The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-05
sECTARIAN INDIAN SCHOOLS.


From Harper's Weekly.
1t is the misfortune of the Roman
Catholic church in this country that il
seeks to control education. The mis-.
| fortune lies in the fact that its purpose
| leads TO constant irritation of public feel
| ing and dispute, because the people OF
| the United States are resolved that nc
| church shall control education. Every
| sect Is, of course, free to establish schools
| at It's own cost for the instruction OF
such children as NAV be sent to them.
But the use of public money to sustain
such schools Is contrary to public feeling
and policy. This is well understood IL
| the states of the Union, but it does not
| prevent continuous effort. under vari-
| Gus pleas, to secure public aid for private
| or sectarlan institutions. No church
| among us has so definite purpose and
! so thorough an organization to extend
| It's sway as the Roman church. 1t is I'M
firing and able and plausible, and Its eff
forts, outside of its proper pale as re-
| llglous communion, must be watched as
| unremittingly and met as firmly as those
Of any other church or association of any
kind would be.
There Is no complete or consistent
system of education in the Indian de-
partment as there is in the states. There
are still mission schools maintained by
different denominations besides the gov
eminent schools, and public money
Is appropriated to aid them. The theory
seems to be that it is more ecominal for
the government to unite with the sects
than to maintain the schools indepen-
IDENTIFY, like other public schools. The
rncIIltS NF ClINh in fhn a
be readily perceived, and it is source
of constant feeling and anxiety in the
Indian department. In 1899, 40 per cent
of the appropriation for Indian educa-
ton, which was less than one 1000, 900,
was give to tha sectarian schools. OF
this sum, which was $50 .558, the Catho-
lie schools received S347, $50. For the
next year they will receive about $780,
OO0 The purpose of these schools
primarily, as it was in the early Jesuit
missions in Canada, is to make Roman
Catholics, rather than American citizens.
We do not mean that unpatriotic senti-
ments or feelings are inculcated. But
the object is ecclesiastical and sectarian.
That is the chief interest, and
for that purpose the organization
is thorough. This is something very
foreign to our general policy, and it
should be generally understood. But it
is not. Probably very few persons who
have not especial reasons for knowing
understand our scheme of Indian edu-
cation.
The subject is apt to be dismissed with
the remark that education under Catho-
lie auspices and with sectarian purposes
is better than none. But this is not
really the alternative or the question,
unless we choose that it shall be. The
question is, why should the public pay
for making Catholics or Methodists or
Presbyterians? In 1880 we appropriated
81 1854 ,568 for education among the In
dians. Why should a dollar of that
sum be spent for sectarian purpose?
And if it is not large enough to main
tain necessary schools properly, would
it not be much better for the country
to spend twice as much rather than to
save a million or two dollars by sus-
tanning a sectarian instruction which,
as sectarian, is repugnant to the spirit
of our institutions? The zeal of the va
rious sects would doubtless lead them
to maintain mission schools among the
Indians as among the Hlndoos and Chi
nese, and in our own great cities. But
the partnership of the government of
the United States with religious sects
should be ended as soon az possible.