CATHOLICS WANT THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
By G.
A CONTRIBUTOR to the Catholic School Journal, in discussing the question of religious instruction in the public schools, complains that the opinion of the “respectable minority” is ignored in the matter. By this minority is meant the Catholic element. He complains that the editor of the Educational Review holds to the doctrine that public education in the United States never can be otherwise than universally and wholly secular. He complains that this is because the majority are determined to have their own way, without giving any other plan a trial. He claims that this is “out of harmony with American ideas of fair play.” Now it is well to remind this “respectable minority,” without any discount upon their respectability, that the majority of the people are inclined to hold to the secular idea of public education because it is the only way to avoid two great evils, namely, conflict of religious doctrine in the schools, and the perversion of the civil government to the work of teaching (and thereby virtually promulgating) some specific religion. It is also well to remind this acknowledged “minority” that majority rule in secular matters is the original and true American idea of government, with the understanding, of course, that the natural rights of every one should be respected. We are aware that the Catholics hold that their rights are ignored because they are not given their proportion of public school money to apply in support of their own schools. But they have no more right to such a division than the people of other denominations who make no such demand. All of them have denominational schools in which to teach their specific doctrines, but no others than the Catholics are demanding a division of school money. If all should make such a demand, and attempts were made to satisfy the demand, the public school system would be destroyed altogether. The writer to whom we have referred treats the secular public education theory as Protestantism, and he is right in this; so is the non-interference of the State in matters of religion Protestantism. But he assumes a very inconsistent attitude from this premise. He says, “By means of our private schools and ‘our stupendous sacrifices we are holding our people ‘together; they are not.” Ordinarily one would suppose that to be a condition highly satisfactory to a Catholic, a condition for which he would be quite willing to sacrifice. But he (this particular one) becomes suddenly solicitous for the Protestants, and bewails their danger. He says, “The danger is that ‘Protestants will find out too late that they made a ‘mistake in not allowing us to be their allies for the ‘preservation of Christianity.’” How could Protestants make a mistake in this manner, when this same writer admits that Protestants are apprehensive “that Catholics would derive ‘greater benefits than they from any concession to ‘religious sentiment?’” From such a view it is clear that the only mistake they could make would be in being Protestants at all. If the secular public school theory is Protestantism, how could the Catholics become allies of the Protestants in education without joining them in the public schools? Therefore Catholics favor the teaching of religion in the public schools. And that is just what this contributor to the Catholic School Journal says, “What we want is to ‘have the public school system so remodeled that ‘religious teaching will be allowed in them.” And this teaching would needs be such as Catholics could indorse, in order to meet their approval or secure their alliance. And when it comes to teaching religion in the public schools, it might as well be the Catholic religion, for the whole idea is Roman Catholic. And Protestants who are advocating such a policy might as well concede the alliance of the Catholics, with all that such alliance means, because they have already entered upon Catholic ground. It is well that this writer has come out and stated plainly what the Catholics want. In the past they have been clamoring for a division of the public school fund, so they could use their portion in their own way, separate from the public schools. They have always berated the public schools, but we have always maintained that their opposition would cease if they could but utilize them for their own ends. In fact, it has been noticeable for a long time that there is no opposition from that source in places where there is a majority of Catholics on a school board, and Catholic teachers can be secured.