The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-10-13
Education.


and thoroughly weighing the circular letter
to the clergy. this day published by us, and
emanating from the Very Rev. Vicar Gene
raj of this Diocese.
The question of educating their children
is question of conscience for parents, and
the circular letter referred to, very clearly
puts it in that light. Speaking of the
necessity of entrusting the training of
children to safe and competent hands only,
the letter says:
"To this parents are bound in conscience
and in the sight of God, and they cannot be
exempt from sin, since In the perdition to
which their children are doomed by their neg.
lect, they are involved themselves by fatal
completely"
Nine parents out of ten are either incom-
potent or disinclined to give their children
personally q thorough Christian course OF
instruction. The time honored custom of
the Catholic Church is to have children
receive such instruction at school, under
teachers selected for their ftness in that
respect. The Protestant ides is that this
is entirely unnecessary, that Sunday
School class once q week 10 amply sufficient
for spiritual education, aud that week days
onght not to be encountered with any oc-
cupation Of that sort.
This 10 really about as much as to cay
that, because Sunday is specially set apart
for the worship of God, the rest of the
week is relieved from any obligation to-
wards Him. And in fact public worship
throughout the week is generally unknown
among PrQtestants. Their meeting houses
are carefully locked up from one Sunday
to another, and the parson might go from
one end of the Union to the other and
back before he would have anything to do
again.
The Catholic Church does not believe
this periodical style of religion to be sufi-
cient. When it says "Give us this day
our daily Bread" it means not only on
Sunday but on every other day, not only
through the secret inspiration of the closet
but through the public ministration of the
Church. 1t wishes the worship of God to
be paramount and an affair of. each day.
How can it be sure that this is the case if
it leaves all that worship to private devo-
the boy catechism on Sunday morning
and leaves him to his own guidance and in
spiration for the rest of the week. Can it
suppose the good principle in q boy to be
just seven times as strong as the evil prin-
ciplef If that were the case then the good
that he could learn in one day might be
sufficient to counterfeit all the evil infiu-
ences of the whole seven days. But un-
fortunately this is not the case. Our ma
lures are SO evenly balanced, the conflict OF
the two principles Is 30 closely contested in
all men, women and children, that we cam
not afford to reject even for one moment
the aids that religion holds out to MS.
Fortunately there is generally religious
influence at work upon children all the
! ence is formally excluded from the school.
Religion is reverenced at home; it is rev.
erenced even in class by the teacher in
spite of the rules. But suppose the spirit
Of the law to be carried out as it frequently
is in some communities suppose teacher
who was totally devoid of religion and a
school which literally ignored Christianity,
would the Sunday School training of
pupil suffice to keep up bis reverence for
religion during the week7 There are ex-
ceptions, of course, where this would be
the case, just as there are exceptional cases
where good example and influence are
thrown away, but as a general thing the
deadening Influences of six days would be
too much for the enlivenipg influence Of
couple Of hours on the seventh.
"Train up child in the way he should
go and when he is old he will not de-
part from H." But this training must be
daily. Every day the child must feel the
effects Of that moral gymnasium which is
training him into spiritual athlete. This
is the Catholic idea on this subject, and
every Catholic who allows himself to be
seduced by the batteries of the world into
a different sentiment is on the road of that
ruin which always, sooner or later, over
takes the victims of error. 1t will be the
ruin of his children, it is true, but one also
which will reco;l and overwhelm himself.