The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-03-10
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but the great end aimed at was their moral
regeneration. This work. the prime WORK OF
the school Is to be entrusted, not 10 state OF
nclals, responsible TO the whole people Tor
men.
SecondIIt requires that boys shall be
Instructed in their own faith. Imagine the
boys az the Reform School demanding In
struction In this, that or the other faith. "a
boys, Will 10 the winds will" Today be
would receive Immersion from a Baptist
MMsnis'er; MN. poys all like to go swimming.
with the Methodlsts. Then he might
De lasclnated Dy the beautiful forms Of the
Episcopal service, and little later be would
IKE IKE 70 worship the image Of the Virgin Mary
anu receive the sacrament OF confirmation.
Afterwards he might desire the simpler
teachings OF the Quakers, or he might even
degenerate Into MormOnism or Buddhism or
Mohammedanism. Whatever he wants he
can nave. Inc state has nothing TO do with
what moral and religious teachings he shall
matter!
Wny not provide that good boys in their
own homes shall be encouraged by law TO
dictate to their parents or guardians what
moral and religious instruction they shall
receive? Are bad boys better qualified to
Judge what kind OF instruction they need?
Think Of boy demanding OF his father, In
the name OF the law, that Mormonism shall
UC bduBub llil ny u ulOTNuOu
Thlrd-But the bill says. 'Clergymen OF
all religious sects or denominations shall be
admitted to the Maine State Reform School
to instruct the inmates In the faith OF the
inmates, and then come these words, "or
his parents"
But which shall 1t be? Here Is a fine op-
portunity for controversy. His parents de-
sire one kind Of teaching, the boy desires
another; who shall decide? Or the father
prefers one faith, the mother another; which
shall control the teaching? Or the parents
may be dead, their faith may be unknown,
and the child may have no faith whatever.
Under this bill such cases would certainly
arise. IL the boy Is compelled to accept hls
fathers faith he may claim that his sacred
rights OF conscience" are violated. Why
should boy be compelled to accept faith
which to him Is false and repulsive. simply
because his parents desire it9 Are children
doomed TO the faith OF their parentsS
Fourth-Under the law the state, by its
board Of trustees, stands IN loco PARENTS to
the children. BY law the parents have been
deprived OF the care, custody and education
OF their children, and the rights and duties
Of the parents now devolve upon the trus-
tees. Such is the law regarding schools Of
this description, as may easily be shown by
legal decisions.
Why should the unworthy parents. after
having their rights Of custody and education
set aside BY the courts, be endowed by stat
ute with the right Of debating how their chill
dren shall be educated and trained In morals
and religion? II the moral and religious
training Is TO be continued under the dlrec-
tion OF these Incompetent or unworthy par
ents, why should the State take the children
away from them at all? Why should courts
take away the rights Of parents II the statute
Is to annul the action Of the courts?
Fifth-lt would lead TO a conflict Of au-
thorlty and teaching which would be injurl-
GUS 10 the institution and its inmates; or
else, to a complete surrender Of the children
70 those having no official connection with
the school. In the words OF the New York
Nation, used 10 reference to similar propo-
fact In the condition OF heather, deprived Of
their liberty and ready, II their custodiaus
Will permit H. to be scrambled for by large
body OF rival missionaries. ltwOuld be un-
seemly to the point OF scandal for their Gus
todians to permit such scramble, or to ex-
pose them to the competition OF rival forms
OF worship" As matter OF fact In a Ger
tain institution In New York. In order to
satisfy the demands OF certain clergy
men and religious Zealots the
children were divided by lot, each alternate
child being assigned to the Roman Catholic
church! His future veal or woe depending
on whether his number happened TO be odd
or eveni From all such riValries the instltu-
tion and its inmates should be protected.
Sixth-Under the pretext Of administering
sacraments the clergymen are to have com
plete control Of the boys and may do with
them as they like, In the language OF the bill,
NAbhOu1 6uCC VI Du tub
part Of any officer Of said school," Some part
Of some Of the sacraments must be admins
tered In private, according to the rules Of the
church. Are the legally authorized guard
ians Of the children TO be excluded from the
presence and control Of their wards? Who
will be responsible for the teachings Of these
clergymen?
II children are brlbed or threatened or
| or coerced by irresponsible elergymen
into the acceptance OF a religious creed aud
religious practices to them distasteful to
whom shall we look for redress? The trus-
tees cannot interfere, for this would be "hln-
erance or interference" and the matter
would be beyond the jurisdiction Of the su-
perintendent and other officers.
Enough has been said to satisfy any rea-
sonable person that there Is no need what
ever for the bill introduced by the Catholics.
1t Is a measure full Of iniquity. 1t Is
measure devised by the arch enemy of hu-
man liberty and progress, 1t Is urged with
Jesuitical pertlnacity and subtlety, and 1t
has for its object not the benefit OF boys at
the Reform School, but the Acknowledgement
Of that huge International political machine
known as the Roman Catholic church. In
its origin, In It's mode Of advocacy, aud In its
purpose 1t Is evil, and nothing but evil; and
Its passage would be crime against a state
institution, against its inmates, and against
the liberty-lovlng people OF n0n-sectarian
state. LIBERTY.