The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-08-01
The Honor Of Teaching.
THE TEACHER NEXT IN RANK TO THE CHRISTIAN
PRIEST.


M, August comte stole many things from the
Catholic Church, amongst the rest the noble
truth Of the dignity Of teacher.
In his own striking way Cardinal Manning
in his pastoral on the feast Of the Sacred Heart
proclaims the Catholic tradition Of what this
dignity is. We transcribe his words, asaured
that they will inform some and console many
WHO try to perform the tbankless but still
glorious duty Of teaching the young:
You are reminded by this festival that they
who teach orr children must Fret be disciples
of the Sacred Heart. Il would be worse than
vain, it would be perilous and pernicious to
souls, If the masters and mistresses of our
schools were to be full Of all human science,
eternal. Intellectual culture may make them
apt and able to teach and instruct the intell-
gence: but to train and to educate they are
useless, and worse, if they have not been first
of their Master. The Office of teacher in the
Church is high and sacred calling 1t is nert
to the Office Of the priest; 1t partakes even Of
and "the catechising of the unlearned," werS
the first and necessary preparation of those who
were to be afterwards baptized as adults. 1t Is
now the first and vital instruction necessary for
those who have been baptized as infants 1t
was then, and it is now, necessary that the
priests of the Church should be helped in their
work of instruction of the faithful by Cate
rem ia, therefore, first committed to teachers
trained with especial care for this duty. The
school 10 in the ante chapel Of the chxrch, where
its children are first taught to understand its
faith and worship, and are trained for the re-
0eption of the saoraments of grace. This, and
nothing less than this, Is the Office of the mas
tiers and histresses of our schools. The Church
has labored, and is laboring with great effect,
to superadd to the Christian training of its
teachers an intellectual culture up to the level
of our time and country. And we are glad to
be able to say that our teachers and schools
keep pace at least with the education of the
nothing nndone to raise their intellectual stand
ard, We shall never suffer any diminution of
their complete and solid Cbristisn training.
This is to MS the basis; al besides is super
structure. Our teachers, therefore, must first,
and above all, be well taught Christians-well-
trained Catholics, in whose knowledge and life
we can have entire confidence. To such, and
to no Others, can we in conscience conide our
children. The State takes cognizsnce only of
the intellectual part of their training. 1t is for
uB TO take care that their spiritual formation
shall be even more complete. The ablest
teacher, If he be Uniformed, or misformed, in
If his mind, and will, and life be not in harmony
with ChriGsian faith and with Christian morals,
he will not form, but deform, his pupils. Child
rem catch the tone and color of the teachers
mind more readily than his Instructions.
Learning is slow and laborious imitatio1 10
snconscious and irtuitire. A teacher without
faith or morals is o destroyer, and his school is
full of infection. humble and Christian teacher
trains kis pupils all the day long, even in the
hours when she Christian faith msy no longer
be taught. .