The Irish standard., 1888-05-26

SATURDAY, MAY g. 1888.
IRISH CATHOLIC EDUOATION.

IRISH CATHOLIC EDUCATION.
The departure Of Father James Nc
i5o)rick for Ireland last week in chedi'
euce to the command Of the Archbishop
10 go abroad to secure competent teach
ers COZ a Catholic high school i'll this
city has suggested to TIE IRISH
STANDARD The proprietY Of devoting
The leading article this week to the Sub.
Jet Of Catholic Education in Ireland.
Love OF learning has always been one
OF Che marked traits in the national
character of The Irish people. Centuries
before the arrival Of St. Patrick III Ire
land tie country WAS preenoinently
noted for Learning, one Of the Irish
KINGS having established schools IoE
fhe cultivation Of literature aud phil
osopi1y in the island seven centuries De-
Fore the Christian erit. The pagan
Druids were known to The Greeks and
Romans AS q learned priesthood, well
versed in philosophy and all The sciences
of that age. When st. Patrick came
amongst them to preach the doctrine Of
christianity he found cultivated peO-
nle ready to listen to him with respect.
After converting thorn from paganism
lie established schools which became
famous over continental Europe, and
students FROM all countries f|ocked to
The Emerald Isle 80 drink at the fcunt
Of Irish learning. When Europe was a
corpse benaath the hoof OF the Vandal,
Sion was ireland famous--then was il
1.-THE school Of the West, the quiet hab-
ltation Of sanctlty and literatuce,' to
borrow the words Of Or. Johnson.
The Danes Invaded Ireland at the
end Of the eighth century and aimed the
first blow at the literature Of the land.
Schools were ,szel to the ground, the
teachers prosecuted, and the bards exr
terminated with savage farocity. These
northern bacharians desecrateo the soil
OF holy Ireland for three hundred Tears,
Dut after thejr expulsion by Brian Boru,
..iae Irish made another effort TO revive
tileir institutions Of learning. They
had partially succeeded when the Nor
mans came in tbs twelfth century and
education was once more retarded by
xvars and violence. :li1e reign OF Eliza
betl, capped the climax Of retrogression
when education was made felony and
penal laws ruled the land. The school
master WAS no longer abroad in ireland
for he was declared a criminal with
price set upon his head.
Despite the law and the penalty the
scllooj.0aSter pursued his vocation by
stealth, and taught his willing pupils in
the valleys and in the recesses OF the
mountains. 1t was in those barbarous
DAYS Of British oppression that the
found alton of that Irish ignorance, y
Of which so much has been said: was
laid in the island of saints and scholars.
But thank God: Ireland cannot os
Justly charged with ignorance any
ger. She has emerged triumphantly
from the ignorance enforced upon her
nv British law and stands to-day better
educated than her tyrannicas sister AT
The very first relaxation Of the penal
code. after the declaration of American
teaching communities
and free schools sprang up again III
ireland The Nuns and Christian
brothers opened their popular schools
in ali parts Of the country. In 1881 the
So called National system Of education
was established through the advocacy
If Lord Stanley, whose object it was to
denationalize and protestantize the
Young Catholics of Ireland. The COM
missioners of education were appointed
with this object in view, the chairman
of the board being DR.. Whately, the
of Dublin-an Engilshman
who prepared and revised the school
hooks to he used, and eliminated from
them every allusion to the history OF
Ireland and even such extracts from
authors as illustrate the virtue OF patrl-
ntism IN any land. The extract from
scott commencing '.Breathes there a
man H., with soul 50 dead" was .ex g W
81 by,sW hateiy and instead of it was given
sGod save the Queen The readers '':s
with ptural allu s1ons'