St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-04
That Is the Conclusion Drawn
by Rev. Vail in His
Sermon.
A Reported Interview With
the Pope on Schools Of
America,
Asking Taxation Exemption
on Account Of Their Pa
roehial Schools.

ne should CO." and said:
A reported interview with the pope
brings once more TO our minds with
sharp diStinctness the interest he feels
in America. 1t is clear that his power
has gone IN Europe. Little by littl his
domain has been taken from him, and
he fears entire loss at any time. Nat
urally he looks to America, where, by
immigration, millions of his subjects
have found home, as a place of great
Importance. The particular point we
desire to speak of is the education given
in our public schools. The church has
not formulated an exact demand, but
has suggested that it suffers certain
wrongs, and that because of this radl-
cal change must be made. 1t asks free
dom from taxation of its people because
their children attend parochial schools.
1t asks this exemption that it may
throw round its institutions a fence
to isolate them from other people.
1t asks people who have opened the
doors of the nation to its poor and dis
treSSed, who have given them freely of
the best its broad acres yielded, who
have afforded protection in every pc
cuIiarity of their worship, who have al
lowed them all the freedom there is-it
asks that this minority shall dictate our
school policy.
1t must be remembered that this
church is an immigrant, and it must
give sufficient reason for the proposed
change. 1t found land where differ
ences of opinion were allowed. 1t found
people who had recognized that men
must differ. but kept as distinguishing
characteristic inscribed over every
cabin door in this wilderness and on the
walls of every school house the motto,
$40 all men, freedom to worship God
according to the dictates of conscience"
1t found system that produced indie
pendence OF character, impulse of am
bitlon, and has given excellent returns.
1t found system that
Justifies Itself
In the minds of Intelligent citizens be-
cause iG was part of the great idea of
the democracy planned by storm-tossed
martyrs, initiated by brave pilgrims
and defended by the best blood of the
colonies. This church complains be-
cause for centuries it has been a mon
archy, debating the life and principles
of It's people. 1t complains because be-
longing to a different system, born
under different conditions, our methods
seemed new and strange. 1t complains
because its best preacher has put forms
above morality and said that a beggar
woman who would lie and was lazy and
treacherous, if she performed the offices
OF the church was far better than the
best moral citizen without this brand Of
religion. The public school, on the
other hand, has tendency to free per-
SONS from such beliefs.
rrl1
with our system, that is acknowledged
to be imperfect; that we are not united
among ourselves as to what should be
taught. But is discomfort a sufficient
ground for radical change? The most
contented people are savages. Where
women are given preference by courtesy
we hear much about their rights, but
when we go back to the point where
they are the merest drudges of savage
in the tent, we hear little or nothing of
complaint. Discomfort did not enter
the minds of the vaSsal or the slave
thirty centuries ago, but only when a
man is advanced to higher wages and to
share in luXuries does he begin to agi-
tate for better things. In EliZabeth's
time people were not disconnected with
titude, although drunkenness was
universal and nearly all ministers
of the gospel drank to larger or
smaller extent; but now when it is be-
coming the exception instead of the
rule we hear much discomfort regard
ing temperance laws. Discomfort, then,
is the divine instinct. We are never sat
isfied. God does not mean that we ever
shall be satisfied. We are reaching out
for perfection and no matter what we
gain we shall only be satisfied for a mo-
ment. and then ask for something bet
ter. So discomfort with our school sys-
tenn is not sufficient cause for overthrow
ing it.
But these people are doing violence
to conscience in supporting a system
they do not believe in. Well, conscience
might have kept them from coming.
They knew the institutions of the coun-
try-at least their leaders did-before
they came. In Brazil or Spain thew
might find to their notion. Conscience
may carry them there to-day, for there
is no law to prevent and nobody would
try to stop their going. On the other
hand conscience suggests that small
minority may have
The Privilege of Protest,
but should not have the power of coer-
ciOn. Conscience also suggests to MANY
thousand citizens the Improperly of
paying large personal taxes, while q
vast amount of church property is ex-
empted from taxation. Have these men
no rights to be respected? And consei-
ence should Furthermore suggest that
the millions of men who are not especi-
ally interested in churches and are
strongly opposed to sectarian teaching
in the schools have rights as sacred as
those Of any other man. The sense of
all who are not biased by selfish mot
i've is that the public school is one of the
defenses of American life, and this APP
plicatiOn of conscience must be made all
around, if at all.
1t is claimed, again, that we infringe
on personal liberty, but a man has no
right to personal liberty that infringes
on rights of other men. Indeed, we
have little personal liberty. We cannot
drive as we please on the street. We
are limited to four miles an hour on the
bridge. We cannot maintain nuisance
of any kind within the city limits-un-
less we have plenty of mOney-and our
liberty is hedged in all around by the
rights of other people.
Then, If this church would dictate, it
must show efficiency of method. Has it
been efficient in Spain? Is its efficiency
shown in the rebellious hordes that now
live in the coke districts of Pennsvl-
vania. OF in the Malta of New Orleans?
Is efficiency of method shown in the
swarms of people in the factory villages
of New England who have almost killed
the life that was once New England's
pride? If by their fruits shall We know
them we are to find tests, then / main
tain that the secular schools have pro-
duced result far above that of the re-
ligf0uS schools.
In closing let me say that, with all
proper respect for religion, | hope that
the life of the world in its intellectual
aspect will never again be
Dictated by the Church.
The dictatien of the church brought
upon the world the shadows and hor-
rors, the crueltieS and superStitions in
those centuries we call the Dark Ages.
When knowledge opened the vistaS of
fta1ifQn-c vicirta of fha Iiotofi0p Of 4h.,