The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1889-03-09
why they ARE BETTER.
Public and Parochial Schools Susan
E. Elder Draws a Very Appro-
pirate Comparison.
TRAINING OF THE MIND.
Science of Serving God Of Greater Import
ance than all the History, Arithmetic
and Geography IN the World.

ance than all the History, Arithmetic
and Geography IN the World. :
"WhY amt the Public Schools as
good for me as the Sisters School2''
asked ten year old boy the other day
of his mother" and why don't you
send me there?''
| The mothers answer was somewhat
as follows:
| The Public Schools are not as good
for you as the Sisters because they
don't teach you anything about God.
1t is just as if there were no God. Just
as it God had not made you, and as if
you were not going some day where He
is. They are good schools for all book
learning. They are excellent for read
ing, writing, arithmetic, history, geog
raphy, &c.; but God did not make you
only to be learned but chiefly to be good.
The catechism tells us, IN answer to the
question why did God make you?"
that it was to know Him, love Him and
serve Him in this world, and be happy
with Him in the next
A little boys first lesson then, is to
know God; and this Can be done only
by learning all about His greatness and
His goodness. Secondly, you must love
Him; but this love comes only when
you have learned to love Him, for YOU
cannot help loving God, when you know
that he is the Creator of all things, the
preserver Of your life, the kind friend
who gave you father, mother, home,
health, and all your happiness. And
thirdly, you must learn to serve him;
and to dc this perfectly requires long
and careful teaching.
To serve him in the right way reQuires
training OF this mind with all it's
thoughts of the heart with its feelings,
and of the soul with all its impulses.
That is you must learn to serve God in
thought, in word and action and this
science Ct serving God is Of greater i'm
portance than all the history, arithmetic
and geography IN the world; and If you
learn this well, you are sure of being
happy with God in the next world which
is more than science can do for you,
even if you study with all your might
till you die.
Now the public schools do not teach
any little bov to know, love and serve
God; so, it is Just as if there was no
God to watch over him here on earth,
and make him happy forever in heaven.
1t is true this will not be their fault.
and perhaps God IN his great mercy,
will send them opportunities Of learn
ing all .bout His existence and their
duties; but these opportunities are as
though He sent angels to teach little
children, whereas His usual way is to
give them parents, who must do the
teaching them selves, or see that it is
done properly.
Therefore, parents have all the re-
sponsibility of their children g souls on
their hands, and that is why they are
anxious to put them where they will be
sure to learn,-along with geography,
that God made the whole earth about
which they are studying,-along with
history, that he directs the affairs of
nations and of men, and along with
arithmetic, that "a thousand years are
with Him as one, and that single cup
of water given in his name, is worth
more than thousand calculations upon
square roots, denominate numbers and
compound fractions.
The Public Schools may even be bet
ter in some ways than Sisters Schools;
they may stimulate more am bition, &C.
velope more mental activity, and teach
more about books, and the wonders of
this world; but if they do not teach a
child that truth is better than fasehood,
that the soul is more precious than the
body and that Heaven is brighter than
earth, then they are not good for little
boys whose parents wish to see them
the JOY Of their hearts and the light of
their eyes.
l might also tell you that all nations,
even those who worship sticks and
stones wanted their children taught re-
ligion, that is, wanted them to be bound
the very word religion meaning to
blnd-by some sacred obligation, to be
enforced by some unseen and solemn
Influence, which would make them
pleasing to the Power that overrules the
world.
Our great Washington said s'Be care
full not to encourage the supposition
that morality can be maintained with
out religion, and all Pagan theology
was summed up in the words Fear the
Gods!D Ali Of which means that man
must be taught from his boyhood that
there is q Gcd, and that His laws bind