Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-10-14
LECTURE on EDUCiTl0N, By
BISHOP HENNgSSEY,

BlSMVY HEM aCCEI.
Right Rev. John Hennessey, D. D., Ro-
man Catholic Bishop of Dubuque, lsctared
at the Buriis Opera House. Monday evening.
On the snbjsct Of Iducasien. The audi
sdcs WAS one Of the largest ever assembled
in Ds,sspost. net less than $500 persons
bsing present. Ga the platform were seated
Rev. Fathers Fiavin. Cosgrove and Eie.-
man, ss tbs city. end Rev. Father Thos.
Gum, Of Cedar Rapids; also J. McCort-
ney, NJ. D., and W. 7. Dit,oe. Esq. The
Bishsp vas introduced aboutt s o'clock.
He commenced bysremarking that what
he intended to say could not, perhaps. be
called . lecture. andstha. nothing bat the
great, the vital importance Of tho subject
could have induced him to address then.
Than education nothing can BE- more inter
es,ing TO us,-nothing more nearly concerns
us. We are engaged in forming and direct
ing the minds Of those who. IN few years
hence, will occupy our places; who vii
fill the professions, the councils Of the na-
ton; who will influence and guide public
opinions, the fathers and mothers Of the
next generation. Such being the case, it
was necessary that ~ should clearly and
rightly understand the full import Of the
term education. Its literal meaning was
then briefly explaised by the lecturer, who
sA~& Ia lad
under it than its chronological meaning
seemed to indicate. True education meant
much moro than developing and sharpening
the intellectual faculties. The will had to b
trained, reprsssed and moulded in the right
direction; the memory stored and disci.
pliued; the. understanding enlightened and
purified. The latent powers Of the mind
were drawn forth,-ths psssions and evil
tendencies Of our corrupt and fallen nature
represssd and subdued. II oil these be not
done, education is defective. Education
stamps the character OF the individual,
msulds the family, shapes society and gives
il purpose and direction. And this process
must bs essentially religious, else il cannot
be either safely or successfully carried, nay
il cannot bs carried on At all. In proof Of
this the B'shop commented 1t some length
upon the nature Of man. his origin, depend.
snoe, destiny and immortality.
In examining the question, ws ere not to
view il in the light Of public opinion. the
idol Of freedom, the Moloch Of the hour
to which all are expected to bow in abject
submission. The soul Of man is immor tai
stamped with the impress Of God, above
the world, superior to il, and therefore not
to be educated after the manner Of the
world.
There are two systems Of education,
an.agonistic, dsmetrically opposed to each
other in their means and ends. The one 10
blended with. recognizes and depends upon
religion. Tbs other entirely and Of necsssi-
~ ignores religion. The latter is that Of
the public schools Of the country. This
system not only ignores religion but is hog
tile to it. l. canno. be otherwise
ported by all.-for all are equally taxed,
The believer - well as the inadsl, the Jew
as we'll ~ the Christian. The schools cannot
under the law become prossyting without
dsregarding tie purpose for which they
are established, that Of giving equal rights
to oil. In this they essentially and Of ne.
csssity non religious. They cannet be
otherwise. The Jew is'taxed for their sup.
port, can knowledge Of Christ, who died
to redeem and save q world. bs taught in
the hearing Of the child of the Jewi No.
cons scencs is sacred. There are rights you
cannot trampls on. Can you teach there
is heM No, the Jniversalist has rights
that must be regarded. Aud 50 with the
Atheist, the Deist, the 1nfdel. You cannot
teaca the decaloEue Of Moses; nor make
known even the existence ofa God with
out trespassiag upon the rights and
privileges Of soms one. And notwithstand-
ing the various sscss into which christians
arc divided, and notwithstanding each
eect believes in some Of the truths
Of Christianity still mono Of
these truths can bs taught under the pres
snt system. For these reasons Catholics
could neither approve nor support such q
system. To do either would Be to abandon
religion. 1t followed then that Catholics
could not rightfally be asked to pay taxes
to suppertit. To enforce such pay mcnt is
tyranny sad oppression. The majority Of
the people Of ireland were compelled to
pay tilhss to support the Established
church" which they do not attend, and
miniatry whose ministrations they do not
| attend. The injustice of such laws had
been for years pointed ou. by good men in
all countries, but, continued tho Bishop,
let US hope that under the enlightened pol.
icy Of liberal statesmen that establishment
VIII soon be done away with. And yet
here Catholics are under tyranny equally
a. oppressive and grinding. They are com-
PEELED TO support schools to which they
cannot send their children. But the
schools were open and free, tuition was
free, and it might be said that # Catholics
did no. avail themselves Of the advantages
thus place within their reach, Il was their
own fault. But this WAS but adding insult
to injury. Il was sskiog them to erect The
citadsls whose guns would carry ruin asd
death to their dearest interests. II was
asking the parent to heap up the Arss in
the bowels Of the idol that bic children
might be hurled into the flames, and doom.
ed to helpless destruction. But could net
The parent teach religion ct homef This 10
the question which ws hear - often asked.
How many parents can succeed in teaching
at home the rudiments Of readiug and wri.
tingi II tine cannot b tins given at
hons TO the imparting Of secular knowl-
edge, how can religious instruction, for