The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-01-10

The tickets OF admission were charged at fifty cents
and the proceeds thus derived will go towards the
| completion OF the new parish school house annexed
| to the above church. The edifce was densely
| crowded. The Archbishop took his text from the
fifth chapter of st. Pau's first epistle to Timothy
and the eighth verse. But il any have not care
OF his own and especially Of those in his house he
hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infdel"
1t s very seldom, said he, that even in the Holy
Scriptures we find consequences apparently 50 harsh
| as resulting from the neglect OF ordinary duty
The Apostle makes use of language which at first
| would seem to be unintelgible. II there be any
thing in which men liable to be Indifferent it is
| in taking Of their own-frst of themselves and
next OF those who precisely in the situation that
is here alluded to- and yet the Apostle does not hcs
tate to suppose that that duty could not be neglected
nor does he hesitate to denounce the consequences
OF its neglect In language than it Is easy
to find throughout the pages Of the Holy Scriptures.
Many persons believe that il is an exaggerated form
of expression, but cannot apply any rule of criti-
cism to the words of the Apostle. st. Paul does
not write about the things of this world to provide
for the settlement of children. st. Paul is not inte
rested in men who have households that they should
be well furnished for that would be unworthy Of his
| inspiration; but he writes to convert from Pa
| ganism, or Judaism, to the faith and religion Of
Jesus Christ. The Rev. Archbishop,a great length,
| proceeded to explain the duties incumbent upon
parents in attending, with scrupnous care, to the
religious education Of their children at an early age
and went on to say-We are living in country and
| placed among denominations entirely disagreeing
with ours, both regards the theory Of religion and
the mode in which God would have it preserved nor
yet are they agreed among themselves so that while
the State has paid attention to the education Of our
future citizens, the State has hitherto by necessity
or choice, but unwilling or unable to admit the most
essential element Of Christian knowledge into the
teachings of our schools. She processes to teach
religion, and yet she is offended if we say this
s . retrograde step towards the barbarism of
Pagan ages. She is rampant if we say this.
But she will have no sectariansm and it so happens
that in the relation of creeds in this land, there is
no Christianity left if yon exclude all sectariansm;
and, therefore, to exclude all sectaransm is to
clude everything that pertains to be Christian in the
whole length and breadth OF this land. The State
has imagined that this would satisfy our fellow Pro-
testant citizens and certainly it ought; but if the
Apostle is to be relied upon this will not satisfy
They have thrown overheard the idea OF perpetual
and true religion in the world-they have rejected
the idea OF church rs divine corporation, insti-
tuted by Christ to preserve those truths which
sent from Heaven for the benefit Of the child. They
imagine that religion has become individual affair,
and hence one of their great principles is that all
men should search the Scriptures. And by the very
word search do they not intimate that they have it
not! II they were possessed OF this religion wonld
IL be necessary to search for il? For if it be religion,
il must be something revealed, and not discovered by
long and deep mystic study. We regard it as pub
lished outward fact, but they an individual con-
cern Another principle OF their religion is that God,
individuals to come into the world, and having
been rredestined, that they shall be efectral-
ly called, and this being the stern = but
as they suppose-and will not question their right
The just and merciful ordination Of God of course
man cannot resist. no matter whether relgously cdu
Gated or not 1t is his privilege they say, TO choose
hs religion, Or to choose any religion and whether
he be educated not. if he happened to be of the
number of those whom God has ordained from all
eternity, he cannot disappont himself of the result of
that eternal decree. Hence therefore, with them it is
even Pagan schools, for upon this hypothesis it can
not interfere with the end of their creation. We.
therefore, complain that they will not condescend
in their public administration OF this important trust
of education in which are supposed to contribute
share of tbe expense TO look at the subject from
the same point at which every Catholic must regard
it. they cannot accomplish that object which the
Catholic parents find it incumbent upon themselves
to insist upon, let them relnquish it, and say, this
system suits us, and to certain extent is in harmony
with our religious convictions; but will not i'm
pose upon you the means that would be necessary TO
educate your children, and deny the common right to
have them educated according to your own conyic-
| tons. We viii not tax you at all, and If
| we do in the aggregate in which the parents all
| agree in the same faith then we shall give you
portion, simply reserving to ourselves the right to
say you shall not waste the public money in the mere
inculcation OF your specific doctrine Of truth" This
would be reasonable, but it is certain that State
| can ever release parents altogether from the OBJ
| legation of educating their children in a Christian
manner; and il is certain that in state it is if
anything, less possible than elsewhere. can imagine
that in State where there is only one religion you
can well organize system OF public education and
either leave out religion, or introduce it, which
one win object to but in community made up of
such various schools of doctrine as ours, it would be
utterly impossible, perhaps, to introduce religion into
| schools in which sections represented without
introducing at the same time sources OF strife that
would render the management of the schools utterly
impr1ctcabe. do not now enter into the question
how far under these circumstances the State has the
right TO tax citizens, and against their will enter
deeply upon that sacred ground, which is well Sc
cured by the constitution, viz:Relgous rights and
freedom of conscience, and which freedom OF con
science ought to leave q clear way for Christian
Catholic fathers to have their sons and daugh
ters educated their consciences dictate, provided
they do it at their own expense. | enter not
upon that question, but / say that education
even of tho secular order accomplishes its end
better when administered wherever IL is possible
under the sanction of religion. Why is this Be
the church regards man not rs being OF time
but it takes the whole m0nhis whole destiny, body
aud soul time and eternity-and so when she esta.
blisiies school, how does she regard the pupil?
Why ber first and great principle is to prepare him
not only for this state but for the high destiny whlJ
is to be an everlasting citizen of the immortal realms
Of his God. The church. therefore, in her teaching,
lays the groundwork Of good citizenship. She has
some lever upon which to act, If she teaches the
child not to lie, and at the time teaches him
that God abominates liars and has denounced threats
against them. So with regard to every virtue, espe-
ciay those that have social tendency, there Is
groundwork of faith and religion laid down. which
the State can never provide for the State and all the
States OF the universe cannot make man honest. nor
| an honest man. The church can do both. Him
whose education she has presided by, she can train
up in honesty; and il at any time he should fall away
she has the power, by invisible means, to bring him
back to the path he has deserted. The State can do
neither. 1t can punish rogue, but it cannot make
| an honest man, nor IN upright citizen; and
| eyen that punishment it cannot always accomplish
aud still less win t be able to do when future
generation shall have taken the place OF that which
now exists. Men Of highly cultivated minds. ana
knowing all arts and artfces, now escape from ex
posure and the state has not even the power 70
punish rogue. ltt only the rogue who has no the
cunning to evadc her jurisdiction Can thus 5tato
expect that future generations viii be as uprighI az
Iheir prcdecessorsi tell you that the great men oi
this country and their associates although they diff
ftred widely from anything that is Catholic. never
fbeless they believed and acted upon the principle