Popular Education [pp. 228-235]

Popular Education.
share of the public fund, and being
subject to governmental inspection as
to the proper application of the money, and the faithful discharge of the
engagement to impart secular knowledge according to the fixed educational standard. The selection of
the school-books and the religious
training of the children are in such
cases placed in the charge of the
clergy, or made subject to their revision. Where the religious denomination has not sufficient numerical
strength to enable it to establish a
separate school, its children attend
the other public school or schools,
but are carefully guarded against all
attempts at proselytizing, and their
religious instruction is confided to
their own ministers. In no instance
is the proper proportion of the school
fund ever refused to any denomination which has the number requisite
under the law for the establishment
of a separate school. By these means,
perfect freedom of conscience is preserved, and public harmony and
good-will promoted; whilst at the
same time, the children of all churches are brought up in the wisdom of
the world without losing the fear of
God. In this way, too, religious
freedom becomes a practical tzinzg,
and not a constitutional platitude or
an empty national boast. In this
serious matter, this great national concern, those European monarchies have expelled sham altogether.
Have we? Do we in the United
States, vaunting our hatred of
"church and state," our devotion to
entire freedom of conscience, our
preeminent love of "fair play," our
respect for the inviolable rights of
minorities, do we imitate the liberal
example of monarchical Europe, Catholic and Protestant, when we tax
our six millions of Catholics for public schools, and then refuse them a
patricipation in the fund? What just
man will say that such a rule is
right? What wise man will say that it
is politic? At least, let it not be said
that in our great cities, where there
are tens of thousands of poor Catholic
children, and in those rural districts
where the numbers are notoriously
sufficient to justify the establishment
of one or more schools, they shall be
driven to seek an education under a
system which their parents cannot
conscientiously sanction, or be left
to the chances of procuring the rudiments of learning from the over-taxed
and doubly-taxed resources of their
co-religionists. Help the schools
now actually existing, and which are
filled to overflowing with eager scholars; and assist those who are willing to build up others; the cost is no
greater; the educational policy of
the state is equally satisfied, whilst
the morals of the rising generation,
purified by religious faith and
strengthened by religious practices,
will give the republic assurance of
a glorious future.
We are satisfied that such a system would give us an enlightened
Christian people, and not merely a
nation of intelligent men of the
world, as cold as they are polished,
and as indifferent to divine things as
they are eager for the pleasures of
sense and the pride of life.
This would be a truly solid basis
upon which to build and perpetuate
the empire of a self-governing nation.
Without this, our constitution is a
rope of sand, our republicanism a
delusion, and our freedom a miserable snare to the down-trodden nationalities all over the earth.
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