The Irish standard., 1893-10-14
NOT GODLESS SCHOOLS.

e. Nevlrs, has written an article for q
syndicate of newspapers in defense of the
public school sys- enc. It is remarkable
article When we consider the fact that
the writer is priest under the jurisdic
ton of Archbishop Corrigan, a prelate
no figured so conspicuously as an op-
ponent of the Faribault plan OF educa-
ton, and who has never, to our knowl-
edge, endorsed the Public schools as they
ere conducted at present. Father Dqceyy
begins" by saying that the public school
system of this country seems to him to
be regulated and directed by the consti
tutional provision that congress shall
make no law regulating or supporting
any particular form of state religion. IL
his Judgment Catholics have no right
under the constitution to attack the pub
lie school system, though many of them
have been unwise enough to attack it as
goddess.
1--WE are not compelled by law" he
saws, ito send our children to the public
schools, and if some Of the ecclssiastics
and some of the laity believe there is an
absolute necessity for the existence OF
parochial schools, the state has no RICH,
to and does not prevent us from building
such schools, placing an educational tax
upon ourselves for their maintenance and
sending Catholic children to them to re-
ceive secular education in the interest OF
their worldly progress and in addition to
their secular education throwing around
the child the safeguards of morality and
deep religious Conviction He then pro-
ceeds to say that Catholics act very IN
wisely and criminally against the int r
ests of their religion when they attack
the public school system which the great
majority of American citizens regard as
the unwritten clause of our constitution
for the preservation of American liber
ties, and declares that the Pope and his
delegate, Mgr Satolli, have taken the
same view of the situation. He next
shows from the school propositions OF
Mgr. S TOLL, which he calls the voice OF
the Holy Father, that the head of the
Catholic Church does not regard the
public school system as goddess or as a
menace in any way to the souls of Catho-
lie children, and he stigmatiz IS the few
Catholics who speak out against it as
''hotheads lifting their voices against an
institution which the Holy Father as the
supreme authority of the Church recog-
nizes as a most potent factor to promote
the welfare, happiness and enlightenment
of the citizens of this great country"
This is.very strong language coming
from a priest in Archbishop Corrigan's
diocese, and we hope that unlike Dr..
McGlynn he will escape the censure of
his ecclesiastical superior. % the whole,
Father Ducey assumes the proper atti-
tude on the vexed question of public
school education. Some ecclesiastics and
laymen have displayed poor Judgment in
waging warfare against the public
schools and branding them as goddess
and immoral in their tendencies. Father
Mueller and Father jenkins have written
books to show that the public schools
have been. sinks of iniquity, and Zach.
Montgomery and Judge Dunno have
followed suit by picturing them as poison
fountains where the morals OF Catholic
youth are in peril from contact with
Protestant pupils. These sweeping
charges are entirely out Of place. The
aforesaid assailants Of the public schools
may have never visited them to ascertain
their real character. They seem to have
forgotten in their unqualified condemna-
ton that the teachers as body are
ladies and gentlemen of good moral char
acter who will not countenanoe vice in
the school room and who have it in their
power under the law to eject any black
sheep who may faint the moral atmo-
sphere Of the play ground. Calling the
schools goddess because no religious
instruction is impaired in them is en-
tirely unjust and misleading. We see
no way of ever having religion taught in
the schools Of this country except by the
adoption OF some compromise like the
PoughKeepsie or Faribault plan. Had
the parochiA public schools in Faribault
and Stillwaters been taught by Catho ic
laymen and women instead Of Sisters
wearing the peculiar garb of their order,
we believe liberal Professionals would
offer little or no opposition to the scheme.
As regards 9 division Of the public
school funds for the support OF demon
national education We believe 9 change