The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-01-19

coming change was in the form OF an
announcement from abroad that under
certain conditions the Pope would "tol-
crate" the common school system of
America Sat first" said DR.. King, II
was much angered at this. The idea of
any foreign power whatever announcing
that it will tolerate the common school
system of America! / expressed myself
vigorously to Catholic acquaintance,
who soothed me as best he
could nd then told me
that privately he was angry too" Dr.
King then recounted the circumstances
of the meeting Of Catholic prelates who
met in New York to discuss the relation
of the church to the schools. and the re-
suits of that conference. He condemned
the Faribault system of mixed schools,
half public and half parochial, but new
ertheless thought that the tenden-
cies towards liberalism on the part of the
Catholics, marked an era in American
history.
DR.. King then spoke of the common
school system as the great bulwark OF
American institutions. Whatever else
may be tempered WITH" said he, 1.-THE
American people will not let the COM
mon schools be tempered with" APP
plause.
LII. h1uS E6COuutCU OllC QtSSolJ vi UlC
conception and growth of the League
which he represented, and sketched what
it had accomplished. The patriotic Or
ders in the country had all endorsed its
work, and the great religious bodies are
wheeling into line. Already all the
great Protestant denominations have de-
cided to give up the government aid
which they have been receiving for their
sectarian Indian mission schools. The
Baptists led the way, and the others
have followed, even the conservative
Protestant Episcopal Assembly, whose
leaders at first declared that they could
not take any such action.
The League made the same appeal to
the Catholic authorities. At first this
appeal met with an argument in favor
of using the public money for the secta-
rian Indian schools. Then the matter
went before higher authorities, until
finally it has been laid before Satolli, who
has promised an early answ T.
Dr.. King SAID that some liberal people
stood aloof from the work Of the League
because they fancied that it would pro-
duce religious contentious. But its OBJ
ject was to prevent religious contentious.
The speaker reviewed the history Of the
compromises at Saltwater and Faribault
which have been overthrown in favor of
untrammelled public schools. Every COM
promise is to the disadvantage Of the
schools, and such should not be tolerated.
The American public school system is
good enough for US; it is good enough
for anyone who comes to us. Ap-
plause.
DR.. King reviewed the provisions of
various state constitutions. and said that
Names constitution in this respect was
very defective. 1t seemed, in fact, to en-
join rather than discourage seetarian APP
preparations. An attempt to change
this would meet with some opposition
from favored schools, and from self in
terest. But DR.. King implored his hear
ers to act like patriotic citizens and do
that which the public interest de-
manded.
Rev. W. S. Ayres was next called on.
He said that the only thing necessary in
this movement was to appeal to the con-
science Of the American people. Once
show them the right and the wrong of
a question, and they will range them
selves as they did but yesterday on the
slavery question. And one of the first
duties Of American citizens today was
the proper preservation of the schools.
[Applause.] .5S8 ss..a