The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-09-20

her do not hesitate to say that, whether
we consult the past or the present; whether
we go where the frozen earth contends
with frozen air, or where the torrid sun
beats on blistering sands, We find her al
ways and everywhere the great teacher of
the people. But it is not my purpose to
outline her history in this respect, for this
would be to outline the history of Chris
tisn culture from its dawn to the present
; hour. Besides, no intellect can compass
nor tongue recount the efforts and achieve
ments OF this august and mighty patroness
of arts and letters. Archbishop Spalding
says, speaking in the light of history,
shat the church has been the foundress
of schools and universities, the fosterer of
arts and sciences, and the mother of in
ventions." In this age education is the
universal theme and common effort; but
during that long period of history known
as the Dark or Middle Ages learning was
kept alive by the church and its societies.
1t was an age of chronic war, but even
then We find the church maintaining pa
rochial schools,and almost everywhere that
a cathedral church was built, schools and
libraries we're founded. Universities we're
also established "many were fully or.
gained as early as the Twelfth century,"
And then, or within no great period there.
after, We find them established throughout
most, if not all, the political sub divisions
of continental Europe,and also in England
and Ireland. Some of these universities
became exceedingly celebrated to which
literally flocked armies of students
Padua, the ALMA Mater of Columbus and
Americus Vespuccius, had at one time no
l lass fhnr onl II A..
Others, it is asserted had as many as 10000
students. No American university has a
list of matriculates of 1000; and the at
tendance of no university of Europe is to-
day even approximately so large as that of
Padua. The condition of attendance and
student life in modern aud middle age
universities are of course wholly dissimi-
lar; but the comparison is useful for the
purpose of illustrating in a measure the
influence of those old Catholic institutions.
At these great universities, theology, the
humanities, and natural sciences, so far as
then developed, were cultivated; and one,
the University of Bologna, was probably
the first great claw SCHOOL," correspond
ence was carried on between them, and
| to meet the necessities thereof it has been
| asserted that post-oflices were first estab-
lished; but this assertion is to be received
with some allowance, for posts were orig
inally stationed along the line of Roman
roads for the conveyance of public dis
patches, the name being thence taken,
and it is not improbable that the demands
of commerce rather than of the universi-
| ties were the more proximate cause of es-
tablishing posts for private correspond
ence. 1t is well known that the Church
was the most munifcent patron of the
| fine arts, architecture, music, painting
and sculpture; and under her fostering
care these, with the exception certainly OF
sculpture, reached perhaps their climax.
1t is not impairment to note that educa-
tion in the paraochial schools and
the universities +. was free; hence, to
the church among Christian people is due
the honor of inaugurating free schools.
But great is the credit due her as the
dissemination of learning; greater ill is
due her as its preserver. OF course
| speak of the church in this connection,
not in her most sacred character as the
missionary of the Christian religion, but
merely as "the fosterer of arts and sci
ences." She preserved not only the New
Testament scriptures, but the classics of
Rome and Greece, the speculation and
philosophy of the antique world. She
founded numerous and great libraries;
one, the celebrated library of Alexandria,
| is supposed to have contained as many as
| 100000 volumes. In this age of steam
press and stereotyping we can form no
adequate idea of the magnitude of such an
enterprise. Think of the weary dextral
toll represented by that library of 700,-
600 manuscript tomes. Before the inven-
ton of movable type the monastic orders
were the great printers unions. And,
besides being copyists, many of the monks
were profoundly learned men, and made
and introduced into Europe not a few
Inventions and discoveries. 1 mention
two as being peculiarly connected with
education, and, therefore, eminently
pertinent. The credit of introducing the
Arabic numerals is due to a monk the
invention of spectacles is likewise due to
a monk, but has been variously assigned,
like all great inventions, to different men
by some to Roger Bacon, by others to
Alexander Di Spinna, of Florence; in
deed, the world of letters owes to the mo-
nastic orders debtof gratitude which can
never be fully paid. This is the boosted
age of light and progress, but what it
would have been, without the zeal and la
Dor of the mOnki-h and priesty orders
of the middle ages, speculation cannot
say nor wisdom answer.
Coming to our own history, we find that
the church founded the first schools i'll
Texas. As early as the Seventeenth
century Franciscan monks from Spain
established missions along the line of the
Rio Grande and as far in the interior as
San Antonio, for the purpose Of Chris ian
izing, civilizing and educating the
Indians. In a certain wide and general
sense, all missionary work is educational,
but the work of these missions was educa-
tional, mot only in the wide but in narrower
sense. The education, it is true, WAS that
adapted to primitive people, sietirg
of the fundamental arts of civilization
and the virtues of purity, hon sty, truth
and mercy. And, while we may not
endorse all the methods adopted by the
brethren of st. Francis, in their efforts in
behalf of those savage peoples, we must
remember that they cannot be fairly
judged by the standards Of our time, but
by those Of their own. And, when We
contemplate the sacrifices they made, the
perils they encountered and the motives
that prompted them, their faults are
obscured in the light of their virtues, and
we are lost ia admiration of those humble
souls "who won the cross without the