St. Paul daily globe., 1892-06-06
SONS OF AMERICA.
Rev. w. S. Vail Defines the
Objects Of This Patriotic
Order.
Their Position in Regard to
the Absorbing School
Question.
He Gives the Catholic Posi-
tion a Gentle Touch
Up.
Odds and Ends Picked Up
Here and There by Globe
Reporters.

The Patriotic Sons of America at
tended service at the Grand yesterday
morning, and listened to the sermon be
ing delivered by Rev. w. S. Vail. The
musical part of the service WAS assisted
by Prof. ConGdOn's chorus, which rem
dered several selections i'll most pleas
ing manner. The sermon began with
the preliminary statement of the preach
er that all organizations having a moral
purpose, and working to establish the
moral life in the community, were
working hand in hand with religion;
and if they succeeded in attaining the
ideal of moral purpose. must have God
III them, and be the highest manifesta-
tion of the nOblest life. This. he said,
was sufficient excuse, if any was
needed. for preaching on topics
little out of the beaten
line of religions experience, be
cause Indirectly, if not directly, they
are OF the most lasting and vital impor-
tance. The water may break over the
leyee, or 1t may go down the river and
silently back up over the flats; but IN
either case it does the same kind of dam
age, and the water that silently backs
up over the flats may be more danger
Gus than the broken levee, for it gives
no warning. And so NAV influence be
directly or indirectly gooG or bad, and
that which is indirect in its action
should be as closely watched as that
which is directly Injurious. for it may
take advantage of our confidence and
creep in to do us harm; while on the
contrary an indirect benefit is one of
those constantly working elements to
which we give so little heed.
AnfrnUs Of The order.
he further said that it was necessary
10 say certain things in this connection
because, unfortunately, certain mis-
taxes prevailed regarding the animus
or the order. There prevailed belief
that 1t was organized for the purpose
OF antagonIZing the work of the Roman
Catholic church. Is this true? When
Lee marched over the boundaries of
pennsylvania, and his guns were
shotted and his saber ready for action.
While his bands startled the Quail from
the rlpelIng wheat in the harvest season,
he was prepared to conquer. reduce
and despOil this land-he was an in
Yader. Does anybody propose to do
this with the Catholic church?
Certainly not. When men like
Father Capel speak in the most
dlSparaglng terms of our goddess
schools" and when men like Arcbbisb
op ireland tell us that they must be
changed so that the Catholic religion
may be taught in the public school
house. then tell me if we are marching
into somebody's territory. Then tell me
that we are trying TO abridge some
b0dy's rightsl Who is invading?
Where does the need of explanation
lie. with the man who seeks to level an
established institution, Or with the man
WHO believes i'll it as part of the her.
ltage he has from the past that came bv
the sacrifice of the blood?-
And this brings me TO say that, as far
as we are concerned. we are proud of
the recort 0f our schools, and while we
90 not Intend to be bOaStfuI, it is the
duty Of those who would make changes
10 justify those changes by practical ex-
ampleS OF better production, visible
without microscope.
Religious Teaching.
The preacher said it was strongly
urged that In the public school there
should be religious teaching. The moral
value OF the school is not more In what
1t teaches than in the ambitions it
awakeS. Here the promising boy
catches the idea of attainment. From
1t he sees roads leading to all honorable
positions. AS member of it he is in
splred with the possibilities of ali that
is In the gift of free people; of all that
is III the attainment of the financier. the
artlSt ahd the orator. And If we are to
teach rellglon, what religion shall we
teach? Religion has been reduced in
It's formulated aspect to bodies of doc
trlne' ana THESE are numerous. and
lnelr advocates are partisan. Shall we
sur up STRIFE and bitterness by intro
duclng system that never IN apy ma
ton has controlled, has made the slight
est attempt towards the education of
the masses? This order stands s0uarelv
for secular school. asking onlv what
Its members are willing to grant. and
as majority of men in this order are
evangelical Christians, and believe dis
tlnctly that the one important thing in
training a child is religion, the conces-
SlOnS made in demanding a secular
school IS something remarkable. 1t is
thus because the good sense of these
men teaches them that there is no other
system that gives the same results. and
that any change for the benefit of
rellglous sect that cannot Justify its
claim by living practical examples is
ABSURD, Whlle II such examples can be
shown III better system. then the only
proper thing for us TO do is to ACCEPT
with JOY the better system. The best is
What we want, and that should be the
attitude of all members of this common
wealth, and so we wait for further
proot-we will accept any progressive
system, only we want the proof spread
before us.
You are pledged by the conditions to
make this defense of the public school
your chief work. This, the preacher
said. was so because il was the nractical