The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-13

Lue1r reIlSlOn IN keeping with the 10
critics of this country. That they
should g, forward doing their duty at
all times with the constitution of the
United States in one hand and the
Bibe, the book of Gods truth, in the
other. It seems to me this utterance
is only paraphrase Of the Holy Scrip
ture which tells us all that we possess
the liberty of the children of God and
that the truth shall make US free. The
school propositions Of Mgr. Satolli
which are the voice of the holy father
encourage Catholics where they have
parochial schools to make every
effort to bring them up to the
standard of the most advanced
grades of public education. He in
forms the bishops, the clergy and
the laity that it is the wish Of the holy
father where the Catholics have not
the means to provide the education of
their children, that the children must
not be kept in ignorance, that they are
perfectly free to attend these schools
by their individual right of liberty of
conscience, that these children and
their parents must not be treated with
harshness by ecclesiastics and that
neither the children nor parents shall
be threatened by ecclesiastics with
spiritual penalties. It seems to me
that this is a clear and authoritative
declaration that the holy father who
is the head of the Catholic church does
not regard our public school system as
Goddess or as menace in any way to
the souls of Catholic children. Why
then should hot-headed, even if intel
ligent, Catholics protesting to respect
the authority of the holy see, put them
selves in q position of apparent oppo-
sition to the highest authority
of the Catholic church and that
which is regarded by Americans
as the greatest of American in
stitutions - the public schools? It
seems 10 me that all thoughtful
American citizens viewing the decision
of Leo XIII. in support of their right
to maintain their public schools and in
support of Catholics who take adj
vantage of their great power as educa-
tors for their children, and in particu.
lar the American non-Catholics, need
have no fear from the Catholic church
conforming or opposing the public
educational system of the country, and
that American justice coolly and calm
ly viewing the situation will not CEN
sure or oppose the minority of their
Catholic fellow citizens, because few
hot heads lift their voices against an
institution which the holy father as
the supreme authority of the church
recognizes as most potent factor to
promote the welfare, happiness and
enlightenment of the citizens of this
great country.
Eventually if the state legislatures
should be made to feel by hon
est statistics that the Catholic
schools now in existence give
as perfect an education as the
most advanced of the public
schools, and in addition to all this
by deep religious teaching appeal to
the heart of the child, instructing it in
the highest patriotism and love of our
institutions, much of the prejudice now
existing against Catholics individually
and as body will disappear. The
state will never consent to system OF
education suggested by Catholic gen
tlemen in New York some weeks ago.
His plan of visitation of parochial
schools by the local authorities and
the allowance per capita to scholars of
certain standing from the public
school fund will be received by nom
Catholics of all denominations with
great suspicion and as only an attempt
to get control of the public money.
Rev. DR.. Da Costa, a very scholarly and
Episcopal minister, in an
alyzing the plan of DR.. Welsh, the
editor of two Catholic papers in New
York, says: CDR. Welsh's plan. though
skillfully worded, is fallacious. I
have always regarded our public
schools as the most important instru-
ments for welding together the differ
emit elements in our population. am
therefore opposed to any such plan as
that suggested. The Catholics have
no grievance in this matter. Their
children can come to the public
schools. We teach morals there, not
religion. If, however, Catholics prefer
to send their children where they will |
receive special religious instruction,
it is their own fault if they have to
pay for 1t" THOMAS j. DCCEY.