The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-06-25
NUMBER 81.

| christian theology with what We call oiviliza-
| tion and progress"
Or. Newman thus describes the principal
| opinions of the philosopher; " That moral and
.ioSs Of % parallel M nasars that the diasssnco
| 1u gravity between the two 10 ono OF degree
only, not of kind that moral evil 10 merely
move mo- the Isttsr 30 % We inevitably remove tho
former; that there 10 . progress Of the human
race which tends to the annihiation of moral
| Ignorance that sin is q bugbear, NOT reality;
that the Creator does not puniah except In the
| sense Of correcting; that vengeance in him
would Of necessity DO vindictiveress that all
we know of Him. be 1t much or little. 10
through the laws of nature; that miracles are
impossibiej thet prayer to Him 10 superssitious;
that the fear Of Him is nnmaniy; that sorrow
for sin is slavish aud shjeot; that the only in
tellgsnt worship of Him is to act we'll our
part in the world, and the only sensible repent
ance to do better in the future; that II we do
our duties In this life we may take our chance
for the next, and that 1t Is of no use perplexing
onr minds about our future state, for it il ell
matter of guess."
1t is generally agreed that the predominant
materalisul, by contracting the sphere of man,
has windled aud dwarfed mon himself. Mr..
Mill admits that the age is not favorable to the
production of great men. Iu his dissertattonn
he uttArs lamentations ovor" the decay of In
dividuAl energy and the Weakening of the in
dueuce of superior minds over the multitude"
Lecky says the age is "mercenary, Venal IN
heroic !" that "it exhibits q decline in the spirit
of self sacriaoe in the appreciation OF the more
poetical or religious aspect of mans naturo."
Mr. .Carlisiothinks.We have loat the true CON-
ception Of human grsatness; 'that the great
men OF THE ege arc lucky or unlucky gamblerS,
swollen big" "The conception Of man, as
nero wealth producing animal, 10 probably sho
lowest " hioh it 10 possible to entertain Of him,
and he has sunk TO ltS level"
Men Of learning and profound rejection be-
gin to doubt "whether it is possible for she ex-
istipg framework of civil society to hold to-
gether without the principle OF cohesion sup
piled by the truths which IL has cast away.
The masses are daily increasing In intelligenoeS
and as they increase in intelligence, 30 do they
become less tolerant Of the existing division OF
wealth, snd more skeptioal as to the rights Of
property. Capital 10 ia the hands OF o few,
the many are condemned to lives of unoeasing,
rnonotonnus toll. Their relations with sheiE
employers are strictly regulated by money pay
ments which represent bnt an tpeignihcant
poT tion of the results Of their toll. Money, and
tho things which money purchases, they see
universally recognised as tho summon bopum.
faith the teachings of Christianity. The
sacr6cs OF enjoy ments aud the endurance Of
g. fsrings become rational only when coupen-
satIng advantage can be expected.
"The religion of Jeaus Christ alono holds out
to them that compromising ad dvAntage. Victor
Hugo has we'll said, give TO the toiinR masses,
ter world made for them, and they will be
Tranquil, they will be patient. Patience 10
born Of hope.' The civilization of onr ago has
taken away this Argument for resignation. Is
denies that belief in q better world, aud en-
forces upon the people q systenl Of education
in which no word can be heard Of that higher
hope"
In this country We do not fud from the eta
tistical reports of our psDiLenJfSt1eaS that tho
diffusion OF intelligence alone s7fices TO AEress
the commission Of crime. In PepnSyIv9nlS
com plete atatistical reports arc kept, and WO
fnd that the number of prisonerB resolved into
the penitsntiaTy of that State, from lee0 to
ate, Is per cent wero able to read, and 20 per
cent knew how to read aad write; from 1850
70 1870. 1888 prisoners were received into the
peniCentiSry, aud OF those IL per cent were
ilIiterate, 12 per cent could read, and about IL
per cent could read and write.
OF the 6H con Victs who were in tho poni-
cent, or ave sfgStS, had attended the public
schools Of the State, and 25 per cent, OK two
eighths, had gone TO private instttutions, and
IL per eeat, or one-stghth, had never gone 70
echOol.
DE- LainE. whose testimony will mot be queS-.
toned, aS no was IN 'enlight0Dod minister OF
Pruesian system Of education and itS results:
'' II the ultimate object Of all education and
knowledge be 20 raise man 70 the feeling OF hiS
sibiIity 70 bis Creator, and 70 his conscience
for every Rcs, to the dignity Of Foheettngs-
selE-Ruidipg, virtuouS, religious member oK
sOciesy, then the educational gyotem Is fall
ure. it 10 only Q t1aining from childhood In
the OouvenGional discipline and 0ubmiaeion OF
mind which the State oxaOts from its sabjectR.
raisoA but which has lowered the human ohaR-
aoteF. The sOoial vslue or Importance Of the
Prussian arrangements FOG di6cSing national
scholastic Question, hes been evidently over
rated for now that the whole Gyatem has been
IN the follest operation in society upon
. whole genOrations We seo morals and re-
7iRion IN . more unsatisfaetoTy state IN
tbts very country shan In almost any other In
the north of Europe. We eco nowhere peo-
pIo in . more Abtect political Snd OWL cOndi:
tion, or with less fEeS agency In thetF SOCIAL
eoonomy. A national edaSatiap, which Civ 80
nation neither Feligioo, nor ~ hlitgs nor civil
libsrty, nor political hhaEkyg u - oauoa' Ion
coaasssS sa sGAiA Eaea