This volume contains two lectures delivered by the author before the Free Religious Association, a 19th-century American organization dedicated to promoting religious liberty and rational inquiry. The lectures examine the issue of public education from the perspectives of a Catholic and a liberal citizen, respectively, and offer insights into the debates and controversies surrounding this topic in American society. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.