THE PUBLIC SCHOOL PROBLEM. 21 
to the children of its schools the practical example of " religious indifferentism," 
which is sure to bear, sooner or later, its usual fruit of infidelity, knavery, and 
debauchery. 
Can these evils of a public school system be remedied by the distribution of 
the public money, either the whole or a part of it, among the religious bodies, to 
be used by them for the support of their own schools ? If this plan were adopted 
the expense of supporting the public schools would become greater even than 
that of supporting a secularist public school system, because this plan requires an 
unnecessary increase of "machinery;" and if the number of children taught by 
each denomination respectively was in the same proportion to the total number 
of children taught in the public schools, as the tax paid by such denomination to 
the entire amount raised by taxation for the support of the public school system, 
it would amount to the same thing in the result as the voluntary plan of popular 
education, except that it would be far more expensive. But when the number 
of children taught by the several denominations respectively and their respective 
taxes are greatly disproportionate, the State, through its taxing power becomes 
the supporter of religious sectarianism, compelling the people to pay the expenses 
thereof. The State can support sectarianism in the public schools without paying 
money for the religious instruction given in them. The State, therefore, should 
have nothing to do with popular education. Among those of any religious belief, 
complete education and religion are inseparably connected, and when a State, 
whose citizens comprise chiefly adherents of various creeds, attempts to give the 
former it necessarily gives instruction in the latter, and does injustice to some or 
all of the religious bodies among its people. 
It is objected that this plan would entirely withdraw educational advantages 
from a large number of the poorer classes, and would be practically equivalent to 
a plan for lessening general intelligence. If the Catholics of this country, labor- 
ing under great disadvantages and with insufficient means, while at the same time 
taxed to support sectarian or secularist public schools which they totally disregard, 
have voluntarily taxed themselves to support parochial schools for the benefit of 
their children and of all the poor children whom they can gather under their charge, 
there is certainly nothing to prevent those of other schools of thought from follow- 
ing their example in maintaining their own schools and charitable institutions. 
And if other religious bodies exert themselves one-half as much as the Catholic 
Church in the interests of popular education on this voluntary plan, the abolition 
of the State public school will, at least, not lessen general intelligence. 
Public schools, therefore, as State institutions, should be abolished, and every 
religious body should have and support its own free schools; where at least good 
breeding, morality, and the love and fear of God will be imparted, as well as 
secular learning ; this plan being the only solution of the troublesome public school 
problem, founded on the basis of equal justice to all. 
