The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-09-01
The Catholic Position and the Public
School System.
To the Editor of The Republican:

! While sojourning in your beautiful
town for four weeks, became interest
ed and carefully read in the peoples
Forum the last three contributions by
Rev. G. R. Williamson and Rev. Jas. E.
Cornell, respectively. Would 1t be too
great demand on your hospitality to
permit mere layman, and non-resi-
dent of your town to contribute a few
lines upon the issue?
Aside from any action of the local
| school board, | deem the real questions
are: o. Is the Catholic Church opposed
to the public schools in this country?
(2) Is the Catholic Church opposed to
reading the Bible either in or out of the
public schools?
Firstly. The Catholic church is OPP
posed to public schools as at present
constituted, because it is the foe of
non-religious schools. The Catholic
church says education without religion
is subversive of religion. Is it likely
that child will remain Christian in
manhood, who has not been trained in
Christian Doctrine in childhood? The
Catholic church says that it is most i'm
probable. The very existence of Chris
tianity is at stake, andsthe best Protes-
tant are waking up to the fact; hence
the recent Christian Educational Con-
ventions. Ny opponent will reply that
religion should be taught in the Sunday
| school. Think of it, SIX days a week
! for the acquisition of secular knowledge
and few hours a week for the Immor-
| tai Soul. This needs no argument. Re-
ligion can be instilled says our friend,
in the home. notwithstanding all ar
gument, experience has proved the
contrary. The best disposed parents
have no time for such tasks. Why pay
large salaries to trained teachers Of
mathematics, and relegate the moral
and religious instruction to theunskilled.
Remember, | am not now taking issue
with the non-religious. am discussing
a question Of policy with divine Of
Christian church. who believes that
organized Christianity must be main
tanned.
So much, then, for the Catholic posi-
ton in the public schools, And the fol-
lowing figures will 90 to show that
the position is correct. My learned and
reverend antagonist says: Sixty
million Protestants in this great coun-
try says nay. verify. " 1t is here in
teresting to note that Mr. Williamson
uses quotations marks as if he were
sprinkling them from a salt caster.
without the slightest regard to where
they may fall, but whenever he ventures
to give figures or historical data, can
prove his statements false, not inten-
tionally so, of course. How do you get
60, 000,0 900 of Protestants IN America?
The United States Census Bureau has
tried to find them, but has failed. In
Bulletin No. 103 1906, Bureau of Cen
sus, on Page IA, we find that the num-
Der of commandments or members" of
all religious denominations was 3D.
936, 445, of which 20, 287, TAP, or 81 6 per
cent. were returned by l64 Protestants
bodies; II, 079, TAP, or 36.7 per cent, by
the Roman Catholic church and 500, SCI,
or II per cent, by q other bodies"
1t is up to you Mr.. Williamson, to ex-
plain. Now, then, the total number of
all religious bodies being 80, 936, 485
Q906) and the total reported popula-
tion of the U. S. in 1900 being 76, 1903, 1887, |
we have more than 43, 366, 942 people
in 1906 belonging apparently to no relig-
ion. Some allowance must be made for
the increase in population between 1900
and 1906, not yet reported. The Census
Office does not claim absolute verify for
these figures, but they are close enough
for the purpose of argument. From
whose ranks are these forty-three mil
lion souls recruited. | can prove bv
statistics that they are not drawn to
any extent from Catholics, but time
and space will not permit will con-
tent myself with relating the following
incident, which to my mind proves con-
clusivelY whence large proportion
comes. During the recent Sunday
School convention in Washington it was
reported in the public press that one Of
the members rose in his seat, and ask
ed why it was that seventy-fve7 per
cent. of the Protestant boys after they
get older cease to go to church. He
further said that if any of the members
questioned this assertion they should
rise. Only one stood up. Every man
Of the world knows from experience
that this is the statement of a fact
The Catholic church gives the answer:
lack Of religious instruction in public
schools. The Catholic church, there
fore, is not opposed 20 public schools,
supported by the public money and I'M
der the public supervision, but she is
unalterably opposed to all schools where
religion does not go hand in hand with
learning. Concede her attitude on this
point, and the question of division of
the school fund becomes immaterial
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