Year: 1875

E. '. Dunne's lecture, delivered Tn the As sembly Chamber at Tucson, Feb. Doth, a hasty perusal of which has given us more pain than anything that has ever occurred in our journalistic experience in Arizona. An intimate personal and political friend ship of many years duration has ripened a sentiment of deep seated regard in us for the author of this most remarkable production, that even the wide gulf which it creates be- tween us on the subject of popular educa- tion shall not materially disturb.

 Judge Dunne, as a profound student in matters either of law, literature or politics, has few superiors on the Pacific Coast. It has been pleasure and profit to us to de- fer 10 his opinions on these points, and as to matters of religious belief where it is not tempered with bigotry, it is always an es- pecial pleasure to accord to every one the same latitude that we claim for ourself Finding in the Judge very liberal vet con sistent Catholic, we admired his liberality and consistency and became his devoted friend. It was our fortune once, in another State, to occupy a seat near him in a legis- lative body for a Session of nearly five months, during which time his voic' and vote were ever on the side of enlightened progress, when, if there was spark of the ultra montane or Jesuite in his composition, one would expect to see some manifestation of it in the heat of debate in Q popular assembly, rather than now when he holds by appointment position which ought to be occupied only by those above and beyond all sectarian, personal and political preju- dices.

 tional Convention we never heard that he attempted or advocated clause for the es- tablishment of sectarian schools Tn that State, when it would have been eminsntiy proper to have done so by any member who vas opposed to the American system of secu- lar education. On the contrary, he reserved his opposition until elevated to the highest judicial position known to the land in which he BOW lives, that of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Terri tory, when he suddenly developes into bitter partizan, as against the most cher ishcd of all the liberal institutions of the country. This has astonished and pained us, rot to say shaken faith in humanity. Whether eur friend has been secret enemy of public education all the time, even while patronizng it as pupil and teacher, whether hs new surroundings at Tucson have awakened a new religious fervor and quick ened as it were, hitherto dormant con science or whether in his present opposition to public schools he is acting in ohedience to an authority that no good Catholic can consistently disobey, We are not prepared to decide, but certain it is Q change has come over bis action, let us hope that it springs from honest conviction of duty, rather than sn obsequious homage to assumed human authority, even though the instrument of such authority claim unlimited power in the secular affairs of the whole world and infal- lble judgment as to the conduct and duty of all people under the sun.

 Time and space forbId that we should at- tempt in newspaper article to answer the arguments of the lecture, which fills a pam phet of nearly fifty pages, we shall there fore only direct our remarks now to the fact of his opposition to an institution that has engaged the best energies and intellects of the friends of the rising generation, and, as We can find opportunity hereafter, shall com ment on the argument and attempt to an swer such portions as we consider are calcu- lated to have a harmful influence in com munity.

 On the return of the Yavapai delegation fnom the Legislature with an account of the stand taken by the Chief Justice we were taken somewhat by surprise, and sought on all proper occasions to find some excuse or explanation for what was so generally com mented on as the narrow minded or bigoted views entertained and promulgated by him. Finally the matter passed out of mind and was seldom alluded 10; the friends of the schools went on with their good work, the children are learning rapidly, the liberal and tubtc CbitSutSucu SatuOnCc JotuHS az otat tily and energetically as others in building school-houses and encouraging teachers and pupils in the advancement they are making until We had almost forgotten there was an opposition seeking to sap the foundation of the school system. Father Walker and few bigots of his class, heated by prejudice, 1t is true, had thundered their anathemas at what they were pleased to denominate God less schools, but the better classes of their own Church members at once repsdiated and declared such sentiments distasteful to them. We should be sorry to attribute to Judge Dunne improper motives. We be- lieve that some subtle influence has posses sion of him and controls his action in the matter of public schools in Arizona that did not operate in California and Nevada. To suppose that the fact of its unpopularity thefe prevented his making an effort for the establishment of sectarian schools in those States would be to imputc to him quality