New-York tribune., 1900-11-26
SCHOOLS ANn prRLIc sEREEcE.

An interesting controversy has arisen in
France between Church and State. 1t is re-
ported that henceforth the Government will
close the doors of the public service against all
applicants whose education has been confined
to certain class of Church schools In cOnse
quence the Church in question protests and
raises n cry against the Government for what
it regards as unjust discrimination. The Gov
ernment appears TO be undisturbed. and will
doubtless weather the little storm without seri-
Gus difficulty. The issue raised is. however. a
suggestive one in a country where a large
share of popular education is under sectaran
direction.
The question is not apparently, one of the
purely academic merits Of the schools. 1t
relates to the fitness of their scholars for the
service of the republic, and such fitness COM
prises other things than mere book learning
All schools, we may say, teach the same null
tpcaton table and the same Greek alphabet
But in their discipline and ethics, and in their
teachings of civic duties and responsibilities and
powers they differ widely. The French Gov
ernment does not object to the attachments in
mathematics, languages and sciences of the
graduates of the Church schools. 1t is SuS-
piciouS of their ethical and civic training. 1t
does not matter TO it whether the bnoma
theorem he taught hy cleric or by layman. But
if pupils have been taught hostility to the re-
public, then the Government of the republic
proposes to regard them as untitled for its ser
vice. That decision seems to be quite logical
| No man employs servant who has been trained
! to be hostile to him.
! 1t is. of course, q question of fact, to be
! carefully determined whether the ecclesiastical
| scholars have been by training and tuition un-
! fitted for loyal service to the republic The
| incident suggests. however. that they may be
! thus untitled. and that education is thus TO be
! regarded not exclusively academic" but as
! tnged with some degree of ethical or political
! culture. There has been in this country much
! talk because certain college professors have
| found themselves ont of harmony with their
environment and have in consequence been
moved TO resign their places Some aggrieved
| souls have said they were forced out because
! their political and other principles were Objec-
tOnable TO the controlling powers, and have de-
manded to know why teacher who holds any
notions whatever may not properly teach in any
institution of learning. The answer is, or should
be- obvious Every school founded and con-
| Quoted for specific purpose has a right to
require its teachers to be in accord with that
| purpose. A Methodist school cannot he ex-
| pectcd 10 tolerate a teacher who is aggressivelv
opposed 10 Methodist doctrines no matter how
good a mathematician or linguist he may be-
y school founded and conducted by believers in
Protection is not to be expected to retain a.
teacher who teaches Free Trade And so n
school founded and maintained by those who
believe in a republic or by the government Of
the republic itself, cannot properly tolerate n
teacher who trains his scholars to be Socialists
| or monarchistS
Nothing like party politics should be adj
mittPd 10 public school. But neither shouId
| ba o6D
tend to unfit the scholars for loyal citizenship
The State, whether in America or in France,
| maintains public schools not only to oducato
the people but 10 educate them into intelligent
and loyal citizenship in this or that particuIor
| State. The Government has a right and indacd
| is under the duty, to require that its schools
| shall do So If its own schools do not do so II
may and should compel them to mend tbcir
ways. If other schools under private on Church
control, do not do so it may properly decline to
regard their graduates as eligible to the publ,c
| service.