The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-07-19
THE MENACE N THE SCHOOLS

writes Bird s. Coler, in the Live Issue.
Your children's interests are involved
there. You pay cheerfully, directly
if you own real property; indirectly
and through your rent, if you do not
for the construction of the school
buildings, for the immense teaching
staff, for the books and for all that is
connected with the education of your
children by the state.
Do you know that the Socialists are
trying to capture your schools? Do
you know that they are trying to teach
your children, by the use of your mon
ey, not only the political and economic
doctrines of Marx and Engels, but the
materialist essence of the red philoso-
ply itself?
France seems very far away to most
of us. There has been wide publica-
ton of what the Socialists are doing
in the schools of France, but most OF
us have not read this. 1t does not
seem to touch our own interests or our
own children.
Those of us who have studied the
question closely know that Socialism
is already influential in excluding GER
tain historical truths that have to do
with religion from the curricula OF
our schools. Few of us know that the
organized Socialist Party, having pur.
sued it's campaign along lines of ex
clusion so far, is now preparing to
take the holder step along lines of in
clusion.
The Socialists themselves know al
this. 1t is so little known outside the
Socialist Party, however, that we may
all be alarmed by this heading in the
New York Call of March II, 1913, the
New York Call being the official So
cialist publication in New York:
Socialists seeking greater grip or
nations schools"
If we read the article underneath
our alarm will not be lessened. Il
tells us in a dispatch from Chicago
that American Socialism is rapidly
moving for a greater grip upon the
school system of the nation; that the
National Educational Committee of the
| Socialist Party will have a prelimi
nary report to make to the National
Committee of the Party when that
| Committee meets in Chicago in May;
that among the members of the Edu
cational Committee are May Wood
Simons, of Chicago; Emil Seidel, for
mer Socialist Mayor of Milwaukee
| Warren Atkinson, of Norfolk, Va.
Caroline Pratt, of New York City
John c.. Kennedy, of Chicago; anC
Frank Sanford, of the State Norma
School of Oneonta, N. Y. Mr.. Sanford
is quoted as saying:
There are worldwide indication!
that the present status of. society il
breaking up; that we are moving
toward cooperation in industries. Will
this change coming, it behooves us t.
consider how our educational system
may advantage by it.
I'm the newer, wider civilization
which must come, every child will re
quire not merely that education which
will fit him to work and earn, but tina
which will give him a philosophy ant
fit him to live. To crowd out the cul
tural from our primary school course
at the instance very largely of selfisl
demand for trained machines will b.
/ dwarfing to the best development o
the future nation. Rather let the in
terests of private manufacturing MAKE
room for the large education at the ex
pense of these industries if necessary
They have seculariZed our schools
to the last dot. That was only prepar
ing the soil; that was making it read!
for the seed of affirmative Atheism
that was pushing the school system t.
the point where the public would b.
ready for the Socialist school fore
Swallowed in Spargo's Socialism,
Whether" says he, "the Socialis
regime could tolerate the existence O
elementary schools other than its own
such as privately conducted kindergar
tens and schools, religious schools
and SO on, is questionable. Probabl!
not. 1t would probably not content it
self with refusing to permit religious
doctrines, or ideas to be taught in it
schools, but would go further, and, al
the natural protector of the child
guard its independence of thought il
later life as far as possible by forbid
ding religious teaching of any kline
in schools for children up to certain
age. Beyond that age, religious edu
cation, in all other than the publ,
schools, would be freely permitted
This restriction of religious education
to the years of judgment and discre
ton implies no hostility to religion OF
the part Of the State, but neutrality
Not the least important of the right
of the child is the right to be protect
ed from influences which bias tn,
mind and destroy the possibilities o
Independent judgment in later life, o
make it attainable only as result o
bitter, needless, tragic experience"
For the philosophy of life in which
the Socialists believe we must go bacl
of even the guarded opportunism o
Spargo and find it in all its naked ma
terialism and all its abhorrent immor
atty in Marx and Engels, Bebel, Ba,
and Blatchford.
This is all the content of the cul
tural education which Socialism is pre-
pairing to pour into the innocent an,
immature minds of your children.