The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-03-13
Rationalism-No. 6.

last article of this series are due all tn,
alterations of the human will, with til,
record of which nearly every page of his
tory is defled. Let philosophy, undel
whatever name it chooses to adopt, whethe
, pantheism, or rationalism, or fatalism
which ultimately are but one AID the same
error disguised in differen. masks to adap
itself to each varying carnival of philoso
phic presumption-dream, fancy, contrive
or invent with all it's might-it never has
discovered any other solution for the intri-
cate problem of our existencs. Only fol
this baleful event, the affections planted in
our nature, to cooperate with the will in
its high resolves, would never rise in rebel
lion against it; but both would act in har-
moniOus concert with reason-itself Tho
submissive handmade of the Divine Mind,
OF whose splcndor it is radiation. But
ow ing to tie original transgression, and to
no other conceivable cause, affection is en-
gagged in continual warfare on our elective
faculty. On no philosophic hypothesis, but
by this fact alone, can the conflicting laws,
already cited from the great Apostle, be
explained. There is deep-rooted, unre-
hitting strife evermore kept up within US
n strife which arrested the attention even
of the licentious Ovid, in whose confession
we seem to overhear the plaintive avowal
of st. Paul himself: Bonun. uideo appro-
boque, sed deteriora sequor.
Affection needs to be guided, trained,
kept within proper bounds, else, with a
fatal swiftness, it degenerates into passion.
| This guidance, training or checking, must
begin with the dawn of reason in the child,
Nand can only end when manhood drivels
into it's second infancy. Hence we would
here begleave to invite to the serious con-
sideration of the principles we enunciate
the attention of those intrusted with the
awful ministry of the education of youth
We would remind them that education is
not to be confounded with instruction,
which simply Grams the mind with know
ledge, more or less useful, according to the
ends to which it is employed as the means,
while it leaves the affections as it found
them, growing wild with the rapid luxuri
ance which characterZes our Southern
vegetation. In female education particu-
larly these wise precautions are absolutely |
necessary, that is, if there be any wreck of
worth the saving. In girls generally affcc- |
ton predomnates over reason, the purity
of their hearts enabling them often to ar
rive at conclusions far beyond the reach of |
our laborious logic. But If this purity be
furnished, if the affections of which it is
the beautiful outgrowth be neglected-our
readers can infer the result. Our last hope
set ri. of H..
spair. We yet pray, however, that the day +
may never dawn on our beloved Louisiana,
when another DR.. Storer can say of our
what intimate professional
authorized him to assert regard
ing the unnatural crimes for which his own
are simply hideous. But to our subject.
Affection swiftly degenerates into pas
sion, by which reason is dimmed, honor,
purity, modesty, temporal interests, and
religion itself, with all its hallowing influ-
ences and terrific warnings, set at defiance;
all obstacles thrown in its way are borne
down, and every thing is sacrificed to its {
Unsuitable desires. Under the influence of
passion man abdicates his manhood, and i
becomes a brute; and often has history, {
certainly no prude, had to shut her ey es as !
she handed the testament of his brutal ex- I
cesses to posterity. Man is no longer in y
his normal condition. While the grandeur |
of his designs proclaims the sublimity of !
his origin, the meanness of his execution !
iiscloses the depth to which he has fallen. t
In its actual state poor humanity might be +
compared to one of those grand structures v
Of ancient times, whose magnificent pro- q
portions the traveller views with admira- y
ton, while standing amid it's ruins. Aztec
ton diverted from its legitimate Object has = .
strewn this world with the fragments of p
mans noblest aspirations. But this is uni \
ormly denied by every thorough rational ii
st-for whom there is no such thing as i'm C
since all the alterations of hu- f
nan affections are to be ascribed to the I
'adical defects in human Institutions For =
lim, the rights of property, Inheritance, s
marriage, the family, revealed religion, are :
Ill but so many obstacles thrown in the DC
way of his benefcent purposes, and, i'll v
'nce removed, would leave him room to Il
start on earth new paradise of his own. G
The rationalism of to-day, like tie Pela- 4
,ianism of the fifth century, in asserting o
he integrity of natpre--as great an all .