The record-union., 1892-06-11
In RELIGIONS REALM.
Expressions From the Various Re-
ligious Newspapers
The Religious Thought of tho Day as
Expressed In the Sectarian Press
Some Matters OF Interest to Both
Ministers and Laymen.

/ some Matters OF Interest to Both
ministers and Laymen.
Discussing the Vatican decision in re-
Iatlon to the Faribault plan. the New
York Observer tPres.) remarks: ''Os-
I tensibly, and TO q certain extent really.
the OBJECT OF the plan is to reduce the
/ burden OF expense to the parishes for the
maintenance of schools; but it is appar-
ent that 1t also provides for all the re-
j llglous instruction deemed Indispensable
! In any Roman Catholic system of educa-
ton. and, indeed, it is strongly defended
/ by Its supporters Oh that ground. Such
/ instruction Is given outside of school
/ houfs, 1t is true, but it is still given, and
! by teachers paid from the public school
fundS; and the secular textbooks in use
were, moreover, at Faribault at least, ex-
ainlned by the parish priest with a view
} TO aScertalnlng whether they contained
matter derogatory TO the Catholic Church
1t IS not asserted that the priest had any
authority under the arrangement to make
such examination. but the implication is
that his opposition to any particular
book would have been followed by its
/ dlSuse or rejection. In brief, by this
| plan the Roman Catholics secure, in re-
turn for furnishing school buildings, not
/ only the secular education for their chill
! dren approved by the clergy, but religious
! instruction also, at the public expense;
or, IN other words, the practical support
| OF their parochlal schools. The
| assumption that the Pope's decision is
defeat for Archbishop Ireland. in that
the sanction granted his scheme is not of
kind to encourage its further operation,
and that IN consequence the public school
! system is in no more danger than before
| that decision was given, is without
foundation. Rome still insists upon the
! rNnl nj Snh nd -t;1 i
share OF the public moneys for their sup
| port, and III the Earibault plan of UNION
between the parochal and public schools,
| approved by the Pontiff, she has prac-
tically secured both. 1t is a shrewd
scheme, devised by shrewd prelate."
| On the same subject the New York In
! dependent says: I'm our view, the chief
question to ea.decided in settling
whether such system is to receive even
modified approval is that of the purpose
and attitude of those Catholics who have
initiated it. Now it is a fact that those
Catholics are those who are most anxious
to Americanize the Catholic Church.
| They are almost belligerently patriotic
| Their purpose is not at all to break down
the public school system; they are not
JeSults; in fact, the Jesuits are all on the
other side. They are trying to liberalize
| the Catholic Church; and there is nothing
more than to see the church liberalized
and relieved of medifevalism, while be-
| coming not particle less, but rather
more, Christian. The Pope says that the
! plan can be tolerated. We think that
American citizens generally will say the
same; but that they will look as we look
! upon this plan not as final conclusion,
| but as step-as long step as can now
be taken-towards the adoption of the
! principle Of The separation of Church and
State in education as well as in govern
ment. We heartily congratulate Arch
bishop Ireland on his magnificent vic
tory, and only regret that in the process
of securing it he has had occasion appar-
emily to utter more fulsome eulogies Of
Leo AlII. than good taste would have
suggested"
- The he Chicago Advanee tcong.l, speaking
on the same topic, says: AT first this
was proclaimed as a great Catholic con-
cesslon; but 1t was soon found that Cath
| olic pictures and emblems were retained
on the walls of the schoolrooms: Catholic
| teachers We're employed, and Catholic au-
thorities retained the children of the
! church after school hours to instruct them
in it's doctrines. What had virtually been
done was to shift the burden of the pa
rochlal schools upon the public The
same plan is said TO be in operation at
Spring Valley, H., Poughk eepsie, n. Y,
and other places where the Roman Cath
olics have gained control. 1t is not Of so
much consequence, therefore, whether the
Pope and his Committee of Cardinals,
with demonstrations of great concession,
approve OF the "Faribault PLAN" as
whether the American public approves of
1t and will allow it to stand. This plan
Tor sectarianizing the public schools is the
! most ingenious and plausible that the
! Roman Church ever devised, but is never
theless fraught with all the mischievous
and un-American tendencies that have
characterized their more open proposals"
The New York Chatrchnad7, P. EA ex-
presses no very definite opinion upon the
subject. 1t says: ''In Archbishop Ire
lands diocese it was impossible to carry
out his church's ideal. He wants. saws
Father OGorman, to bring somehow
under religious instruction that 1900, 600
Of Catholic children, or rather the pro-
portion OF them in, his own diocese who
are receiving their education in the pub
lie schools, and who now never, perhaps
even on Sundays, come in contact with
the catechism and the Catholic priest
Surely, from his own point OF view, this
! is very reasonable desire. To carry it
out he rented certain schools TO the civil
authorities at nominal rent, 81 year
as an experiment The schools are en-
tIreIy under the control Of the civil au-
( thority. They select the school-boo!Ls.
appoint and remove teachers, determine
admissions, grading, transfers, and all
other Important matters. The schools
resen bic i'll all respects the other public
| schools. But inasmuch as the Roman
Catholic Church built the school-houses
and lends them to the city for 81 a wear
( the authorities Of that church are allowed
10 use the houses they built and for the
support of which they contribute in ex-
actly the same proportion rs other citi-
I IL fha
struction for an hour or SO outside Of
school hours. This is very interesting
experiment, which may prove valuable
for others In their endeavors TO provide
| religious instruction for the young. 1t is
always 10 be considered that the public
school system in every State or city will
be worked according to the wishes of the
majority, whatever may be their religious
connection. But in the school at Fari-
bault no Protestant is compelled to learn
a single Roman Catholic doctrine. There
are no Roman Catholic symbols and the
teachers are appointed solely because of
their supposed superior efficiency"
Another indication of the triumph of
what we may call the national or Ameri-
can principle within the bounds of the
Roman Catholic Church," says the New
| York Gtrtst5an Union, lis afforded by an
! important letter reported to have been ad-
dressed by the Perfect of the Congrega-
ton of the Propaganda of Rome to the
Roman Catholics in the United States.
/ Only the barest abstract of this letter is
! cabied TO this country. From this abstract.
however, it would appear that the Vatican
has definitely and finally decided against
the movement IN this country within the
Roman Catholic Church to secure the ap-
pointment OF Bishops of the same nation
ality as that of the people over which
they preside. European Immigrants in