The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-01-21
From The Chicago Tribune.

fAOb no OhASd5O 4AlpuAS-
The real issue between the Vatican and tho
world upon the question of education is very
closely brought out in letter recently pub
lIshed in France, written by Monsgnor the
Bishop OF Montpelier to the Deans and Pro-
fessors Of the Faculties of Montpelier, and
bearing date Dec. 8, 1875. In this letter the
Bishop SAYS:
Now. gentlemen the Holy Church holds her
be- self TO he invested with the absolute right to
teacblnanlnn3; she holds herself to be the de-
postary of the truth-not fragmentary truth,
incomplete, q mixture OF certainty and hesita-
ton, SDut the total truth, complete, from re-
Lgious point OF view. Much more, she is so
sure OF the infallibility conferred on her by her
Divine Founder, as The magnificent dowry of
their sDdissoluble alliance, that even in the nat
Ural order or things scientific or philosophical,
moral or political, she will not admit that sys-
tenn can he adopted and sustained by CHRIS
tans. IL it contradict definite dogmas. She
considers chat the voluntary and obstinate de-
MAI OF SINGLE point OF her doctrine involves
the crime OF heresy, and she holds that all for
NAL hefcsv, ii Il be not courageously rejected
prior 10 appearing before God, carries with II
certain loss OF grace and OF eternity. AS de-
hned by Pope Leo y. at the Sixth Council OF
the Lateran, " Truth cannot contradict itself
consequently. every assertion contrary to re-
veslcd verify OF faith Is necessarlally and abso-
lutely false. II follows from this, without
entering INTO the examination OF this or that
question OF physiology, but solely by the cert.
tudo O. our doSmas, We are able to pronounce
judgment on any hypothesis which is an anti
Christian engine OF war rather than serious
conquest ove- The secrets and my steries OF
Nature.
T'b.s i the 5rietest AID simplest definition OF
Gnc attitude OF Rome towards education that
has-yet been made. There is no danger that il
caIF be misunderstood or misconstrued. 1t /.
freed from ali unnecessary verbiage or any con
cealment OF meaning. Ii s a bare, bald state
mont Of fact that the wayfaring man, though
afoci, can understand II Il recognition o.
the fact chat the spiritual and material progress
of'the Church Is dependent upon the con,ro
OF education, aud hence the assertion OF tn,
Bishop. without condition or reservation, o.
the absolute right to teach mankind" Mr.
Tynda', the English scientist, has aleady pu
in a protest against this assumption. He saw
in a letter to the London Times:
Liberty 10 a fine word. tyranny hateful one
and both have been eloquently employed o
late IN reference to the dealings OF the secula
arm with the pretentions of the Vatican. Bu
''hbcIty' has two mutually exclusive mean
iDgs-the liberty Of Rome to teach mankind
and the liberty OF the human race Neithe
recoDcilement nor compromise is possible here
One liberty or the other must go down. This
IN our day, is the "conflict" SO impressivel,
described by Draper, in which every thought
-fu man must take part.
It's well that the issue upon the Vatican
sde has been thus clearly and unmistakabl
made, and the Bishop Of Montpelier is entities
to crfdit for his sincerity and honesty in max
ipg H. IL shows to the advocates and friend
OF popular and unsectarian education the exac
Character Of the contest in which they are like
ly 10 be involved, and that it is contest whic
does not admit of compromise. IL must b
q. TITLED either that Rome controls or does no
90 ,trol the school, and il does not admit O
doubt that the question will be settled in tn
negative. The contest may be fierce one il
come parts OF Europe, but in the nited State
1t will be ehort and decisive Wherever il !
prec,pitated the Vatican will find itself cor
fronted not only with Professionalism, but ais
with the lay multitude of it's own Church, @
whom the Papal Nuncio so bitterly compliance
after his return from confeiripg the berrett
upon Cardinal McCloskey. In sorle parts G
-Europo the contest may be longer and MOI
obstinate, but of its ultimate result there ca
-~bcno doubt. It will be war of the sixteent
against the nineteenth century war OF Coz
servatism against Liberalism OF mediev
dog mas against modern progress Of spiritu
-ahsoautionsm against civilization a war
srh,ci the odds are fearfully against the Vat