The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-01-21


Christian civilization cannot be maintained
upon pagan ideas and that the safety of
every commonwealth depends upon the
Christian education of the people. They
have also clearly seen that doctrines diSci-
pine, morals, and '1he religious otn1oS-
plere," must be kept united, and made TO
penetrate and surround the school at all
times and that, however greatly the
Christian denominations may differ from
each other, or err even in their belief, it is
far better for society that their youth
should be instructed in some form of
Christian doctrine, than be left to perish
in the dreary and soul-destroy ing wastes
Of deism. Experience has proved TO them
that moral teaching, with Biblical illus
traiions, as the piety of Joseph, the
] heroisn Of judith, the penitence OF David,
will not suffice TO establish the Christian
faith in yonng hearts, or TO quiet the
doubts Of iuquiring minds. The subtle
Gibbon, mocking the cross of Christ, will
confront ihe testimony of the martyrs with
the heroes of pagan history. Noltaire did
the same for the French youth of the last
century, to their destruction. No. The
experience of wise govern ments is this:
that Hsorais must be based npon faith, and
faith made efficient in deeds OF practical
virtue for, faith worke;h by charity
/ And another experience is this, which is
best given in the very words of the ennis
rlant Protestant statesman and historian,
u. Guizot:
Ia order to make popular education
: truly good and socially useful, it must be
! fundamentally religious | DO rot simply
| mean by this. that religious instruction
should hold its place in popular cdncation
and that the practices of religion should en-
| ter into It; for nation is not reiigiously
+ educated by such petty and mechanical
devices; it is necessary that national cdn-
cation should be given and received in the
midst Of q religious atmosphere, and that
/ religious Impressions and religious obsevv-
( ances should penetrate into all its parts
+ Religion is not study or an exercise to be
rest,ictel TO a certain place and certain
{ hour; it is faith and law, which ought
{ TO be felt every where. and which after this
( manner alone can exercise all its beneficial
/ influence upon our minds and our lives ="
'.The meaning of which is, that not
moment of the hours Of school should be
left without the religious influence. i is
/ the constant inhalation of the air which
3
+ religious atmosphere which supports the
! young soul. Religion cannot be made "a
study or an exercise 10 be restricted TO a
/ certain place and certain hour 1t will
! not do to devote six days in the week to
+, science. and to depend upon the Sunday
school for the religious training of tie
/ child. NJ. Guizot is right The enIight-
cned governments Of Europe have accepted
/ his wisdom and reduced it 10 practice in
their great national school system.
Now, the Catholics of the United
/ States have said no more than that have
/ asked no more ihan that :; and yet, wild
( cry OF anger has been raised against them,
/ at times, as though they were the avowed
/ enemies Of all popular education. They
pay their full quota Of the public taxes
which create the oolfund, and yet they
+ possess, to-day, in proportion TO their
/ wealth and numbers, more parochiai
I schools. semiuaries, academies, colleges,
and universities, established and sustained
. exclusively by their own private resources,
/ than any other denomination Of Christians
in this country Certainly, this is no
evidence of hostility TO education! And j,
! "tly LtAF% tbS ilistNc titSc NOiiucl III
efforts, these unprecedented sacrifices
Il is because they believe in the truth
uttered by NJ. Guizot. It is because they
believe in tie trulh established by all his
tory. 1t is because they believe in the
truth accepted and acted upon by the en-
! Eghiened men and governments of this
I oEzo- 1t i D=c.tuse IIIey Know that revealed
religion is TO human science what Eternity
/ is 10 Time. Ii is because they know thar
/ the salvation OF souls is more precious to
J Christ than the know gc Of astronomers
It is because they know that the welfare
Of nations is impossible without God
And yet, they folly understand how reli-
! gion has called science to her side as an
honored handmaid how learning, chas-
tened by humanity, conduces to Christian
advancement how the knowledge Of good
and evil (tle fruit Of the forbidden tree)
may yet be made to honor God, when the
sanctified soul rejects the evil and embra-
ces the good. Therefore the Catholic
people desire denominational education, as
I it is called -
OLD STAMPS Our readers have doubt
/ less often wondered what became of the