Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1894-01-19
OUR PUBLIC s SCHOOLS.
q ne Last OF Rev. moora-s ser-
les Of Lectures on eciaI
Quescions OF
the De 80

g sa'sscior1s ' OF
the Day
Vt the congregational church last
evening a very large congregation
assembled to hear the last OF ReY..
I Moore's lecture on Social Questions
OF the Day. /" Thesubiecttreated was
aaOur Public Schools Mr.. Moore:
stated that it was not his intention
to deal with the management of the.
public schools or ocriticise thessah-
Ilects taught, neitileIs wis it his fnten.
tion to dwell upon the use d ratl de-
velopment ofsour school syst EN- p = n. =
was su ffieient TO say -.
ten w Iiielf sss ftitgss,.-,
elements of thou lls;s in osar land
owed its origin to he PurItans. " llo.
as far back as 1926. organized the
first public school. and in the follow
ing year the first college-Iarvard.
The mission OF our schools is to give
every child an education sufficient to
enable him to become an intelligent
citizen, and SO far as education can
do it, to gain aliving for himself.
The mission OF the school also isto
promote true citizenship and to blend
together the heterogeneous elements
OF our population into one homo
geneous American people. Our chill
dren should be taught to love their
country and to understand that not
TO exercise the right Of citizenship by
voting is Il moral crlme.
The value Of our public schools is
to be seen in the bringing together
OF children OF all ranks, nationalities
and creeds, that they may receive in
common the benefits OF a thorough
secular education. This association
by which children of American. Sean
dinavian, English, German and other
natiOnaIities are taught without
distinction cannot fail to lessen class
prejudice, national antipatilics and
sectarian animOsities. A monarchy,
especially ii it be a despOtic one, can
be perpetuated without intelligence
on the part OF the people. But a re-
public like ours relying for it's sup
port upon the entire people caa only
survive and prosper according as
the people are educated and SELF
ali 1,.c :, y
for more than century. They have
been years OF progress. Development
and increasing strength in every di-
rcvtiOn, and it is not too much to
say that one Of the main factors, if
not the principal one in producing
this result, has been the public school
system which the wisdom OF our
fathers instituted. 1t is therefore a
great pity that attempts are contin-
ualiy made in certain quarters to
upset this system and to devote a
large portion of the school money
TO" sectarian purposes. 1t is worthy
OF note that these attempts emanate
from only one religious bohy-the
Roman Catholic All the protestant
bodies are a unit in holding to the
present system.
Proceeding, Mr.. Moore said that
sit was pSssible that what he might
say might be wrongly interpreted in
some quarter. thcl efore be wished it
distinctly understood that he was
making no attack upon the Roman
Catholic church, There was much
in that church he admired; it~ de-
votion, sincerity and activity. 1t
was church doing much good
amongst large section of the pcO-
pie, therefore far be it from him to
attack it's belief, worship or govern
ment. What he wished to touch up
on was the attempt being made cs-
pecially in New York and Mary
land to take public money for
sectarian schools. And if the with
standing of those attempts by pro-
tpstants and the liberal minded laity
OF the Roman Ca thulic church caused
sCme feeling, they were not to blame
for 1t but the people who were trying
to dip their hand in the public treas
ury for their own purposes
| Bishop Deane, Protestant Episco-
pal Bishop of Albay. in this months
North American lteview, very lucidly
points out the narrow attitudes
taken by the Roman Catholic church
in regard to the public schools. One
position is to cOmpe! Roman COthOiic
parents under pain OF excommunica-
tion to Withdraw their children from
public schools and place them in
parochial schools.
! In the North American Review for
! January, 1858, T. E. McGurrin says:
"Thousands of Catholic parents age
at present undergoing this pen:ies
rather than comply. In the writer's
own family, Il parent was refused
the sacrament for years for this rea-
SON In spirit of this interdict,
Roman Catholic parents prefer the
public schools and brave the penal
ties. The reason is clearly stated by
Mr. McGurren in these words: "A
better eduction can be secured in the
! public school, Mr. o. Elder, an en-
iiuent Roman Catholic who read an
Important paper at the congress Of
that church in Chicago last summer,
/ also says the same thing, although
in far more vigorous language. An
! other plan whichzhas been tried and
sIIeceiyed the Papal blessing is known
i as the " "Fairbauit plan.'' The sin
tceiity Of Archbishop Ireland the
! reputed author Of this conpremise,
and who is one of the fairest and
liberal minded men in his church, is
8 not doubted, nor that OF Father
4 ll.onry, Of Fairbault, but after two
3 years trial TIE plan was abandoned
q by Father Genry at the instance we
presume Of his Archbishop.
q The third portion, that.of endeas-
J, ing Is secure school funds for secta-
frian purposes has lately been tried
49, ! 4 .g =