The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1920-09-22
THOUSANDS HEAR
JUDGE MURF|M AND
BISHOP GALLAGHER
MANY FROM BELDING AND MIR
lam ARE IN ATTENDANCE AT
THE BIG PROTEST MEET

Many local people and many from
Miriam We're among the vast throng
which gathered in Prudden hall, at
Lansing. Sunday, in the protestation
meeting against the proposed paro-
chial and private school amendment
to the constitution of this state. The
principal speakers were Judge Muir
fin, prominent Methodist and BIZ
ship Gallagher, of Detroit.
Judge Murfn's speach was in part
as follows:
Il am not Catholic, was never in
Catholic church except at the fun
eral of friend. / am a Methodist, so
born, bred and educated, but / protest
against this abridgement of religious
liberty and constitutional liberty and
constitutional right even as the Pro-
testants of old protested against re-
ligious persecution.
II warn our citizens against such
movement as this one, and would
remind them of it's consequences q
few centuries ago. This thing fos-
ters nothing but bigotry and preju-
dice and that is most fruitful
source of Bolshevsm. This amend
ment is the most backward step in
constitutional ee-government which
has ever been proposed since the time
| became a voter.
"The proposed amendment is not
honest. 1t looks innocent on it's face
but it has a sinister purpose other
than that. If the supporters of it
are honest why did they not write
that amendment to read that it should
be unlawful to conduct private and
parochial schools. If written that
way, and that. is what it means,
there would not be one person in
thousand to vote for it."
Bishop Gallagher's address was
also, in part, as follows:
'We advocate nothing which in any
way conflict with the public schools.
We would only by our execution add
to the silver of secular training the
gold of that which is religious. We
teach the same subjects in the same
manner as the public schools and mo-
del our curriculum after them. We
can give also that which cannot be
given in the public schools, the high
er education of duty to God, our fell
lowmen and our country.
"One of the objections our oppon-
ents raise to the parochial schools
in that they are unamerican. | will
refute that charge by reference to
the war record of our schools and
our people. 1t is 100 per cent. One
of our schools sold the largest amount
of war saving stamps.
''But the biggest test of patriotism
and duty to country is when a man
offers his life fir it. On authority
of Secretary of War, Baker, when
President Wilson called for volun-
teers at the beginning Of the war. the
response showed that 35 per cent of
the army, 90 per cent of the navy and
so per cent of the marines were cath
olic men, while we number but II per
cent of the nations population"
In answer to the question of educa-
tional standard the Bishop said that
the University of Michigan recog-
nized parochial school diplomas the
same as the public schools, and pub
lie school authorities commended the
quality of their work.
The gathering was q mixture Of
protestants and catholics with the
same end in view--that of keeping
inviolate the provisions of the ordi-
nance of 1887 and more liberal view
toward each other, with greater
Americanism on the part of the stu
dents of all schools, both public, pri-
vate and parochial.