Popular Education [pp. 228-235]

Popular Education.
sic, manners, and morals is, at least, as generally diffused and as faithfully promoted
by the clerical body as in Scotland. It is
by their own advance, and not by keeping
back the advance of the people, that the
popish priesthood of the present day seeks
to keep ahead of the intellectual progress
of the community in Catholic lands; and
they might, perhaps, retort upon our Presbyterian clergy, and ask if they, too, are in
their countries, at the head of the intellectual
movement of the age? Education is, in
reality, not only not suppressed, but is encouraged by the popish church and is a
mighty instrument in its hands and ably
used. In every street in Rome, for instance, there are at short distances public primary schools for the education of the children of the lower and middle classes of the
neighborhood. Rome, with a population
of I58,00ooo souls, has 372 public primary
schools, with 482 teachers, and I4,000 children attending them. Has Edinburgh so
many schools for the instruction of these
classes? I doubt it. Berlin, with a population about double that of Rome, has only
264 schools. Rome has also her university,
with an average number of 6oo students,
and the papal states, with a population of
2,5oo00,000ooo, contains seven universities; Prussia, with a population of I4,000ooo,ooo, has but
seven."
If the church has been found in
hostility to educational systems, it
has been when, as in Ireland, the
schools have been madeproselytizing
agencies and iistrumzents of oppression;
and if she has disfavored without opposing other systems, as here, it was
solely to preserve her own people
from the damaging effects of a purely secular education, and to secure
for them the higher advantages of
a religious training. If others find
that the schools answer all their
wants, she is well pleased to see
them derive every benefit therefrom which the best administration
of such a system can produce. But
the Catholic people say: If we who
are counted by millions, and who
are daily adding to the wealth of the
nation by our labor and enterprise,
are required to pay taxes for the
support of the public schools which
we cannot use for the education of
our children, ought we not, at least,
to receive an equitable proportion of
the public fund, to assist us in securing what every good citizen wishes
to see accomplished, the education
of our youth? We are now millions,
and millions more are comning, by
ship and steamer, every day, almost
every hour. We are a part of the
nation, children and citizens of the
great republic. Shall we add to the
virtue and intelligence of the community, or to its ignorance and vice?
We are struggling with all our might,
and devoting all our means to reach
the lowest stratum of our society,
and lift it up into the light and air
of secular knowledge and spiritual
grace. Why should not the State of
New York help in the good work?
The regulations of France, Prussia, Austria, England, and other countries of Europe would assuredly afford
to our legislators the practical details
of a good working system, which it is
not our province to suggest in form,
uninvited. Let it be conceded, however, that millions of men throughout
this country should not be taxed for
establishments of which they cannot
conscientiously avail themselves, unless, at the same time, they are permitted to participate, in a reasonable way,
in the enormous funds derived from
those tax-rates. Let the schools,
though denominational when endowed by the state, be subject to state
inspection so far as to insure the full
compliance with the requirements of
the general law as to the standard of
education to be bestowed, but with
no further control over management
or discipline.
In the European countries referred to, (it may be said here generally,) each religious denomination when
sufficiently numerous in a district to
justify it, is permitted to establish a
denominational school; receiving its
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