The San Francisco call., 1908-11-01


the fact. it is still a fact that we
are fast becoming a e-Christianized
nation. and that because of our pub
lie schools, from which Christ is
barred
IF this is allowed to continue,
see no remedy among a great portion
Of. our countrymen for our many and
growing vices, and divorce, theft, man
slaughter. suicide. the. murder of the
innocents, Will have an ever increasing
number of victims; for our school sys-
TEN. as now operated, is and has shown
/ that it is incapable Of checking the
evils Education without religion is
very deficient, and even baneful. In
telligence without virtue breeds the
shrewdest criminals.
':The instructions given once a week
in our Sunday schools are insufficient
to supply the religious wants of our
children. They should, as far as possi-
bic, every day breathe a healthy. 'relg
ious atmosphere in-their schools. We
have tried the opposite and we have
failed for what have been the re-
suits Statisticians tell us that OF re-
cent years crime has greatly increased
in the United States. Ignorance said
Pope Benedict XIV, is the source Of all
evil among the working class
Besides paying their school tax to
the public schools, Catholics in the
United States annually save the gov
ernment- over $4,000 900. And if next
September these Catholic children went
to the. public schools the country would
have to lay out $117 100000. simply
TO get schoolhouses. to hold them.
Catholics have thus saved the United
States s1,000.Q000 900 since the civil war.
Furthermore, Lutherans, Episcopalians
and others support many denomina-
tional schools for their. own children.
'As a remedy for present conditions
let the state appropriate funds, so
much per capita, to support the paro-
chial and other schools already built.
equipped and operated by Catholics,
Protestants. Jews. or those of any other
religious belief. Let the state send the
same examiners. supervisors. inspectors,
etc. to look after the management of
these schools, and to see If the teach
ers are competent and efficient Let
the exa limitations, tests, etc, and the
textbooks on all nonreligious matters,
be identical with those of the other
public schools. Then the Catholic,
Protestant jewish. and other children
may be instructed in the respective re-
Iigions by teachers of their own faith.
This proposed plan is not to inter
fere with the operation OF the
public schools as now organized,
except in so far as regards those chill
dren whose parents might wish them to
receive the advantages of a religious
training. As Bourke Cochran recently
/ declared: Agnostics should have the
same right if the existing system were
not goddess enough to satisfy them.
We are willing that the agnostic shall
share the school fund; but we are not
willing TO give him the exclusive. right
to the whole of it,
Suicides, anarchistic plottings. dis
honesty and corruption in finance; in
fidelity in marital relationships. di-
vorces and the consequent wreck of
homes and scandal and ruin of children,
the unrest Of the idle, squandering for
tunes that would support many needy
families; these and other ills that
would be partly ameliorated, if not
cured. by introducing religion into our
public schools-aH these make me hope
that before very long, if not for love,
J at least from a sense of justice, we
Americans will demand and will have
religion introduced into our public
schools"