The Education Question [pp. 504-544]

The Education Question.
sustain the schools of the State. The Quakers are justly taxed
for the support of the army and navy, because they have the
benefit of their protection, although they disapprove of the
means by which security is obtained. If Romanists derive in
various ways incalculable benefits from popular education, they
may be justly taxed for its support, though they disapprove of
its character.
This is one way, and as we think, one that is simple and
just, of meeting the difficulty. If Romanists should neglect to
establish schools of their own, the result would be, that a large
part of their youth would resort to Protestant schools. If the
plan suggested, though just, should be regarded as ungenerous,
let Romanists be exempted in whole or in part from taxation,
on condition that they should maintain a sufficient number of
schools for the education of Catholic children, to be approved
by the officers of the State.
Still a third method may be suggested. If the State thinks
that it is far better that the children of the Roman Catholics
should be educated in the Romish religion, than that they
should be allowed to grow up in ignorance, let the State contribute to the support of their schools, not as to State institutions for which the State is responsible, but as to schools which
do the public good service, though not belonging to the public
as a Christian and Protestant body. Our conscience would
not object to this. We might contribute to the support of a
Turkish hospital, without approving of the religion practised
within its walls. These are methods of meeting an acknowledged difficulty, any one of which we regard as incomparably better than the suicidal and futile attempt to banish from
our Protestant institutions everything to which a Papist can
object.
Besides the difficulty arising from the Romanists, it is further
urged as a reason for excluding all religious instruction from the
common schools, that Protestant denominations differ so much
among themselves, that it is impossible to suit the views of all.
On this we would remark. 1. That this difficulty is in a great measure imaginary. It did not originate with Protestants, but with
Infidels and Romanists. Our several colleges, such as Yale,
Nassau Hall, Jefferson, &c., are frequented by students of all
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[JULY,