Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1853-02-03
rs THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OP-
POSED TO LEARNING
Mn. EpiroR:-

in our wny 10 show how this Church
| behaved when il had it's OWE way in
matters Of educarion. In our two pre-
ceding numbers we enumerated by
name some gtly sepem universities, be
sides those Of Hdiy and Portugal, which
we supposed at n low estimate TO be
twen'y three. making eighty Universities,
founded, endowed, o. confirmed by
Popes. To show tho concourse OF youth
at these universities we stated the tact
that The students at Turin amount to
1000 or 1900 and that in former day,
before the Reformation, oxford Uni
vers:ty consisted Of 20 colleges and pri-
rae schools; and LEI, thinkers 10 udge
whether such facts accord with what
amongst Us commonly passes for hls'o-
ry. Before quit this branch Of the
subject, allow ne give an extract from
the introductory lecture 10 Black
stones commentaries on the laws u.
England" Every body krows that
Blackstone was Il bigo.ted protestant.
Speaking OF Lincoln's lnns I'm this
juridcal university (lor such !! .s insitt-
ed to have been by Fortcscue and Sir
Edward Coke,) there were two sorts Of
co !egia'c Houses one called inns OF
chancery. in which the younger STU
denis o. the law were usually placed
learning and studying says Fortes-
cue, "ihc originals and us II were tie
elem. nis OF the law who, lrotiling
therein, as they grew 10 ripeness 80"
were they admitted to greater inr. Of
vl the sauc study called iuns Of
Court"
And ~ ihcsc inns OF both kinds he
{ Forl,scuc) goes on 10 tell ne the
knights aud barUns with other xrandc's
OF The realm did u-e TO place tn. ir ehIl-I
dren: though they did not desire them
to be thoroughly learned in the In" or,
get ,heir living by is practice I; aud
| that IN lis tine there were about 2COp
| students at llt Sc several inns. J
When was this In the days ci ileI-
ry VI Of England, long before the re-
formation was heard OF. OI course you
would suppose this intellectual nc ivly
increased after that GLORIOUS event
Hear Blackstone on this point. "Bn,
| L., A. I, li.n tt.f Ia
dlsuse 80 that III lhe reign oil queen
| Elizabeth Sir Edward Coke does no,
reckon at owe 100 students, and the
number is nrw considerably lees" Let
us now proceed TO inquire whether mo-
nastic Institutions were iavortl le
or otherwise 10 the progress OF learn
ing. All r. aders have II general idea
| that in those dark and distahiagr when
| the Roman Catholic was the only church
IN Europe, hosts Of monks oversrread
the continent that they lived III Mon
! astrries. and, some how or other, man
aged to be loved by tie people. Be
| yond this, little is generally known -
Odds and ends OF knowledge are
scattered abroad, such as that they
sometimes copied the bible and other
books before the art Of printing was
discovered. but these .crap. are seldom
put together, 10 see "haI sort OF a.
whole they would make.
Sume OF your readers would perhaps
like to know Whist monasteTieS, conr'ntS,
&c. really were and are. .non0Ste res,
Friaries, &C., generally are reII-
uious houses into which men retire
from the rorid and consccra,c them
selves by vow 10 The service oi God
COnrents and nutneIitS are similar
houses for women. No one il allowed
! 10 become a monk or nun unlll he or
she has been tried in that lie Tor one
year at least and this gear d H'dl,
which the Church requires 30 take rea-
! sonable pre,autiOn against 10 grave Il
matter, 10 called the NOriHuP. W hen
/ this novitia,e is ended, should the nov
ice be convinced OF vocation 10 tins,
| state oi lie, he is permitted, IN addition
to his bapiismal engagements, to TAKE
the simple vows oi poverty, Whereby he'
renounces all worldly possessions ol
chastity whereby he blnds himself to
lead u single lie und renounce all car
nal pleasures and Of ,bedience. where
by lie binds hInseli, in ull matters not
contrary to the law OF God, 10 give up
his own will and obey that Of his su-
perior. Having once made these VOWS
he must persevere in them, unIcss, by
some extraordinary event, hi. salvation
10 per'lIed, when hs. may be dispensed
Iron, them. To give some idea OF the
sort Of life led IN these houses the
shortest method will be- to quote the
short code Of injunctions ia the third
chapter ofthc rule generally followed III
the monasieries oi Europe called
II Tar RULE or ST. EEsEDlcT.
Il. "In the first place TO love the Lord
GoG with the whole heart, whole soul,
whole mind and strength. 9. Then his