St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-02
THE COMMON SCHOOL
A Serious Question PROFOUND
ed by DR.. Vail, OF the Uni
verSalist Church.
Will the Catholic Hierarchy
Dictate the Policy Of Our
Public Schools ?
Archbishop Ireland Pointedly
Referred to by the Flo
quent Universalist.
What the Common School Has
Done for the Upbuilding
Of This Country.

Va Ills OOuHCFys
viii the Catholic hierarchy dictate
the policy of our public schools?
This was the question taken up by
Rev. W. s. Vail. of the UniverSaliSt
church, at the Grand opera house yes
terday morning. The reverend gentle
man began by saying that i'll crises.
great courage was needed on the part
of the people, and that at such times
the danger lay i'll failure to stand by
conviction. Such crisis is upon us
now, and therefore we raise the ques-
ton, will the Catholics dictate the
poll y of that worthy institution, the
common school?'
1t is worthy institution, not because
1T is perfect, bat because of its produc-
ton of great results. What is perfec-
ton for one generation is greatly lack
ing in the next. To the men who knew
nothing better than the stage coach it
seemed good enough, but to the modern
man it seems very faulty: and. as ideals
rise as knowledge inc reases, we shall
probably make many changes and con-
find defects. But it has done
good work. Orators like Benton and
Logan; statesmen like Douglas and
Lincoln, and writer's like Whittier, Egg
gleStOn. Greeley, Cable and Bret Harte,
have all been equipped for the work of
life in the halls of the common school.
Even judging it by the product of great
ness, it
Has Been u Success.
1t is worthy institution because it
has accomplished greater good by the
Inspiration ithaS given. The ambitious
boy read of strong men, and went to his
cabin home to dream of high hopes and
noble achievements. There the plow-
boy read OF Burns, and how this, a CON-
mon farmer, made us feel the breath of
every breeze, and made US familiar with
every ripple of the Alton and the
Doom; and he went home to dream of
high achievements. And that other boy
read ct the several youth who were at
the Natural Bridge, cutting their
names i'll the rock, ana climbing to see
who should carve his name the highest:
that boy went home with an inspiration
that never failed him in after life.
There boys have seen the way open to
larger life, to higher hopes, to better
and estimable good has come
from the experience.
The system is worthy because il
stands unique. 1t seems to lift US above
our pref udiceS. Roads open from it to
all the higher ways of life. Attachments
are formed here that last through life,
and 10 creeds are able to keep apart
those who are drawn to each other by
the deeper ties Of love and respect. If
there is ever time when religions, now
i'll many cases divided, will stand nearer,
1t will be when the common school has
had
HIS Full Influence.
If there is growing spirit of tolerance
in this lana, it is because here the rich
and poor meet together and the Lord is
recognized as the maker of them all.
Now, the introduction of Sectarian re-
ligion into this system will ruin its
efficacy. 1t will form a new center of
disturbance. The alleged fact that
Catholic services are held in the public
schools OF Saltwater IS already center
Of disturbance. From this time OH we
snail all be looking to see what will be
the outcome of this experiment. In the
meantime we are puzzled TO know what
movement will be made next, and alto
gether we see ahead of us disturbances
that only the most absolute Indifference
will avoid. Here is a sectarian service
in the public school. Children OF
Protestant parents are there. What a
mighty power for proselytism! Your
children are obliged to stand back and
see this church recogn Zed as having
more privileges than any other. What
Will be the influence? This is what the
of st. Paul said would salts
fy Catholics. and it is what he is going
to have i'll the schools of this city inside
OF two years. And let me give YOU some
Of the reasons for so believing.
Public opinion is lot strong enough
to sustain the common school. We do
not care for institutions Of literary or
moral character. Newspapers lave
$4,000 readers here. while the same class
have $4,000 readers in Eastern cities.
Towns in New England with few
thousand people have larger public
libraries than we have. The man who
controlled money and used it Tor the
public Improvement of the city, not nee
essariiy TO
Build a Library
and stock 1t. or to endoW all academy
for the de velOpment Of classical music,
but the man who used his money so
that property would increase in value.
has been the great man in the ewes of
our public. The archbishop controls vast
He has been an aggressive.
man, and your public is
so bound up in money that it would let
him throttle the school system without
a word if there were the hope of
few dollars more for the benefit
of the city In SO doing. Do | put
this too strong? | am not saying we are
as badly off as the man who grasped the
arm of the Cornell student at the close
Of the boat race, saying, There is intel |
lect for YOU" But think we need a
little more of genuine regard for an in |
stitution that has done honor to Its
founders.
But we will agitate. VIII we? You
make me smile. Yes. we will be about
as brave as Bob Acres when he came
ON the deadly field; we will feel our
courage sneaking away. We will be
like the officer who tele-
graphed, I'VE nave met the enemy. and
we are theirs When the WelShman
made Pistol eat the oniou-cram it into
his mouth without hesitatiOn-and then |
went his way, the worthy Pistol, after |
initiating his lungs, and |
putting his breath, declared that all hell |
should smoke for the outrage. There |
was no smoke, however, so far as heard |
from. We talk about the last ditch. 1t |
Will all end in talk. The man who is
EncrOaching OF Our Works
will move slowly and surely on, and |
will ask us for unconditional surrender |
when the time comes.
] have used the name of the arch |
bishop of ST. Paul, and am obliged to |
say that we are not to blame him. He !
S pIain-spOken man. When Mr.. Nor !
gan was appointed Indian commissioner
lie bishop threatened to take a club and |
knock the brains out of the Republican |
patty if Morgan was confirmed. He is |
always explicit. He plainly told what |
would satisfy Catholics in an address
published in all the newspapers. He |
has been explicit in this matter. Do |
rOu think he will be satisfied with less |
han he has demanded? | believe he |