finely educated as the young man in
our public schools, longed to be an
American. don't cite these illustra-
ions for the purpose of holding the
Catholic Church in ridicule," said Dr.
McGlynn; "they are plain truths thai l
have spoken for the past 20 years before
priests and archbishops."
The speaker said in conclusion : at
ia clear to all of us that education il es
-ential; II is needless of argument. Why
should there he enemies of our public
schools ?''-Rutland Herald, Saturday