The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-12-01
THE COMMON SCHOOL.
Topic Of Rev. Matt s. Hughs's Ser
mon Yesterday.
A THANKSGIVING SERVICE VERY
LARGELY ATTENDED.
The Parochial School and Where 1t Has
Failed-Examples of Italy and the
South American States.

South American states.
The Thanksgiving services at the
First Parish church yesterday forenoon
were attended by an audience much
larger than is usually called out on such
occasions. The chucrh was crowded, gall
leries and aisles being filed and many
late corners found difficulty in getting
standing room. Besides the attendance
and participation of representative
clergymen OF various denominations there
was excellent music, rendered by the
choir composed of Mrs. Fellows, Miss
Stinchfield, Mr.. Barnard and Mr.. Pierce.
Mr. Kotzschmar was at the organ.
The order published yesterday morning
was followed, the invocation by Rev. DR..
VII. Fem, reading of the proclamation
by Rev. J. B. Spiers, reading of the Scrip
ture by Rev. DR.. Henry Blanchard,
prayer by Rev.D Asa Dalton, sermon
by Rev. Matt S. Hughes, prayer by Rev.
Dr.J. L. Jenkins, hymn reading (Ameri-
cay by Rev. rs. Sampson and benedic-
ton by Rev. John. Carroll Perkins
Mr.. Hughes took for his text the s1st
verse of the 5th chapter of First Thes-
salonians: "Prove all things; hold fast
to that which is good"
The preacher began by saying that as
nation called together by state and ma
tional proclamations we come together
to give thanks once year. But as in
dlviduals, we ought to give thanks every
day for the manifold blessings showered
upon us. Today, however, we are as
sembled without regard to creeds and
sects, on the broad platform of American
citizenship. The derivative of the word
Thanksgiving shows that originally it
meant thoughtfulness." Remembering
that original meaning of the word, we
may as people look back over the past
year and find many causes of thankful
ness. In the first place we have been
spared the visitation of the cholera
scourge. Then the American Sunday
was splendidly upheld in it's sanctity
by the failure of Sunday opening at
the Worlds Fair. And in the third
place the national honor was saved and
the day will come when no man will
jingle a silver lie in his pocket
We must remember that many of these
blessings come to us through the in
situations under which we live And
one of these institutions, which is of
the first Importance, is now in it's great
est danger, mean the common school.
l have no apology, either as man or
minister, to make for speaking in plain
and emphatic terms in behalf of this in
stitution. Intelligence is necessary to
the perpetuity of a repub lican form of
government What can we expect from
voter who cannot read his ballot?
Over in England the people there
would not tolerate for an instant
Prince Of Wales who could not read
the magma charter. Yet every year at
twenty-one years of age the American
Prince of Wales may come into his
birthright without having any more
intelligence than the beast of the fields.
So me of our voters would go far to-
wards justifying the remark OF the
Spanish ambassador that God takes
care of fools, little children and the
United States government
The necessity of an intelligent citizen
ship being established, it follows that
there is necessary an institution to Sc
cure that intelligence. Such an insti.
tuition is the American public school.
Today the right of the state to educate
its citizen is denied, and
A Hostile Force
is camped round about the common
school eager to tear it down. By these
enemies we are told, first, that the
state has no right to interfere between
thesparent and the child, This is a
very specious piece OF reasoning; but
it is false. If the right inheres in the
parent the latter has the right to ed
ucate or not educate But who will
say that the parent has the right to
dwarf the mind any more than to abuse
the body of the child? In the latter
case the State would step in very quick
ly. Why not in the former as we'll? Not
to educate child is treason against
the state. The worst obstacle in the
way of the work of the public schools is
the parent. Greed and indifference on
the part of the parent operate to such
an extent that school police is needed.
even in this city, to keep children in
school.
Do you want an example of the ed
vocational result where parental will has
had its way? Look south of Mason and
Dixon's Line. There are two clouds
there, one that of black ignorance the
other of white ignorance. The one is
the result of the old laws that forbade
the education of black children: the
other of the idea that parental right is
supreme.
There is another substitute for public
schools. 1t is the parocnial school. The
demand for parental instruction often
comes from those interested in the
parochial school, those who have the
parents under ecclesiastical control.
When I speak of the Roman Catholic
church l do not speak of it's individual
members; because under the organization
Of that church the individuals have
nothing to do with it's control. Now
in speaking of
The Parochial School,
we wish to proceed on the argumentative
lines already laid down. What is the
record of the parochial school? There
is not country in the world that has
had. the parochial school well estab-
lished where the people have had gen
eral eduation. Italy is the home of the
parochial school. For years it had been
nlanta0 nm her soil Ap1 IN 1870 airht