The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-05-18

in the majority, Protestant children in the
public schools have always been instructed
by Protestant religious teachers. For the
enlightenment Of this writer and others,
who in their ignorance may be tempted
| not only to doubt but to laugh in derision
ct this statement, we will quote what the
Protestant Englishman Kay says in his
'Soclal Condition and Education of the
people" about Austria, which in the time
whom this book was written, was the most
intensely Catholic nation OF Europe, faith
fully observing In education its Catholic
| traditions.
1T is fact, says Kay, Of which the old gov
| eminent of Austria may well be proud that
throughout the vast territorial extent of that
fese Of this immense empire which 10 compos-
ed Of the legal province Of Bohemia, part Of
Poland, the great province Of Moravia, the an
cient territories Of Syria and Myria the pro-
vinces Of Dalmatia, Caryuthis and Csrniola
the duchies of Upper and Lower Austria, and
vinces do, in character, habits and religion,
composed as they are of Romanists, Lutherans
and Moravians, Greeks, Jews, and Unitarians,
every eve child between the ages Of six and ten.
six and thirteen, is securing daily instruction
in the truths of Revelation and science, and in
the duties of q citizen and man."
How it may be asked are these children in
this Empire, where there are eighteen mil
lions of Catholics and only three mil
lions of non-Catholics, taught religion
without any violation of consciencef Did
not the Roman Catholics, who by their vast
majority could easily control these schools
oppose the teaching of any religion but the
in the Gazette would have the world be-
lieve, "that the Catholic religion should be
taught to all to it's fullest extent" Let us
hear the testimony of this Protestant
writer:
"In each parish of the Autrian EMPIRE" he
writes, "whose population is oholly Romanist
the superintendence of the parochial schools
are committed to one of the priests, who is
trates, in conjunction with the district over
empowered aud required to superintend and
direct the religious and secular instruction
given in the schools. In those
parishes of the Austrian Empire where there
are any dissenters from the Romanist Church
the education their children is not directed by the
priest, but is committed to the care Of the dissenting
Government to provide for, watch over, and to
promote the education of the children of their
own sects in the same manner as the priests are
required to do for the education of their children. In
the magistrates as the general superintendent
and inspector of the education Of all the dis
senters of his county. This minister, accom-
panied by one of the magistrates, is required
to visit and inspect all the dissenting schools
in his county at least once q year. He is also
required and empowered to enforce the building of
3cRO0tS TO Dc 1nnaDlLeQ Dy ulSSenCerS alone TO
sbligo all tho disssnters Of his county either
to send their children to some school or to edu-
cate them efficiently at homo; to lake care that
the children Of the disseners sUho attend Romanist
schools receive religious instruction from some
minister Of their own sect; and to oblige the
dissenting ministers to give religious educa-
ton to the children of their own sect. To ia
cilitate the carrying out of these liberal and
excellent regulations d law has been made, |
that in schools containing members of differ |
emit religious scots, the religious instructions
of the daily school hours; in order that the
children of parents, who profess religious dog |
mas different to those of the teacher, may east !
dhy
school, In those districts where there is no
Romanist school, but ouly Protestant one, ar |
such as those have mentioned, as
framed for the benefit of dissenters, arc put in |
force for the benefit of the Romanist. But in |
each case the law il very strict, in requiring |
the inspectors Of the minority to that the chill
lgious lessons given in the schools receive O
sound religious education from their own reli- |
gious ministers"
These educational laws of Austria, so |
defending the religious rights
of Protestants, are the gift of Catholic law
nation-they are the fruit of the teaching
of the Catholic Church, which never varies
in any age or country. The Catholic
Church demands in this country for all
Professionals, as we'll as Catholics, free
schools in the widest sense-free in religion
as in secular education; as free as those
with which it blessed those parts of Europe
where Catholics are most numerous, but
where the children of the Protestant mi
nority were invariably educated in the re-
ligion of their fathers. If the Ga=efte is
open to conviction, it will admit, after
reading this testimony, that it was far
from understanding the position of the Ro-
man Catholic Church on the school Ques-
ton.