The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-08-27
from the Cincinnati Gazette
Catholicism and the Public Schools.

ami University that part in which he
exhorts the professors to shun the
paths that conduct to atheism or ra-
tionalism in any form, and TO teach
religion as the chief of sciences; for
religion is the instrumentality by
which you may promote that good,
education required by the terms OF
our charter, and it remarks upon
this: Why did not Mr.. Gresbeck
advocate these doctrines when he was
a member of the Constitutional Con-
vention of Ohio? Why did he give
his vote to fasten forever on the peo-
pie the atheistical common school sys-
tenn? sIia 9
In the Roman Catholic idea. our
public schools are athistical," be-
cause they do not teach the Roman
Catholic religion. In the same idea
the American Government is atheis-
teal because it has no State religion.
In the Roman Catholic idea all secu-
lar affairs, when not controlled by the
Church, are atheistical. The logic of
this is that there must be no secular at
fairs. All must be under the control of
the priesthood. The power Of the State
must increase the power OF the
Church. The Government of Rome
is the perfection of the Roman Cath
Ollie idea of civil Government. A
government in which the Prince is
hum BILE subject of the Pope, whose
word can bring him to his gate bare
footed and bareheaded to supplicate
forgiveness, is next to that. And
government to support and defend the
Church which the Pope appoints and
rules, and to prohibit all other reli-
gion, is the largest latitude to civil
government that the Roman Catholic
idea can allow.
And yet this Roman Catholic idea
can adopt itself to popular Govern
ment, as we have seen, so as to pre-
serve the supremacy of the church in
the State, although nominaliy church
and State may be separate. 1t is by
the spiritual power over the con
sciences of individual members of
the body polite in all affairs And
to this end the church must never let
them escape for one moment from It's
influence, from the cradle to the
grave. And even beyond, that it re-
tains grip which makes its power
more fearful to the friends left be-
hind. 0Iftet
The theory which adapts the Ro-
man Catholic idea to popular govern
ment, was very ingeniously stated in
an article entitled, Church and
Srate, in the Catholic World maya
zine for April. 1t was review of
the essay of Donoso Cortes, on Cath
olicism, Liberalism and Socialism, the
main doctrine of which is, that as all
things are from God, the union of the
Church and State is the divine order
This the Catholic World dissents
from, although it admits that it is
best for Europe; but then it proceeds
to unfold its ideas of unity of
Church and State for such a govern
ment IS ours, which is founded on the
same theory, and arrives at practically
the same result.
The theory is that the State rests
on the equal rights of all men. but
the equal rights themselves must rest
on something. and as they do not rest
on the State-are not derived from
the State-therefOre, they must come
from God, for there is no other source
to come from or rest upon but God
and the State. The equal rights,
then, which are with US the basis of
the State, depend themselves on the
church or spiritual order for their
support. OF course, in the Roman
Catholic idea, the name Of God means
in the affairs of this world, the Ro-
man Catholic Church The writer
continues: Hence political principles
must find their support IN theology,
and the separation Of Church and
State In the sense of separating po-
litical from theological principles is
as hostile to the State as 10 the
Church, and to liberty as to religion"
The State being based on equal
rights. and the equal rights being
based on COP, therefore the State
derives all its authority from GOD,
and hence the ssp0litieal atheism
which afirms that the Church has
nothing to do with politics denies the
right Of the State to exist. Political
atheism is, then, alike destructive Of
religion and politics, Church and
State, of authority and liberty.
Therefore ''the permanent, univer
sal, and {invariable principles of civil
societies are all Theological princi
pies. They : come within the pro-
vince Of the theologian, not of the
statesman.o and are therefore to be
determined by the spiritual society,
not by the civil III g95a il
The writer has thus set up the
Church as the fountain of human
rights, and as supreme in political af-
fairs. and he has done it by logic so CO.
gent that she says there Is no 9eny-
ing this without denying reason It.
self" Its adaptation to practical use
in this Government, where every. per
son is part of the ruling power. is OBJ
vioYS IAN oolftico1 sr,rine--yrl l. Il =,