The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-10-26
The Catholics and the schools.

| the medium O your columns few
/ observations Oh the letter OF the Bishop
OF Olba in last Fridays Bulletin. do
this, not in q controversial or contsnti-
| oGsspIrit, but with an honest desire % aid
| in shedding light On a matter which has
| been z subject q warm. and even acTino-
Nous controversy in other places, and
which Is likely, atno very distant day, 70
! assume considerable importance IN this
| country. Although the Bishops letter
| occupies nearly two columns in the Bull
| letin, and Is written, not only with
ability, but with evident care, It con-
tains II reality nothing new. The posi-
| tons taken and the arguments used are
all perfectly familiar, Al least 10 those Of
Us who have had experience Of the dis
! cussions upon the same subject in other
| countries.
| With his criticisms on the letter Of Dr.
| Hyde, [ propose to concern myself very
| little. l am not at all sure that the pos
ton Of the latter gentleman IS quite
| fairly stated. Ny impression, speaking
| the Doctors article Is not al present be-
| fore me will not attempt TO dOgmatlze.
! DR.. HYDE should be fully competent TO
| carry on his own controversies. II he Is
not. he should keep out Of them. II the
Bishop does not in any way mIslnterpret
or nnisrepresent the letter he undertakes
70 criticise, he certainly scores one or
two good points. There are number OF
| more or less irrelevant and eXtraneOus
matters in the Bishops letter, and some
Of them offer rather d tempting field Tor
controversy. Were [ disposed TO be I'M
charitabl l could almost suspect that
some Of these matters We're introduced
for the purpose OF confusing the ques-
ton, and drawing his opponents off into
the discussion Of side issues. II there be
any such covert invitation III the Bishops
letter, DO not propose TO accept it.
The position Of the Bishop, as | under
stand it, and Of the authorities OF his
church generally, is this: that the edu-
cation OF the young during the school age
ought to include instruction in religious
doctrine and duty, and that no schools
can be satisfactory 70 Christian and
Catholic parents, or, TO use his own
words, can answer their just demands,
IN which this important element Is want
ing. | trust | shall not be accused Cf
mans views when [ state further that
the only religious instruction which
would be accepted by him as answering
the just demands OF Catholic parents Is
instruction in the destructive doctrines
Of the Roman Catholic church, and in
the duties which that church, and that
church only, holds TO be incumbent on
it's members. instruction in those fun
damental doctrines which are held in
general by all Christians, both Catholic
and Protestant. would not be accor--'
as satisfactory. If | am wrong in 1-E
understanding Of this matter 4 am more
than ready may even anxious, to be cor
rected. 1t would afford " 1S-nfeigned
satisfaction to Hol flat mistaken,
for, hOWevCI L4-nn..,y aul Protes ants
may differ when We come down from
questions o. ,e~ity and discipline, Of
ecclesiastical organization and Papal su-
premacy to the essentials of either theO-
logical doctrine or the practical duties of
life, the points Of agreement will be
found to be much more numerous and |
important than those of difference.
Let me particularize little. We all, |
that is, Catholics, Presbyterians, Metho- |
dists and the Protestant world generally, !
accept the Scriptures OF the Old and New !
Testaments as the Word of God, super |
naturally inspired, and possessed OF Di-
vine authority in matters OF religious |
faith and practice. Even the disputes
about our respective Bibles resolve them
selves, when examined, into questions
Of the merits OF particular TRANSACTIONS
and versions, rather than Of the author
ity of the original text. The Codex Vati-
canus is as precious to Protestant theOlo-
gians and scholars as to Catholics. We
all accept the ancient formula OF doctrine
commonly known as the Apostles Creed.
We believe in one God, the Creator Of all
things, the Divine Father of US all, who
is perfect in all His attributes, whose
plans and purposes extend to all events,
and who exercises a righteous moral gov
eminent over all His intelligent creatures.
However We may differ in our under
of the first few chapters of Gen
esis, and whatever our philosophy of the
matter may be, we all accept as a fact
the universal sinfulness Of man, the ne
cesslty of repentance and reformation,
and the need of Divine grace to success
fully attain that end. We believe in
Jesus Christ as the Son of God, as the
Redeemer OF men, as our Divine elder
brother and our example in all
things; in the power Of His death and
resurrection, and in His presence at the
right hand of God the Father as our in
-SACCooOI Sbilu cbdNOCdGC' w = diSO profess /
Dur belief in the person and off e Of the
Holy Spirit, as the sanctifier, comforter
and guide OF Christian people We hold
L common belief in a state of future re-
ward and punishment, and in a dav of
inal judgment. We accept and practise
he great sacraments of baptism and the
1ord's Supper as of Divine institution {
md command. We believe in the for a
,iveness of sins, the resurrection of the
)ody and the life everlasting. All this,
md much more which l will not stop to
'articularize, Catholics and the great
'reponderance of Protestants hold in
ommon. Furthermore, there is sub ,
tantlal agreement regarding what has
'een happily summarized as the conduct
Il life. All churches and organizations
lrOfeSSing and calling than snl Voc GLr;c |