The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-09-21

Morning Star and Catholic messenger.
NEW oRLEANs. SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER ~. 1879.
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Tho " Methodist On Father Dealy's Paper. Il
That the thoughtful paper which the Row.
Professor Deaiy. B. j.. Of st. francis Xavier's,
New York, read Ut the Uaniversity Convoca-
cion @ Sa and ,Sne oen
able, was only to he expected, and We presume
was desired by all the friends, Catholic and
Protestant, of Christian education. Without
any special knowledge of the eminent Profess
ora object III preparing thatpap we are safe
in presuming that it was to create amongst
further into this important qusstion-one of
the most interesting, IL it is unfortunately one
of the most difficult social questions of to-day
And it has called forth a great deal of discus
sion, for paper so we'll reasoned ont and SO
calmly worded will always demand the alton
ton Of the serious, and one SO formidable in
argument and evidence is likely always to pro.
Ono Of the earliest, and We are bound to say,
one of the least discreet of F" this Jesuits op-
ponents, has been that Methodist paper, which
its sect, thinks itself justiaea in assuming the
par excellence, " The Meikodist" To secure the
Fasher Dealys paper would have logically
taken the proposition he proposed to defend,
and would have established the contradictory.
OF at least would have shown beyond cavii
that, while the proposition might or might not
be true, the supporter of it used faulty argu-
1nents. The position Father Deaiy took was
that Christian education is useful and neces-
70 that would be that Christian education is
not useful and ia not necessary to tho common
veal, which 10 the ordinary ground takon by
cenntry by tho Methodists. That coutradic-
tion 10 n proposition, the defence Of which by
tho Methodist we would have gladly examined
Instead, however, of this, we have o weak
concession that Christian education il desira-
able, Some wcak arguments od Jesuitam which
will not convince even q Methodist, and then D
movement ut q tangent by which the Methodist
COMPATIBILITY discusses question which Father
Dealy. 90 far as he was reported. did not raise,
and which, by the way, tho Methodist does not
We might fairly consider ourselves absolved
from any obligation to notice 80 faulty o ortiz
cism as unworthy of the attention of sober
men, bat there are two exquisitely cool para
refreshing. forgetfulness that we avail onr-
solves of them to recall some things which tho
Methodist mind may often think of with ad-
Of oar contemporary on Father Deaiy's Gem
mants ON the Decentralization consequent on
secular education in France, with the remark
no ss
Catholic clergy, it were well for it to make
Some elementary studies on the political aud
social condition of the older world. But when
We come to it's remark on Spain, and 6nd IL
holding mp that country in such . light that
there appears no more degraded race or no
moro worse educated people in the world, we
borrow the precise language of our friend.
"No country OF Europe has been. more thor
oroaghly controlled by Romanism than Spain
The priests have had tho moulding of the pop
nlar mind foE centuries They have drawn
from the people o larger revenue than that Of
nAe government Yet o more demoralized and
initesate people cannot be found In tho civil
ICED world. ORt OF their sixteen millions,
Avwmv v,rtIv nAtA Lac
only three millions con both read and write |;
Gne-hslf their town mayors cannot read and
write Look at her present conditiop, and be-
waye Of priestly education"
Probably the Meshodist will not object to
furnish us with its authority for these very
remarkable statistios. Meanwhile, emitting
any statements of the grave impediments
v Se In Of
in educating and moulding" the people or
Of the truth that her present political condi.
ten, diaordered "a It is, is no less hopeful
without "priestiy education :" aud emitting
also our opinion that instead of being the most
demoraiized people in the world the Spanish is
ono of the bravest, most temperate and ohaste
races in the world, We shall sipply consider
whether they can be an excessively
illiternte people. From public document re-
Gently issued with the approval ot the United
States commissioners of Education-and W hich
on every page displays an anti-Catholic and
partisan feelisg which should have made any
forth SO suspicious docpment-we learn
enough to show even the Methodist that the
Spanish is not the most illiterate people in the
world. They have in Spain abundance of
schools of oil kinds, from the very highest to
the very lowest. OF these schools we learn
from this report: The course of instruction
ing subjects Christian doctrine and sacred
history, reading, writing, principles of SIP nish
grammar. photography, principles of arithme-
tic, with the legal system of weights, meas
ures, and coins, rudiments of agriculture, in
dustry. and commerce, adapted to the locali-
ties. The higher primary grade is to embrace
in addition the following subjects Principles
of geometry, linear drawing and surveying,
rudiments Of history and geography, especially
of Spain, general notions of natural philosophy
and natural history as adapted to tho uecessi-
ties Of everyday life. In the girls schools
stituted for the rudiments of agriculture, in
dustry and commerce. There are no later sta
tistics of primary instruction than those of
1867, but for comparisons sake those of 1897
and 1859 are also given:
1877. 1850. ls6T
Public and private primary. Il,i5o - U8U ~ 33s
In , ,