Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-07-27
By the Assoeioied Press

NEW YORK. July 27-The
teri OF the letter OF Mrs. Frank
lin D. Roosepelt to Francis Car
dinal Spellman tolloaDS::
Hyde Park. N. Y.
July %, 1949.
Your eninence:
Your letter of July 2lst sur
prised me considerably.
I have never advocated the Bar
den bill nor any other specific bill
on education now before Congress.
| 1 believe, however, in Federal aid
to education. I have stated in my
column some broad principles
which I consider important and
said I regretted your attack on
the Barden bill because you aligned
yourself with those, who from my
point of view, advocated an un-
wise attitude which may lead to
difficulties in this country, and
have, as result, the exact things
which you and I would deplore
namely, the increase in bitterness
among the Roman Catholic
groups, and the Protestant and
and other religious groups.
I read only what was in the
papers about your address and I
stated In my column very carefully
that I had not read the Barden
bill or any other bill carefully. be-
cause do not wish to have 1t
said that I am in favor of any par
ticular bill.
Traces History.
If I may, I would like to state
again very simply for you the
things I believe are important in
this controversy. In the early
days of this country, there were
rather few Roman Catholic settle
ments. The majority OF the peo-
pie coming here were Protestants
and not very tolerant. but they
believed that in establishing a
democratic form of government it
was essential that there be free
education for as large number Of
people as possible. so there was a
movement to create free public
schools for all children who wished
to attend them. Nothing was said
about private schools.
| AS we have developed in thi;
country we have done more anc
more for our public schools. They
are open to all children and il
has been decided that there shoule
be no particular religious beliefs
taught in them.
I believe that there should be
freedom for every child to be
educated in his own religion. Ir
public schools it should be taught
that the spiritual side of life 1,
most important. I would be happy
if some agreement could be
reached on passages from the
Bible and some prayer that could
be used. The real religious
teaching of any child must be
done by his own church and In
his own home.
Cites Different Systems.
It is fallacious, I think, to say
that because children going to
public schools are granted free
text books In some States, free
transportation, sssor free school
lunches. that these same things
must be given to children going
to private schools.
Different States. of course, have
done different things as they came
under majority pressure from citi-
Gems who had certain desires. but
basically by and large. through.
out the country, I think there is
still feeling that the public
school is the school which is open
to all children. and which is sup
ported by all the people of the
country and that anything that
is done for the public schools
should be done for them alone
I would feel that certain med
ical care should be available to all
children, but that is a different
thing and should be treated differ
emily. If we set up free medical
care for all children, then it should
not be tied in with any school. At
present there are physical examin-
ations for children in public
school which are provided without
cost to the parents, but there is
nothing to prevent people who
send their children to private
schools from making arrange
ments to pay for similar examina-
lions for their children.
Talked of Parochial Schools.
should like to point out to you
that I talked about parochial
schools and that to my mind
means any schools organized by
any sectarian group and not ex-
clusively a Roman Catholic school.
Children attending parochial
schools are, OF course, JaugnI dc-
cording to the tenets OF their re-
spective churches.
AS I grow older it seems to me
important that there be no great
stress laid on our divisions, but
that we stress as much as possible
our agreements.
You state: And the Supreme
Court of the United States has
declared that health and transpor-
tation services and the distribution
of non-religious textbooks to pu-
pills attending parochial schools
do not violate our Constitution. "
None of us will presume to decide
questions which will come up be-
fore the Supreme Court OF the
United States. but all OF us must
think seriously about anything
which is done, not only in relation
to the specific thing, but IN rela-
ton to what may follow after 1t
and what we think will be good
for the country.
Anv ooe who knows history,