The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1915-09-25

ri EPTEMBER isi, has cone and
lM gone. With 10 cane again an
IH event of ne greatest interest 30
.E. the AmerieAn people We hcAf
tAlk Of he solar year, hnAheiAl
year and other periods % time, bot the
period knoun a. the school year couosrns
The American people more thAn any other
division Of time kn0wu 10 them. W,
tAlk Of the Fourth Of July, ThAhk.giv
ing Day and other holidays, but the dA,
on Which AL over the land the schoo.
houses are thrown opcn and the youth o
the land, great and small. fock 10 them,
is the event Of the year 70 The American
people
For this fathers and mothers AL ove'
the country labor and economic a. they
do for no other purpose. IL s for theii
children and they cheerfully perform The
sItTa labor and pay the extra tAIes thai
the coming generation may be htted foi
the struggle Of life.
When We think thai nov, probably
100000 Of the youth Of the Unite
States are gathered daily in the scho
buildings costing hundreds Of millions o.
dollars, that these children are under the
watchful care Of SOC, 900 20 400,0 900 Of ths
hrainiest and best Of Americas young
men and women, We can safely say tha
the public school system Of this country
IL lie greatest and most valuable institu
ton. The pride Of America, and the on,
thing which makes Il greater than q
other nations and gives Il the leadership
Of civilization.
This success had not been won without
opposition, bitter, cruel and relentless, ant
At present more dangerous because hid
den under a mask Of professed friend
ship.
From the beginning the Roman Cath
Ollie church in the United States, AZ else
where, has been the determined foe G
popular education, and this 20 the e1
tent Of withdrawing its children from
the public school whenever possible.
To do this Il has been obliged q
establish q rival system Of schools on IN,
parish plan, known a. parochia schools
While some other churches, ~ Lutheran,
and others, employ the parish system
whore practical, the Roman CRtholi,
church Is the only sect which uses IL
private school system as an Offset or rivA
Of the public school system, and in th'
press generally, and in THE MENACE il
particular, the term "parochial school
is used as applying particularly 70 tn
Catholic system.
We admit that while II IL the duty a.
the state for economic reasons 10 see thai
every child has a chance for education
10 be fitted for the struggle Of life, anc
] that every child has an inborn right {.
such an education, that IL is both the duty
and privilege Of the parent 10 give III,
child the best education possible, no mat
ter whether il be in a public or a priyat,
school; and If he can secure a better edu
cation for his child in q private school II
is duty TO do so.
The Catholic leaders claim that they
are obliged 10 use separate schools IL
order 10 protect their young people from
the evils Of the age. That religious teach
ing is a component part Of education
and that they can only secure this in theii
parochial schools As an excuse for this
they have, as everyone knows, deliberate
ly and persistently fought every attempt
70 teach even morality in the publ,
schools Everything of a moral or gen
eral religious nature or elevating in Il
tone, even in the songs Of the children
must be left out, and then having large
ly accomplished their purpose 20 far, the!
cry that the public schools are 50 bad tha
they must keep their children out Of
them. Then, after taking their ehildreI
out Of the public school, they still persis
in fighting moral training in the school
which they repudiate.
As far as the schools are concerned, 1
common Catholic priest can give the typi
cal "dog in the manger" lessons at an,
time.