The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-09-02 00:00:00

CARDINAL MANNING ON CATHOLIC
EDUCATION.

On Monday Cardinal Manning presided over a large.)
meeting in the Mechanics' Hall, Nottingham, on the
Oubject of Catholic education. The Duke of Norfolk
and the Marquis of Ripon were on the platform.
The Cardinal, in the course of a lengthy speech, said
the question they were met to consider was a question
of questions--one most vital. In what he wished ta
say he must claim liberty of speech; but his language,
though not weak, would seek to be as little unpleasant
as possible. Education, most unhappily, had been
made a matter of political opinion —a text of
petty warfare. It was even made a question oi
religious controversy. He should have thought that
all men who believed in the Christian religion would
have been agreed that the education of little children
should be made religious. The Jews had a wise pro-
verb, that even the building of the Temple should be
stopped for the education of children. It was thought
by them to be a matter of such importance that nothing
whatever should stand in its way. He, too, was of
that opinion, and he was in a position to say that neg-
lect had not been shown by this country. Prior to
the sear IK6 the whole system was voluntary. It
was left to parents to attend to it in discharge of an
obligation higher than any Act of Parliament. He did
not deny compulsion was just when applied for two
purposee,—first to protect the children in their rights
and secondly to inflict a penalty on neglecting parents.
The Cardinal then went on to detail the history of
public legislation on the education question since 1836.
Speaking of the introduction of the School Board
system as disastrous, he said that no greater peril could
hang over the country than the extension of the School
Board system until it became the system of the country.
That was the aim of a band of men whose ability
he recognised, but whose numbers and influence
recent events had shown to be overrated. For it had
become quite clear that Englishmen., from one end to
another of the country, were agreed that the children
of the laud should be brought up as Christians.
(Applause.) At present they were in a crisis. They
had two systems of education in force. One was
voluntary and religious, the other he would simply
describe as the Board School system. There was a
time when he feared the latter system would extend
until, instead of being supplementary to the other,
"which was the utmost intended by those who passed
the legislation," it would swamp it. This had ceased
to be imminent, though the danger might return if
they did not do their duty. But if they used their
power, not that of mere agitation, but the power of
covering the land with Christian schools the risk was
past. A good deal was being done and had been done
since 1870. Schools had been provided for one million
of children. How had this work been divided? Volan-
tary and Christian effort had provided for 750,000, and
only 230,000 had been provided by the Schoel Board
system. (Applause.) In fact, that system had only
been applied among twelve millions of people,
mainly in the large towns, where the great neglected
wastes occurred. Nobody could deny that the
Government was under an obligation in past years to
deal with those neglected wastes, but he for one was
glad that powers had been taken in the recent Act to
dissolve Board Schools when voluntary and Christian
provisions had been made. (Cheers.) The Church. as
established in this country, had made a vigorous and
self-denying use of the privilege which the law had
given it since 1856, and the Roman Catholic Church
had not been behind hand. (Hear, hear.) He traced
the arrangements between the Government and the
cfficials of their own Church from 1846-7, under
which the public money could be received for
their schools. For himself, he was amazed at
what the Roman Catholics had done. They were
not able to keep the bulk of their children
at school so long as others; but allowing for
that, in reference to the higher "standard," their
schools were fully abreast of any. (Cheers.) The
question really at issue was the character of the next
generation of Englishmen. The generation of to-day
bed been brought up in Christian schools. These it was
their duty to preserve for the children growing up, for
a nation not educated in Christian schools would grow
up a nation without Christianity, and a people with-
out Christianity would not be long before it became
anti-Christian. (Cheers.) In conclusion, he said that
In place of the much-boasted formula of their oppo-
nents—education universal, compulsory, and undeno-
minational—he would suggest a formula which would
be more true and more beneficient—namely, education
universal, voluntary, and Christian. (Applause.)
The Duke of Norfolk proposed the following resolu-
tion
That Catholics cannot be conscientiously Whiled tulles'
the teaching of Catholic faith and morality be included in
the daily teething cf our children, and can never rest satisfied
with schools in which these are not taught."
(Applause.) His Grace urged that to Catholics the
question of educetioniwas more serious than to others,
who did not regard it in the special light they did.
To Catholics, education did not simply mean giving
children improved means of bettering their worldly
position and amassing wealth, it meant the formation,
in them of a satisfactory, moral, and religioine
character. He supported a project bejnq started by:
the Bishop of Nottingham for a Diocesan Fund for
educational purposes.
The resolution was seconded by the Rev. Canon
Griffin, and was passed.
The Marquis of Ripon submitted a resolution as
follows :

"That in order to secure adequate teaching in Catholic
faith and morality, and to prevent the attendance of Catholic
children at non-Catholic schools, it is at least necessary to
provide in connexion with every mission a Catholic pubic
elementary school sufficient for the poor children, and that
'ugh schools ought to be efficiently conducted."

(Applause). The Marquis said though he was one of
the authors of the measure of 1870, he should not let
this paternal feeling lead him to say anything in the
defence of that great measure. They had to take
saetters as they now stood. When the pressing matters
I dealt with by the resolution had been met, there was a
further work before them in reference to schools of a
higher grade ,• but their first duty now that education was
made oompulsory was to provide elementary schools
for Catholic children, Mn securing the right of free
choice of the parents. Without that free choice com-
pulsion would be unjust. (Cheers.) This was the state
of things they had to face. If Catholic schools were not
provided, the children would have to be sent to non-
Catholic schools. It was not, he believed, the wish of
their countrymen that this should be so. Government
aid was open to them, but it was for them to take the
first step. But net only must they have schools, the
schools must be efficient. If they were not, the
, Catholic children would be left at a disadvantage with
all other children. To secure efficiency they needed
training teachers and inspection by impartial Govern-
ment inspectors. As had been urged with them as
Catholics, intellectual training was not all, they had to
secure for their children a Catholic education. And to
gain this end under the present compultsory system he
called upon every one -of them to make an effort.
(Applause.)

The resolution was seconded by Canon Tasker and
was carried.

Other resolutions were adopted for carrying out the
above.