Year: 1875

Territory Of ArizoLa, February 20, 1875.

 We did not refer to the lectEre at the

 time of its delivery for several reasons.

 Among them, we had known the lecturer q number of years well and faVorably; we

 believed that in this matter he was acting

 Long enough to properly understand the

 situation of the subject upon which he

 was lccturing. We believed then and

 believe now that the many errors that are

 found in his lecture would not have ap-

 peared had he resided here long enough to

 have been familiar with our educational

 interests from the commencement to the

 present time. We were willing however so long us his lecture went no further

 than the audience who listened to it to

 let the matter pass unnoticed, knowing as we did that no harm resulted to the

 public schools in consequence thereof.

 But the lecture has been published to the

 world in pamphlet form and We believe in justice to this community and the friends

 Of public schools in the Territory that it

 is our duty to make such correction and explanations as will give true history so

 far as the subject in controversy is con- cerned in Arizona. The lecturer starts

 out by saying that the free school side of the question has great deal of John Bull

 bluster in it and then almost from the commencement to the end of his lecture plays full hand at bluff and seems to im-, agine that he has exhausted the resources of reason and that no arguments can bel brought 10 bear against it. Now the1 fact is we have failed to discover any new feature in the lecture that has not been presented many times before by those who on his side of the question are try ing to divide the public school fund, or rather by those who are engaged in an ef fort to break up the public school system. Those arguments have upon all occasions been met and refuted and the public school interest has constantly gained strength until there is hardly public journal in America, outside of the Church, that does not heartily sustain the free public schools.

 The lecture in the pamphlet is prefaced as follows:

 "The occasion of the delivery of this lecture was that a grand ball was gotten up in Tucson during the session of the legislature in January 1875, 10 raise funds 10 start d public school building, AS Catholics are not allowed their share of the school money in Arizona, some of them refused to patronize the ball. The result was, the friends of the public schools, as now managed, got very much excited and made many angry comments upon the conduct of those Catholics who declined to join in the ball."

 In the first place the Judge, DO doubt on account of his short residence among us, fell into an error in the belief that the friends of the public schools became angry towal ds any one for the reason of not patronizing the ball. What did lead to some feeling was this; The friends of the public schools had contributed at least four tifths of the money to build 1 the Catholic Church and school-house in | Tucson; they had been among the best | paying patrons of the school taught by f the Sisters of St. Joseph: they had sane l toned liberal donation from the pub 1 lie treasury for the support of said school. Now W hen they proposed to get up a so- cial party, the proceeds to be appropriat- 1 ed to aid in building a public school house. what was the result? Did the lead CTS of the opposition to public schools meet us with that liberality that they had 1 always received at our hands? Far from i it. They were not content to remain away but did all in their power to prevent others from going, and thereby intended to break up an innocent, social party. We are happy to state that the party was B great success ard we know of no one who remained away who was in the habit of going to such places except the lectur- er himself. Through the whole lecture the idea seems to be made prominent that the speaker is a martyr to the religious and opinions he entertains. He doubtless covets a position of that kind, but he will have to seek other climes; he cannot force this community to place him in that position.

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