The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-11-21
OUR COMMON SCHOOLS.
The Rev. J. NJ. King Tells What the
National League is Doing
for the System.

the National League for the Protection OF
American Institutions. occupied the pull
pit at Trinity NJ E. Church in York
street. last evening. The large audience
that heard him were stirred by his elo-
quent and forcible appeal for the en-
couragement of the Leagues efforts. At
times he Was interrupted by outbursts of
applause. Mr. King was introduced by
Pastor Krantz as zone OF the best known
pulpfteers of the country"
Though elderly. he is yet a very vlgor-
Gus thinker, and a vigorous talker as
we'll.
''The object of the National League" !"
Mr.. King explained, sis mainly to secure
constitutional and legislative safeguards
for the protecti on of the common school
system and other American institutions;
to promote harmony with such institu-
tions. and to prevent all sectarian or de-
nominational appropriation Of public
funds"
THE LEAGUES OBJECT.
The League has tor some time been
urging the adoption of an amendment to
the constitution of the United States
making still stronger the safeguards con-
tained in the first amendment, against
the perils of u combination of Church and
State. Some years ago james G. Blaine
offered the amendment known as "The
Sixteenth Amendment" 1t passed the
House of Repi esentatives, but WAS de-
feated by what Mr.. King termed two
cranks." Two votes alone prevented 1t
from becominga national law.
Mr.. King read The amendment last
night. as follows:
I'LL
spectipg an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting a free exercise thereof, or
use its property or credit. or any money
raised by taxation. or authorize either to
be used for the purpose of founding, main
tanning or aiding by appropriation. pay
ment for services, expenses or otherwise.
any church. religion, denomination or
religious society or undertaking. which
is wholly or in part under sectarian or
ecciesiastic control"
The League, the speaker said, had been
bending its energies toward securing the
enactment of similar or conforming laws
in the States of the Union.
Much of the speakers time was con-
sumed in discussion OF the Indian con-
tract schools and the churches. The
League discovered, some years ago, the
perils that threatened the educational
system of the Government cropping out
from sectarian appropriations from the
Government for Indian education. The
League Is making vigorous efforts to put
stop to what 1T terms an uDwise and
unconstitutional partnership. Mr.. King
last night paid a glowing tribute to the
Baptists, who had never received a cent
from the Government for sectarian pur-
poses. He described the successful efforts
OF the Leagues committee to persuade
the last Methodist General Conference at
Omaha; the last Presbyterian General
Assembly at Portland, Oregon; the
Protestant Episcopalians in their last ma
tional convocation at Baltimore; the
Congregationalists at Minneapolis, and
other denominations, to refuse to accept
appropriations from the government for
such sectarian purposes. 1t was long
stretch of faith, admitted Mr.. King, but
he had hopes that the Roman Catholics
would also refuse to accept such appro-
priations
WHERE THE SCHOOL MONEY GOES.
Mr.. King read few statistics concern
Ing these appropriations. They showed
that during the past eight years, out Of O
total of So. 767'59l awarded to Indian con-
tract schools. $780, 416 were given to the
Roman Catholics. The amount awarded
to the Roman Catholic Church the last
year of the last administration was
SS47, 1872. While the Roman Catholics
receive for the current year over 1863, 900
the Presbyterians get less than $4,000,
the Congregational nalists a little more than
1000. and the Episcopalians only $4,86O
During the eight years the Presbyter1ans
received S315, ,080: the Congre gationalists,
S2OS. 8ls; the Episcopalians, $lO7.l46; the
Friends, $3.50, 537; the Unitarians, $33. $50;
the Methodists. $33, ,345.
In discussing the free school system the
speaker said:-
God help us to preserve it. Let any
hand raised against it. don't care how
high, be paralyzed. Let it be kept clear
from the entertainments of sectarian-
ISM"
The speaker alluded to the fact that
while the discoverer of this country was
surrounded on the other side by the en-
vironments of Latin civilization, the
God of nations did not allow that civili-
cation to settle this country. He deplored
the TACT that matters have reached point
where legislators of the Republic demand
watching lest division be made of the
funds for our educational system. There
was great danger, he thought, in the
trend OF politics, where vast eccles-
fasticaI army could be shifted from one
party to another. He still believed, how
ever, that the great mass OF voters
breathed the spirit of our republican in-
stitutions. Compromise always meant
concession on both sides.
REVERENCE FOR THE POPE.
Mr.. King said he had reverence for the
ecclesiastical head of the Roman Catholic
Church, but he found it pretty hard to
keep from gritting his teeth when read
ing Il despatch from Rome, that the Pope
had consented TO tolerate the American
school system until the Catholics could
procure schools of their own. Times
were approaching when it was necessary
to say Thus far shalt thou come, and
no further. Hands off the ark Of the
covenant of our libertiesp'
The speaker said he was amazed, too. at
the eowardice of the average American
partisan newspaper. He had at times en-
deayored to secure the insertion OF short
articles of real news in the great metro
politan newspapers and was told there
was no roon for them, and the same
papers, he said. would devote two or
three colums to cock fight. He uttered
a PRAYER for baptism of faith from on
high for the American press
RPING TN THE Y0TNG MEN