New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-09-10
Communicated
The Church as an Kducator-A Few Au.
thorities Cited.
EDITOR REPUBLICAN:

thorities Cited.
EDITOR REPUBLICANS:
Il seems to me that the reply of "Johl
Scotland, Catholic Pastor" to my questions
is an evasion. l can not help his ua belle
that Gregory prohibited secular studies
founded, as it seems to be, on the assertion
that the great man gave small library t.
Augustine. If any one were to deny thai
Gregory ever existed, the reverend gentle
man would probably appeal to history fol
proof of the fact, and do the same. II
Gisnoni's astoria di Napoli." volume two
page thirty-two, find the following:
''Nel che tanto pin sono degno di com
mendazione, 1uan.o che sebleene Gregorio
l., R. p avesse loro vie.ato dimpiegane
lorO study sopra gentle autcri, per can eel.
lare agni meMoria della antiche discipline
quis di con motto calone rampognasse de.
siderio Vescovo di Vienna perche inseg
nava la gram matiche.'
Gianone fortiies his statement By refer
ence to Gregory, l. 9. Epist. AZ; Bayle Dict
Crit. Artic. Greg. l. Rem; L. NJ. n. Bacc
de Verulam de Augum; Scient. Lib. l.
Fleury 3, Disc. Sur. l'hist. Eccltom. l:
n, %; MunatOri Dlss. 43, "A. If John Scol
LARD will not believe such evidence, an
sorry for him and all who are compelled to
submit to his instruction.
The Church of Rome continued to increase
in authority from the time of Constantine
until it reached its zenith in tho eleventh
had power to depose kings and emperors
absolve their subjects from their allegiance;
that they were princes and monarchs, tenn
poral as well as spiritual, by Divine right
with all power in heaven and earth. See
Fleury 3, 4, g. 7, |. 63, A. IL, se. IL, 10.
The same authority says that at the same
period the people were plunged in profound
ignorance.
The reverend gentleman asserts, as if ii
were q fact within his own knowledge,
'that the Church is and has been alwaye
taxes for educational purposes" etc.
History is in direct opposition to him. 1.
says that as soon as Constantine had given
peace to the Church, it commenced the &C.
QUESTION Of wealth-that the peopie-sub-
jects and s0vereigns-were induced to give
it their property, thereby to obtain a re.
mission of sins, go that in less than two
centuries it had acquired its patrimony not
only in Rome but in distant countries, from
whom it received the revenues; and in the
eighth and ninth centuries the clergy were
more intent on acquiring wealth thar
spiritual affairs, making use of the igno-
rance and superstition Of the people and
weakness of the princes to obtain power,
lands, castles, royalties, etc., till their
buildings surpassed the proudest edifoes OF
the most iilustri0us cities. Munatori, 6S, 60
and II; Fra Paolo, %; Bingham Orig.
Fool, |. 5, c. 4, g. IA.
The reverend gentleman intimates that
we mistake Pagan for Christian Rome.
History tells US that learning fourished
better in Rome before the time Of Constan-
tine than afterward. Adrian established an
academy to which youths from all countries
went for instruction, and We are Indebted
to Pagan, not Christian Rome, for such
names as Seneca, Pliny, senior and Junior.
Tacitus, Plutarch, Galen, Virgil, Ep!ctetus,
Marcus Antoninus, etc.
So We learn that in proportion as the au.
thority of the Church of Rome increased,
education among the people declined and
again when the papal power began to de-
cline, when the contests with Frederic,
Henry, Manfred, Charles ", Francis l.,
Henry Will, weakened the power Of the
Church, learning began to revive, and
when education emerged from the cloisters
and had other professors than monks and
priests, it soon scattered its beneficial in
fuence over the whole Of Europe.
QUERIST,