The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-08

edge OF natural things. and the ends OF " >ridiy
The necessity OF teaching moral and reiie You,
truths TO our children Is indeed apparent to ALL L. S
at the state OF honesty and morality among y
b0okkeepers. cashiers ana public men az devel0pe
BY our present system OF education, and who Will be
30 bold Is to contend that that system meets the
lie press Is not filed with reports OF theving and
robbery by the wholesale, Of merchants and banks
the dishonest OF a't their csqps Look the pUbc
representative assembly OF the nation, and where
IL the American citizen that does NOT feel ashamed
NJ the unblushlng GOODNESS with which they zap
pr0prlated" millions OF the peoples money. Look
at the present panic. which has caused such uni
all these things are the result OF too much religion
In the public scnOolsf
We might adduce the authority OF eminent
Catholics IN support OF the necessity OF teaching
religious and secular instruction hand in hand; we
prefer, however, using At present the names of
Washington. in his farewell address, says-"Of all
the dispositions and habits which lead to political
he be asfed We4e
u the security for property for reputation, for e,
wS me sense OF selgi0as rne oats
courts Of justicet And let with caution indulge
the snpposItlon that morality can be maintained
the influence OF refined education on minds OF
peculiar structure, reason and experience both
forbid US to expect that national morality pre-
vail In exclusion OF religious principe." We also
find Governor Seward Ia his message OF 1910, re-
commending the establishment of schools for the
children OF foreigners found in great numbers in
our pOpuOuS towns and Cities in which these
children ''may be instructed by teachers speaking
the same language as themselves and protesting
the same faith"
Disraeli who is admittedly clever statesman
and deep thinker, and the leader OF the cOnserv-
alive party in England, in his arraignment OF the
liberals In his great speech delivered at Manches-
the avowed purpose Of that party to exclude reii
gious instruction from the public schools, and
hh0pea na when the proposition would be
auth0ritatively the matter. - which was received
with cheers by the audience. And in his speech
revolutionary ideas, and the demand Tor phys-
cal and material equality, (which is now rising
oivllized state can rest upon physical happiness,
but unjust have large reserve fund OF public
Srax 70 draw upon IN the o. national
lean people has demonstrated the truth Of these
remarks Of Mr.. Dlsraeli.
Catholics recognize the necessity OF religious In
struction but that is impossible to give such in
resous aen and n
therefore, the easiest way out Of the difficulty
is to carefully avoid speaking Of religion at all
and to make our schools thoroughly unSeotaran,
citing each child CLEAN whatever religious nstruc-
ton 1t can, at home during the evening or at Sum
day school. 1t would be easy TO show that the
children thus instructed grow up Indifferent to the
influences OF religion altogether. Besides, believe
1t to be impossible to establish any system Of edu-
cation which is thoroughly unsectarian The dis
cussiOn OF this subject, however, will Tor
future letter when Will endeayor to show how
question OF religious instruction in their public
schools. Il. OC
The Apostolic Succession-What Is tho
Real Doctrine OF the Protestant Epis-
coPal Church on the Subjects
TO THE EDIToR OF THE HERALD:-
Allow me. although simple layman. to challenge
the correctness Of the position assumed by
OVERWHELMINGLY, that che Episcopal Church
holds that none but Episcopal orders, trace
able from the apostles, valid. To Judge
by the confident tone adopted by "Presbyter,"
one would suppose the formuaries he was
about to quote in support of this outrageous
dogma-which at one fell swoop unchristianzes
nine-tenths of the protesting Christians in tho
United States. to say nothing OF other countries
would be most certain and clear In their utter
auces; and yet, when we come to examine the
extract, from the preface to the Ordina, given at
the end Of his letter, we find that 1t requires o
powerful effort OF the Imagination to deduce any
such dogma from 1t. Indeed, so far from its
being any way plain and to the purpose, boldly
call on "Presbyter' or anybody else to point out
any statement in the said preface which invali-
dates the orders OF the Presbyterian Methodist or
any other OF the regularly constituted churches of
the land. For all these churches only admit men
to their ministry on their being "called, tried,
examined and known to have such qualities as are
'by public prayer and imposition Of hands ap-
proved and admitted by lawful authority
"Presbyter" may, II he chooses understand BY
'1awful authority Episcopal authority traceable
in direct line from the Apostles, but plain sensi-
bic men will see that this Is violent and unwar-
rantable assumption, and without it his whole
extract as means Of proving his position falls to
the ground.
1t Is also to be noted that the preface goes on to
say "NO man shall be accounted or taken to be a
lawful bishop, priest or deacon in thts church,
cepr he be called, &C., according to the form here
after following, hath had Episcopal conservation
or ordination" To make this bear the sense at
tempted to be put upon it by Presbyter. we should
either leave out the words have put in italics, or
else change them to "by this Church." Till this
change is accomplished, submit, the extract 80
far from supporting the position OF Presbvter," by
implication destroys 1t. For 1t evidently contem-
clergy out of "this Church" as well as In it.
In referring 70 what he calls the standards OF
rerrains from any allusion to the Articles. But il
the doctrines of the Church are to be looked for,
clearly and distinctly set forth anywhere, 1t Is
plainly enough what constitutes the visible Church
Of Christ. II the views OF "Presbyter" were cor
rect, we should expect to be told only the Protes
tant Episcopal Church, which some OF the party to
which he belongs have the audacity to call the
Cbnry o Srs ~ @ mo- Of ateu men
in the which the pure Word or God Is preached and
the sacraments are duly administered according to
Christ's ordinance, in all those things that OF ne
cessity are requisite to the same"-a definition,
which commend to all thinking men as broad
enough to comprehend all evangelical denOmina-
tions and which cuts at the root Of the miseraby
narrow theory which "Presbyter'' would have us
TO believe is the true doctrine OF the Protestant
Episcopal Church.
Again, in the thirtyfourth article, we have it laid
down distinctly that lit is not necessary that ira
ditions and ceremonies be in all places one or
utterly liken for at all times they have been
divers &c. Moreover, "every particular or
national Church hath authority to Ordan change
and abolish ceremonies or rites OF the Church or
dained only by mans authority SO that all be done
to edifving." SO, them there may be such things
as "particular''a or ''natiOnar churches with
varying ceremonies, which could hardly be the
case on the theory put forth by "Presbyter."
II ''Presbyter" be well read in the literature OF
his Church and OF the Church OF England, which
gave 1t birth, he must be well aware that many OF
the abest and best OF the preates OF both churches
have borne clear and unmistakable testimony
AGAINST his faYOrite theory il Is not in any sense