The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-06-06
= .1,,nz star and Catholic Messenger.
XIV oRIKAss, suHpAY. JUNE 8. ls7s.
The Fpiscopalians Alarmed.

cation, To the honor OF the Epscop@o"s'
their National Convention, held las. ~efk
farms. the elimin ation of positive dogmatie
religion fr, N the course OF lnstTnction in
The Pnb'ic Schools. lt was, moreover, de.
cided that parochial schools shonin oe
built as soon as possible to save the chi'o
rem of Episcopaliaos from 'nodeity, 10
which our prese Mt system OF public edaca
ton logically leads. Two years ago,
synod of Presby teIians, held in Phiiadei-
mia took the same Chris;ian attitude, In
sistipg as Catholics do and must inss'' IL
thew are to escape the Elm OF Tor mai neresy,
that religions destruction must go mana 10
hand with secular tTaioing. Anefe was
time when Catholics stood alone IN their
mat demand for religious instruction In
the support and advocacy of the rights of
narents 10 determine the moral and mental
trainipc of their children when they alone
refused to bow the knee TO the pagan idol
of secular educa.ion-wben, as Christian
freemen willing to render to Caesar the
thipgs that are Caesars, they openly and
resoiuteIy denied to the State the things
that belong to God. But time and calm
close observaBee of the prevailing method
of educating ouc youth 10 whose MIND re-
liEion 10 heiDg slapped 70 its foundation, s
bringing large and influential acceseious to
This cause Of Christian justice. Outside
the Catholic Church We are foding many,
and their number 10 daily Increasing, who,
in their love of Justice and hatred OF mi
guilty, are breaking silence on this import
ant question. They are Of that class who
esteem truth more than popularity who
will not, cow ard like, abandon principle to
escape the harmless denupciation OF an un-
principied press, TO avoid the social ostra-
cism of false friends OF the yell OF the vul-
gar. un.hinkipg rabble. There is q steady
growth in the party equipped in the armor
Of right, which asks that the harsh, cruel,
pagan clause in orr school lava, prohibiting
religions Instruction, shall be abolished,
that this IN Christian, inbuman abuse of
the civil power in this land, otherwise SO
free, shall disappear, that no political ma
jority shall possess the unlawful power of
depressing individual conscience, as that
majority does, when it compels ne to sup
port educational Institutions from which
We can receive no benefit.
The Episcopalians have begun to zee
what the Catholic Church has always
taught, tba. this modern passion of ecu
larizipg the education of the masses is one
of the most dangerous characteristics of the
times in which we live-ruinous alike to
the individual and society. This is the
charity of modern politics, of modern re-
ligiop, which has risen upon the collapse
of all tenets of faith among Protestants
The modern State breaks its bread to the
poor with more Diggard!lness than the
Catholic Church, but to make amends j
proposes 10 teach them to read and writ
with liberality that is not easily outdone
1t is blazoned far and wide. as with thu
trumpets OF the Pbarisees, that the ohjec
of the State in giving the II asses this mere
" mental training Is to confer upon then
moral Improvement Bat there can be n
stronger sign of hopeless idiocy than t
suppose that this moral object can be effect
ed by that secular instrumentality. Tb
State PROGRESSES TO believe, as long as on
pagan school laws exist, that the painfu
task of subd uipg the passione, of caIbiD
evil propeDsiues, and of making good
virtuous, Law abiding citizens will b
practicable to the masses when their init
macy is completed with aiphabetic comb
nations. 1t makes Intellectual culture
kind of talisman; q negro charm whic
will destroy all crime, and make the craI
inRs of the passions dnmb. That the Stat
will never attain the object it proposes
desiderate .s undeniably certain. ReligiO
and morality are inseparable. The melaV
choly increase of Juvenile dsprsvity With
the past twenty years affords the mo-
painful evidence of the failure of our Sta
system of education. The moral papact
Of popular instruction has shown itself
be worse than valueless. Ifpositive religiC
be necessary for the ilhterate, that the
may not become the pest of society, as
admitted CT al hands, We hold that tho
who are armed with education are st
more in seed of its controlling gHidanS
The papers aud books which the mass
read in this country preach most eloquent
the necessity OF this uuion of religion wi
education. The number of absolute
vicious newspapers sold 10 THE country
appalling. lofdel and corrupting public
tions, periodicals. of the worst class, ,
streWn tLickly broadcast and devoured
tens of thousands. From these facts Alo
it seems obvious that it is not enough
teach the people TO read and write. WI
the State oon6des o musket to q civilian
long course Of physical discipline lie nee
sary, lest he iDjure himself or his comra
in aTme, aud not the enemy with HE we,
on ; and when all classes of society b.
learned to read and write, they have e
more need of religion than iC they had
manned 1Blettered. No age ever produ
such lux ariant harvest of poisonous
tellectual weeds as our own. The sup
10 proport!oned to the demand, and
greatness Of the demand is due to u
religious education. On these weeds, WI
corrupt the life blood of society, the ris
generation, if it is trained without religi
instruction, will tatten.