Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1920-10-23
Exposes Un-American and Dishonest
Purpose of Michigan Educa-
tional BIZ.
Able Jurist Says No Man Can
Stand stiil While Bigotfy
Grows.
See to It That This Effort BE
Stopped at Once and
Forever.
PARocHIAL SCHOOLS EFFICIENT


AT the recent quarterly meeting of
the Detroit Diocesan Union of the
Holy Name Society at Lansing.
Mich, Hon. James o. Murfin, former
Judge of the Wayne County Circuit
Court, a Regent ofsthe University of
Michigan and a member of the Meth
odist church. was the principal
speaker. The distinguished iurist
discussed the threatened destruction
of freedom of education in the VOL
VERNE State, and was roundly ap-
plauded for his eloquent and able
defense of American principles of
liberty. Judge Murfin said:
Il do not belong to the Catholic
church, have never been in one in
my life except on occasions of funer-
ais of Catholic friends. / was born,
baptized and educated a Methodist.
| am here today in my capacity, IL
| have such a capacity, as a Profess
tant. | am proud of the fact that /
am an American, born and bred, and
| want to continue to be proud of
the fact; and no good American can
stand still aud watch bigotry grow.
because in my judgment the basic
ground for bolshevism is bigotry. I
am against this proposed amendment
for number of reasons. First and
foremost, it appears to me it is dis
honest. 1t is contrary to sound prin-
ciples, sound ideas, and is most de-
cided step backward. l have yet to
learn of. a good sound argument for
IL. | hear only one reason advanced
by these people for the adjustment
of parochial SCHOOLS, and that Is
usually in a whisper They teach
something un-American.'
CAS- Chairman of the District
Draft Board of the Eastern Division
of Michigan during the entire period
of the war there passed under my
observation on that board nearly
One-half millions registrants. We ex-
amined missionaries of over 200,-
600 and the Catholics had their
share. | happen to be for two and
One-half years Regent of the u. OF
NJ where | came in contact with
graduates of the parochial schools
| happen to be a citizen and walk W
/ the streets of Michigan and am
proud of many Catholic friends
suppose my powers of observation in
= that regard are just as good as those
of many others; and / am here to
say to you, Catholics and Protestants
alike, that If there is a course In
your parochial schools that is un,
American, every Catholic i have
known has flunked in that course
The dishonest feature of this amend
ment is its language that all chill.
dren between the ages of five anc
sixteen shall attend the public
schools in the district in which they
live--it sounds fine-it would SOUND
Just as fine If they left out the WORD
public and said school. Why do they
put it in that form? Why aren'
they brave enough to say: 1t shall
be unconstitutional to attend paro
chial schools in Michigan If they
did that they would not get vote
enough to count.
"The first thing that would Occur
to a lawyer is that it is clearly ant
obviously an unconstitutional pro
vision-it contravenes the organic
law of the land. The language O
the Federal constitution is simple
The fourteenth amendment provide
that no State shall make or enforci
any law which abridges the priv
leges or immunities of its citizens
Il is not only the law and sound
; good law, but it is an ideal arrange
ment, and it does not take lawye
to argue to you what are your priv
: leges. One of them is to send you
son to Harvard, If you would rathe
than to send him to Michigan. An
! other is to say where your childrei
shall go to school, who shall teac
them, and how they shall be taught
: IF that Is not a privilege, then l d
not know the meaning of the Englis
: language. We certainly have tn
right to worship according to tn
dictates of our own conscience her
in Michigan, and IL we have not
is time we move out.
when / was invited to talk I
J you on this subject 1t occurred to m
? to ascertain among other things,
3 my impression as to the benefits G
, the parochial school education wa
! wrong. have many friends VIII
; were in college with me and VIII
. were educated In parochial schools
| and / have seen no deficiencies
: them; so wrote DR.. II. p. Hutchin
: of the University of Michigan
: man who has been engaged in hight
. education for quarter of a centuI
l and who. during the period OF lari
. est development was head of IL
a University of Michigan. and l aske
him If in all his years OF work +:
Ann Arbor he had cause to thin
that the students who came to Il
University from parochial schoo
i showed any lack of preliminary ed
n | cation and he WROTE. II never saw
! single thing about them to criticiss
: II the parochial and private schoo
! are today giving education which '
4 all want to have and want our CHI
> dren to have, should they not be d
d lowed to continue to do II. The pr
r posed amendment Is the most u
e economical and unsound thing fro
'e a dollars and cents point of view
s. which have ever heard. There a
lc today being educated over 1907