The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-10-22
ANSWER TO TIE Rev. c. NJ. HYDE.

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The stereotype phrases about indie
pendent investigation Of religious
matters by children, aged from
to / . years, are not serious. The
Rev. gentleman himself will teach,
even his more advanced pupils, some
OF his sectarian or private theologi-
cal notions before allowing them in
dependent investigation.
do not fully understand what
the writer means by "the r. Catho-
lie priests claims to religious and
political supremacy. Applied to
these islands it is certainly nothing
but bitter irony, since the religious
and political friends OF DR.. Hyde'
hold all the political power and con-
troll, besides their very large private
fortunes, all the public money;
their religion in fact often procures
them protection and advancement,
while the Catholic Mission seems to
be merely tolerated. We must even
be grateful (and we are) for the few
crumbs that fall from the rich mans
table in the shape of a few hundred
dollars for the support of our inde-
pendent schools. l say we are
grateful even for the poor pittance
out of the public treasury contri-
buted by all tax payers, Catholics
included, because those gentlemen
composing the Board of Education
have the power to give us nothing.
respect a man whose high sense of
Justice elevates him above narrow
party-spirit. In our comparatively
helpless condition, the Catholic
churches and schools would soon
disappear before our mighty adver-
saries, if it were not for the help OF
God and the self-sacrificing labor OF
the C. clergy and their assistants.
The action of the Catholic priest
here is, and must be in principle,
the same as it is in America and all
over the world. We think that re-
ligion, and the true one, should be
taught in all schools, and conss-
.auently we cannot be in favor of
schools from which religious instruc-
ton is excluded. L see with great
pleasure that many Protestant
clergymen in the United States are
decidedly against the system OF
public schools existing there, and
that even the Rev. DR.. Hyde agrees
with us in blaming the existence OF
Christless schools. We merely
differ in the choice of the remedy.
DIR. Hyde, as far as understand
him, thinks that the Bible or perhaps
the New Testament only, should be
read in the public schools, and he
seems to blame the Catholic clergy
for not adopting this plan. Coed
reasons prompt us to strongly OBJ
| ject against it:
/. Supposing that DIR. Hyde
| should introduce the text of a Pro
testant edition. In that case he
ought to remember that Catholics
cannot accept a book as containing
the genuine word of God unless il
be approved by some competent
ecclesiastical authority. This is
not mere formality; it involves
principle.
2. Should the children have tc
read the Bible without any explana
ton whatever, leaving each t
gather his own individual notions o.
religion, we should soon see a mum
Der of new sects springing up il
addition to the vast number already
existing-curious ones too.
3. l suppose DR.. Hyde means
that the teacher shall guide the chill
dren in their independent (D in
vestigations. Certainly he woule
not give to his little child a loaf o
bread and knife, but he would Gu
the bread and adapt the food to TIN
capacity of the child. Now the fac
is that 9 out of 10 of the public
schools are controlled by Protestan
teachers, whereas one out of thre
children in the entire kingdom ar
Catholic. Consequently the readin!
and explanation of the Bible woul'
practically make the public school
Protestant institutions, and Catho
lie children going to the same woul'
be obliged to receive Protestan
training. This is exactly what Ger
tain parties are aiming at; it is
however, unjust, and l protes
against it in the name Of all Catho
lie parents, even in the name of tn
few who are base enough to sacri
flee the souls of their children fo
the sake of earthly gain.
In the Protestant assemblies a
Kaumakapili, parents are cautione
against sending their children t
Catholic schools. do not deny tn
right of doing so. But why shoul
not the Catholic priest have tn
same right to caution Catholic pal
ents against sending their childre
, to goddess or Protestant schools
Allow me to state that it is by ia
less difficult 10 transform Catholi
child into Protestant than it is
convert a Protestant child 10 til
Catholic religion. Reason and eS
perience prove this. Any souno
minded Protestant taking the pain
to study the Catholic religion as Sc
forth by approved authors instea
of receiving the numberless mis-