Blue-grass blade., 1891-01-03

stitution, especially since its lat,
revision on that point, and of th'
Constitution and genius of oul
national government. This con
cession to Catholicism, made BY
Democratic politicians right here
in Lexington, is not at all because
Of any love for Catholicism, but j,
il made by men who not only de.
spisc Catholicism, but who dcspise
themselves for the contemplate
cowardice which they know, and
everybody else knows, prompts
them To do it. There are perhaps
not a half dozen men of intclii.
gencc and integrity in town, either
Protestant or Catholic, who do moi
recognize that this partition Of the
school fund by the Democrats oil
this town, is but a sop to the Cath.
olic Cerberus to secure their ale.
glance, and simply granted because
they are afraid to jcopardize the
political friendship Of the Cath
olics.
If the Jews, who, as a church
in this city, are immensely more
intelligent than the Catholics, and
whose religion differs more widely
from the PrOtestants than does that
Of the Catholics, were to ask a
special partition of the school fund
for their benefit, the Democrats
would consider it as good joke,
and some Of those who would
laugh loudest at the absurdity of
the proposition would he Catholics
now in the Council.
IF some accident were to change
the relative numerical forces of the
Catholic and Jewish churches, and
the Jews were to demand parti-
tion of the school fund for their
benefit, the very next meeting of
the Democratic Council here would
take the present appropriation
away from the Catholic Church
and give it to the Jews.
The Baptists of the State of
Kentucky 1 suppose pay ten times
as much taxes as the Catholics of
Kentucky, and yet if the Baptists
of Lexington were to ask a divi-
sion of the public school fund in
order that they might get their
peculiar religious views taught at
the public expense, it would simply
bring them into ridicule.
IF the Christian Church, very
wealthy body in this city, were to
ask such division of tls 49,
school fund to add to Il ~
ment Of rs big university ynefe;
Rome would howl at the instance
of "Campbellite' audacity.
Under these circumstances it
seems to me that the more gene
rous and broader minded Of the
Catholic faith, ought to see that it
is an instance OF cruelty to animals
for them thus to pcrsecute the Pro-
testant Democrat.
This division of the public
school money is calculated to make
a class distinction, and to encour-
age sectionalism and religious big
Otry, and to array two great bodies
of people against each other, in a
government one Of whose funda-
mental principles is universal
brotherhood.
In the country my children go
school where there are Catholic
children. An orphan Catholic
boy, and a large family of children
who have lately lost their mother,
have more than any children in
school, engaged their sympathy,
and, in all the association Of those
Catholic and Protestant children,
have to hear the first intimation
that the difference in the religion.
faiths of their parents made any
difference in their feelings toward
each other.
But to the average Lexington
boy the demand of the Catholic
church for Il special division of their
share Of the public school money
looks like Catholic assertion OF
Catholic superiority, and a Protes
tant admission of the claimed su
periority.
This is calculated to excite tn,
arrogance of the Catholic boy, ant
to excite the opposition of an!
plucky Protestant boy.
If an intelligent and conscien
tious press and pulpit would in
struct the people about such churcl
history as bears upon the differenc
between Catholicism and Protes
tantism it would do much to re
move religious scctionalism, an
correspondingly decrease the dan
ger ola rupture ut some futur
, time, between these two great RI
ligious bodies.