The Irish standard., 1895-06-15

p
find cabinet position offered to him.
PLEA FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Whenever Archbishop Ireland speaks
Ton the question Of education he says a
kind word for the public schools. His
attitude on the public school system is
well known since the Inauguration Of
the famous "Faribault plan" which at
/ tracted universal attention q few years
ago, and was submitted to the Pope for
his appreciation Or rejection The Holy:
Father tolerated the scheme, despite the
opposition Of the Jesuits and high eccle-
siastics, who frowned on what they con-
sidered an unholy compromise. The
Pope's decision of the vexed question was
a victory for the arch bishop of St. Paul,
but different interpretations were put on
/ the words ''tolerari potest" until Mgr.
Satolli deemed it. necessary to explain
them. The archbishop was severely
condemned by the opponents of his plan,
land some Of them went SO far as to des-
ignate him a hereto. The archbishop,
however, has not changed his ideas one
iota, if We may Judge Of his address last
Tuesday at the golden jubilee of Notre
Dame University where he was the prin-
cipal speaker.
In the presence Of a large assemblage
of bishops, priests and laymen he said it
was a mistake to war upon the public
schools, that the state schools were nee
essary and that the Roman Catholics
| should take advantage of the benefits
I which they afforded. He deplored the
absence of religion from such institu-;
| tions, but said the state was doing the
best 1t could. Il It was the duty Of Roman
Catholics, he said, to have their children
educated in the public schools and give
them religious instruction at home. a.3
The archbishop made an impassioned
address and said: ''In America the state
builds schools, colleges and universities
and is lavish in expenditures for their
support. The question is put, why does
/ not the church leave the work Of educa-
ton to the state. have no quarrel with
the educational work Of the state. / adj
| NIT 1 am proud Of my country in this
4 matter. I admire the generosity of the
state to primary and to superior educa-
ton. The schools and colleges of the
state do not include religion in their
programs. What can the state do in
| view Of all the circumstances Of. the
country but leave out religion and strive
to make schools as neutral as schools
lean be? :s
1.-THE state does the best it can. To
anatlematize the state is a wrong and a
folly. Would you have the state close
its schools and its colleges! But in no
other manner can the masses receive an
education. Moreover, the state, will not
l4cIose it's schools and colleges, and the
millions will and must continue to fire.
quent them. Legions Of your Catholic
children will lie among their pupils. You
have no buildings TO accommodate more
| than one-third ,of your children, and you
have scarcely teachers tor that number.
will you censure those who attend state
institutions and in anger Withdraw from
them all spiritual watchfulness?
win you dare neglect unto death two-
thirds Of your children, In order to save
more easily the other third ? ! would
work with double energy to make up for
the necessary exclusion of religion from
the program of state institutions By do
| ing ali In my power to bring in some
other ri manner other pupils under relt-
eious influences, and while so doing I
would build up, but not in angry protest
against the state school, the Christian
schools, and T would say to parents and
to children, thrice blessed are those
whose daily mental nutriment is SECULAR
ana religious knowledge united
The archbishop is quite eorrect in say
ing that the public schools, as at pres '
ent constituted are doing the best they
can Ia educating the youth Of the land.
[If religion we're entirely excluded and
every effort made to secularize the in
struction givent 80 pupils there y no rea g
son son Why Catholics should comp lain any
/ more than III lists; Baptists and 9th
er denomin ationa. But the fact Of the.
matter. is that the public schools are not
,xraI ii, rail- IA oils mat tiers. The liter