The Portland daily press., 1893-12-07

1t must be maintained without COM
promise. 1t is the only institution capa-
BILE of converting the dangerously heter-
ogeneous elements of our population into
a, safely homogeneous citizenship.
Is The tax forssthe maintenance of public
schools levied upon all citizens, whether
they have children to educate ranot, is
Tor the public good and not for private
benefit.
The State opens its schools with equal
advantages to the children of all it's
clGlzens. Its laws make no distinction
as to the creed of the individual in the
choice OF its teachers. In the State of
New York no compulsory law exists
requiring the attendance of children
upon D9l the common schools of the State.
Inc State does not deny the right to
parents, organizations OF churches to
establish and maintain private or pa
rochlal schools at their own expense.
movement, however, with audacious
demands and specious claims has been
INITIATED in the State of New York for
the division Of the public school funds
on sectarian lines, and it is announced
that the same programmes is proposed
for all the States.
Only Selfish Ends in View.
That this has mainly in view selfish
and not public ends is shown by the fact
that the movement is being pushed al
most exclusively by single religious
denomination, which for many years, by
its chief authorities, has been assault
ing the public school system. A few of
its more liberal representatives have
tolerated the system, and have sought
in many ways to control it. Every COM
promise, however, between sectarian and
public schools which has previously been
tried, has invariably resulted in the hui!
initiating surrender of some vital princi-
pie of public school education. 1t is I'M
doubtedly true that a majority of the
citizens of even the denomination max
ing these demands prefer the public
schools for their children and patronize
them whenever free to do SO. 1t is un-
puestionably true that full proportion
"of the teachers in these public schools
are attached to the church which by
many of its officials antagonizes this
common school system.
1t is suspicious for the Republic that
the demands made are now plainly set
forth and clearly deiued There is now
no opportunity for the comprO missing
citizen or politician to evade RESPONSE
biIity. The question is not, Are these
common schools capable of improve
ment?
The questions presented by the pro-
posed bill, and which now demand an
answer, are:
1. Shall the whole principle onswhich
the common schools rest, i.e., the right
and duty of the State to educate impair
TALLY it's own children for intelligent citi
zenship, to be surrendered to it's enemies?
tegrated and destroyed by the dispersion
and use of their funds for sectarian
ends?
g. Are our citizens in favor of the
union of Church and State in the most
dangerous possible feature Of such union
viz, in the fun damental and elementary
education of future citizens?
The Question Must be Settled Once for
These questions now demand an an
swer and must be permanently settled
for veal or woe. We believe they will
be settled in the interests of the whole
people, and not in the interests of any
one class of our citizens, how ever spec
ious their claims or their demands.
The National League for the Protec-
tion Of American Institutions, whose OBJ
jects are stated in Article II. of its con-
stitution: "The objects of the league
are to secure constitutional and legisla
tive safeguards for the protection of the
common school systems and other Ameri-
can institutions, and to promote public
instruction in harmony with such insti-
buttons, and to prevent all sectarian or
UNCONVENTIONAL appropriations of public
funds"-this organization, unsectarlan
and non-partisan in character, with a
constituency of hundreds of thousands in
all the States of the Union, composed of
the formers of public opinion IN their
respective States and communities, and
with the various American patriotic
orders representing over two millions
of voters, and patriotic Americans,
native and naturalized of all parties, CO.
| operating with it, proposes to contest
| National Congress this organized assault
| upon our cherished American institu-
tions.
We have been seeking, thus far with
! good success, and purpose to continue to
seek, the amendments of defective State
constitutions, to bring them into har-
mony with the principles involved in the
| United States Constitution, which the
| National League has formulated and is
| advocating. 4g a
We believe that these principles incor-
| porated in the organic law of the nation
and of the States will produce the follow
| ing results:
/. Preserve the integrity.of the funds
| and the fair and impartial character OF
| the American free public school system.
| 2. Eliminate religious controversy from
political questions and issues.
| 8. Secure and perpetuate essential sepa-
ration of Church and State
| 4. Destroy the intimidating power of
eccliasticism over both citizens and law
makers. We shall call upon the forth
| coming New York State Constitutional
convention to formulate an amendment
| to the StateC onsuitution prohibiting Sec
tartan appropriations. and to submit it to
| the people for separate vote, in order
that this important question shall not be
complicated with other issues. We ap-
peal to all loyal American citizens to CO.
opeate in every feasible way in the de-
fence of the American free public school
system, on which the safety of the Re-
public and the peace and prosperity of it's
citizens SO largely depend.
CAPE ELIZABETH.