The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-14

OPPOSED TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Father Louis Cook, at st. Josephs Mission,
| Objects from a Catholic Standpoint.
| The mission at St Josephs Church, conducted
by the Redemptorst fathers, Louis Cook and
James McLaughlin has been successful in draw
ing large audiences to that church. Last night
there were fully one thousand hearers. Father
Louis Cook spoke against the public school sys-
| tenn and in favor Of the Catholic schools.
| He said that as a priest of God he must raise
his voice and warn his hearers against danger
as deep as the Atlantic, and all the greater be-
cause the Catholic people do not realize the ex-
tent of the evil that lies before them Upon
the ocean of life the soul requires the benefit Of
thorough Catholic education. It would be a
mistake Of you to imagine that oppose secular
education. 1 believe in the three Rs
reading, riting and reckoning The Catholic
Church holds that a mans soul has
fewer chances of getting to heaven if he does
not know how to read. and wherever the Catho-
lie Church plants the cross of Christ she teaches
| the three RS to those to whom she gives religious
instruction. Go back into the history Of the
| Catholic Church and you will find it impressed
| upon the missionary priest, as he went out from
| Rome, to take the heather aud make him first a
| man. IN OTQof TO make MIN q CNrl6tldn. Inc
enemies Of our church say they understand why
| the priests are always clamoring against schools
and universities, that we afraid if the people
grow smart enough they will turn their backs
upon the Catholic Church. Now that assertion
| is untrue. The Catholic Church encourages edu-
cation. The greatest intellects the world has
ever known have been Catholics. The Catholic
| Church to day is doing more than her portion in
| the education of children. Look at the magnif-
cent public schools, with their we'll paid teachers
| w Ich faye fn md hiaG fhn
| poorest of us assist to keep up, besides educ at
| ing our own children in our own schools.
| believe that IN as far as these public schools
can educate they do it we'll enough. If my child
| be man upon earth, would say go to the public
| school. But when [ look at the child as it
develops, and see the moral nrincinles WHICH God
has implanted in its sou and see it growing into
| manhood or womannood. l ask, will it be enough
| to give it knowledge of reading Of writing, or
of reckoning! | say no. A thief behind the
bars is all the worse for knowing how to read
and write A bank cashier may know how to
hide his deficit by putting down big figures in his
favor; Reading and writing DO not make the
or mother can be justly proud. We
need the building up of the moral
man. and that is done only by thorough Cath
olc education. You may develop the intellect
to sinful degree, or you may make it to
suit the purpose to which God has called us.
This power gives man his direction in life and
it is this power that must be developed by moral
| training. If the moral sense has not been edu-
| Gated, how is one to overcome the impulse to do
wrons2 The more l know how to do wrong, the
worse man will be- The public school has no
tight to teach morality. 1t has not the ability
| to teach it.
| The father then illustrated the absurdity and
futilty OF Attempting religious, instruction
were some of them of Jewish parent
| age, some Episcopalians, some Presbyte-
rians. some Catholics, some inhdes, and so on.
| No principle of faith or morality can be taught
| because while doing justice to one you would be
| doing injustice to others. Then, the teachers
| are not allowed to teach what our Catholic chill
| dren should be taught they grow up without
| this necessary instruction.
The Catholic schools give TO children that
which the public schools do not give. Some reo-
pie say they do not like to send their children to
the Catholic schools, because they not edu-
Gated so we'll there. Now in the Catholic
schools the best means employed in other schools
! are used. 20 into our schools, meet the teach
| ers and converse with them, and you will find
| them thoroughly able for the task of teaching
Besides, with them it is labor of love. They do
not teach for money. 1t is work they do for God,
and to which they have vowed their existence. 1t
is to make the children not merely intellectual,
but better and purer, and for which they look to
| heaven for their reward. They instill into the
| child the principles it should have while it is
young. The mind of the child, as the great st.
| Thomas expresses it. is table of wax, upon
! which nothing has been written. The child may
not be able to reason, but the impression is
| there. In our Catholic schools this moral train
| ing follows the child in every class The pict-
| ures the walls, the crucifx, the religious
| dress. brings home to the child the highest
| moral principles by which it should be guided
And the teacher who knows she offends
Goo p by anger always avs tender in
| struction that religion becomes a second
nature to the child And every day, as the sister
leaves the school room, she goes to the little
| chapel and prays for her scholars The educa-
ton of the chids soul with her is ever upper
| most. She may have come from beautiful
| home to take upon herself this task but she
| feels happy at the sacrifice she makes. You see
how these teachers take the place of a Christian
mother
| When great Archbishop Spalding, of Balti-
moro, was On his death bed he said that he was
afraid to die and meet his God without having
made school for his boys. He sent for the
| superior general of a religious body, and said:
SISTER am dying. Will you promise me,
you will send teachers here TO educate my boys,
and make them Catholics. If you will make the
| promise will die happy man." She made the
promise He said II IT. thank you;
he had duty to perform. That same duty
rests upon your bishop and upon your pastor,
and would be traitor to the missionary life
lead. | would be unfaithful to my belief as
Catholic, unfaithful to the little children ! love
if did not tell you the law as it is laid down
by Scripture, reason and the authorities of the
church. | put the responsibility Of the child's
soul on your souls tonight st. Alphonsus says
| that you will not be saved if you have de-
prived the little child of the means of being
saved-a Catholic education"
On Tuesday evening the mission will close
with erecting the mission cross On Wednesday
evening Father Cook will lecture on Catholic
Liberty"