The Pulpit vs. The Parochial School
A Seattle minister takes the stage to denounce Catholic education and demand the defense of the secular public school system.
The Rev. R.E. Dunlap preached a sermon at the First Christian Church on Sunday evening regarding the attitude of the Roman Catholic Church toward the United States public school system. He argued that the Roman Catholic Church was waging a war against public schools, seeking a division of school funds for parochial purposes. Dunlap claimed that such a concession would bankrupt the public school treasury and destroy an essential democratic institution. He challenged the hierarchy to disclaim authority over secular affairs and criticized the church's past use of government Indian school funds, arguing that the public school remains the essential foundation for American civilization and progress.
“Let our children in our public schools still be taught to observe facts, to record them with accuracy, to discriminate with skill, to reason from fact to fact, and from segregated facts to just conclusions.”
This sermon reflects the height of 19th-century 'nativist' anxieties, which frequently targeted Catholic immigrants and their institutions. While the language today focuses on different cultural divides, the debate over public funding for private and parochial education remains a flashpoint in American civic discourse.
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