The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-10-25

man without forming his character In the
alton of the heart, the training of the will, the
| eliciting and the ripeping of the whole soul
| in all it's faculties and affections, after the
likeness of our Divine Saviour, and according
| to the laws which He has given for our gnid-
| auce. Now. . Christian child has right to
all this. We know how soon we fall from in
| nocence after our baptism. We need absolu-
| ton, and every child has right to receive
the renewed forgiveness of his Heavenly
Father. We know that without the help
and strength Of grace we cannot persevere;
aud without the Precious Body and Blood of
Christ our souls are famished. A Christian
child, therefore, has @ right to Holy Commu-
| MON. We know, also, we are all weak we
are surrounded by temptation; the world, the
unless we have the armor Of God, the power
| of the Holy Ghost, we shall not stand stead
fast. a Christian child, therefore, has q right
| to the Sacrament of Confirmation, and any
education whatsoever that stands between q
child and these things, or any scheme wbatso-
ever that diverts these things from the educa-
| ton of Christian child is 80 far not only i'm
perfect but dangerous. Such, them are the
rights that Christian children have I want
to rouse al some consciences that are Christian,
but not Catholic, who retain of Christianity O
great deal, but not in perfect and entire COM
pleteness. I wish to rouse up their consciences,
lest they be deceived. The supreme authority
upon earth to educate Christian children is the
Christian Church. No man can have God for
lhOHcT WIN HAS uot tuo SuuTCu kOE LIE
mother" These are the words of st. Cyprian,
the saint and martyr. I account that it is one
of the superstitions of the English people to
imagine that the Catholic Church does not
hold that education is q primary daty, and
that every living soul has right to education,
| and an education to make him know and I'M
derstand all to which he has the right of in
heritance We are agreed, then, In the point
that education must be universal. Bot next.
| We are told it must be compulsory. With all
my heart, on one cond,tion-that you will
make it compulsory for everybody. Let it he
compulsory from the heir of the throne down
to the heir of the poor mantle child that has
An Inheritance to the Kingdom of God. If
compulsory means o class legislation against
in the name of God. AS q Christian, l declare
it to be an injustice, and as an Englishman /
declare it to be an oppression. Universal COM
pulsion will accept with all my heart But
against o compulsion of some and not of all,
against a compulsion which does not search
out with equal Justice the negligence and de-
lipquency Of all, declare 1t to be unjust and
cruel. If education is needed by any, the pub
lie revenues ought to contribute to it without
any contest about the question of paying
penny for the education of poor mans child.
In these things we are ali one; we are
coutending for the Christian tradition of
the educa ion of the English people, un-
broken far since ST. Augustine, it is
more perfect and uninterrupted in Ireland
| since St. Patrick. We all stand in one line
to protect the religious character of edu
cation, and the jusrest law that could be
passed for England would be this-tbat the
public revenues should be given equally, &C.
cording to the measure of tho efforts of those
who are willing to fonn schools, without any
question whatever as to their religious faith or
their religious instruction-these schools being
under proper inspection and visitation, to se-
cure the just administration of public money
Therefore, let education be universal let it be
compulsory where the sin and the negligence
of the parents may justify compulsion; let it be
| free in the large sense in which 1 have been
speaking but, above all and forever, let it be
Christian, with complete and perfect liberty to
| science, for TO God alone they will give ac-
count. Let there be no attempt on the part of
| anyone-much less on q part of small number
of those who object to the religion of their
| neighbors-to force system OF education on
the great mass of the English people contrary
to their heart and to their conscience. This
was O danger title while ago. 1 do not
think that danger exists at this moment in the
| same degree. We have measured strength,
and we have tried the question, and over the
and the will of the English people has been
| taken, it has been pronounced most uDequiv
| cally that the education of England ought to
| be Christian hereafter, as it is Christian now.
| And neon that depends whether England shall
| be Christian people or not. 1 have no desire
to see London like Berlin, where from 800 600,
we are told by Germans, not per cent put
their foot in any place of worship on Sunday,
and not more than one in three is buried
with religious burial. To these shall we go
for the Christian education of our peoplef No !
In Gods name let us keep the inheritance
which we possess, broken it may be, and i'm
poverished, but still recoverable. And will
the day never come when Englishmen shall
believe the same faith and worship the same
Master, before the same altar
The Rev Superior General OF the Lazar,sts
New York Freeman's