The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-18
UNCONVENTIONAL SCHOOLS
Bishop Keane FOrcibly Upholds Cath
Ollie Methods of Teaching Children.
An Intellectual Plea for the Multiplication Of
Christian Schools. Which Is Vigorously
Replied to by Edwin d. Mead, of Boston.

days discussion before the National
Educational Association was the discus
sion on UNCONVENTIONAL schools, partici-
pated in by Bishop j. J. Keane. rector of
the Catholic University at Washington.
and Edwin d. Mead, of Boston. Bishop
Keane was the first speaker. He said:
The glory of a Christian nation is not In
it's ability TO surpass all around In martial
prowess and in the returns of trade. but in
the intelligence, the morality, the comfort
and ~contentment of its people. A school Is
not made a Christian school by taking up q
great deal of time in doctrlnal Instruction
or in devotional exercises, which would
otherwise be spent in acquiring. secular
knowledge. What above all makes it a
Christian school are the moral atmosphere,
the general tone. the surrounding objects,
slant endeavor. the loving tact. the gentle
skill, by which the light and the
spirit of Christianity, its lessons for the
head, for the heart, for the whole charac-
ter, are made to pervade and animate the
good parent desires that they should ami
mate his whole future life, in all his mani
fold duties and relations as a man and as a
citizen. The intelligent Christian parent
knows well that what ought to be true of
every nationality within the pale of Chris
tan civilization is prominently true of
ours, that the best Christian is sure to be
the best American, and the school which
aims at sending forth its child a model
Christian In equal degrees tends to send
him forth a model American.
Our country Indeed. should ~tyrannize
over no ones conscience, but she herself
ought TO be consistently, fearlessly,
always Christian. But Christian civ
ilizatiOn has for its natural forpda-
tian schools. Again, therefore. a
good Christian American parent, If
he IS true to his principles, viii be sure to
choose for his child q good Christian
American school. suspicious. antagonisms.
animosities ought mover to be instilled in
any Christian church; and, if they are,
that church has not the spirit of Christ in
it and ought to be deserted. Do you sup
pose that 1T was in any public undenOmina-
tional schools that Washington and the
founders of our liberties, our models of pa
triotism were rearedf And do you suppose
that there will be a Christian denomina-
tion in all this land that will not vie with
each other in intoxicating devotedness to
tionsf The suppositlon is contrary to all
existing facts and to all good sense. So
away with 1t.
'It may be said, is not the Catholic
Church at least committed to the Christian
ity of Hildebrand and of the middle ages;
and Is 1t not, therefore, a~ntagonistic to the
Christianity of the nineteenth centuryf
In the name of the Catholic Church I
answer that she Is committed neither to
Hildebrand and the middle ages. nor to the
policy of any man or of any age whatso-
ever, because she is for all men, and, there
fore, for all ages and for all forms of social
conditions.
"A distinguished orator of our day has
truly declared that the civilization and
prosperity of our country depend on its
Christianity, and that its Christianity de-
ponds on education. But alasi how Hog
ically he concluded from these premises
that, therefore. the welfare of our country
was to be safeguarded by a system of ed
ucation in which it is not permissible to
teach Christianity. Surely the logical con-
clusion from such evident premises is that
the prosperity and civilization of our coun-
try depend on Christian education. Look
now at the people of our country, and we
see them divided into two classes. On the
one side the Catholic Church emphatically
declares for Christian education. and with
us side all those non-Catholics,
ton. who believe n Christian
schools, and in them are giving their
children an education leavened and ami
mated by Christianity, as they understand
advocates of a national system of schools,
In which Christian truth and duty cannot
be taught. Can any one in his senses hest
tate which of these two sides is for the real
welfare of our %countryf, We must cling to
this sacred cause and uphold it at any cost.
We must multiply and perfect Christian
schools till all u children and all our
youth can have. in fullest abundance, all
the blessed intellectual and moral advan-
tages which are the essential condition of
Christian civilization. We must stop at NO
difficulties; we must count no cost. At any
cost the work must and shall go on, for we
are called to 1T both by love of God and love
of country
Edwin d. Mead, of Boston, replied to
Bishop Keane. and stated that the parochial
school has no proper place in the system of
American instruction. The speaker quoted
from an English Catholic dictionary, pre-
pared by Thomas Arnold, the son of the
great master of Rugby, the brother of
Mathew. Arnold. and the father of Mrs.
Ward, the author of Robert Elsmere. He
said: I'm an article on education in this
dictionary. the author said that as man is a
complex being, so his education must have
several ends The prime end is religious.
and the Catholic holds that man must seek
religious knowledge at the hands of the
this is the highest authority in edu-
require that its citizens should re-
ceive such training al may re-
strain anti-social passions and promote
church is primary; that pursued by the
state is secondary. The religious author
lty Is the greater, as mans eternal interest
is or more importance than his temporal.
The third authority is that of the family,
parents being under obligation to educate
their children In the ways of decency, of
dignity Inc thrift" The speaker approved
this article in so far as 1T declared character
TO be the principal thing. The speaker al
so commended the boldness and honesty
with which the article declared the highest
authority in education TO be the church,
but said the conflict In America Is be-
tween the church and state.o 1t was not
bold, not honest in Cardinal Manning, in
his recent article, to represent the conflict
as between the state and family. The
speaker quoted largely from Cardinal Man
nlngs article, which, he said, attempted
TO represent the public school as q coer-
clon, and an interference with family rights
n liberty of conscience. The Who'll poll
cy of the Roman Catholic Church in estab-
fishing parochial schools in this country
rests upon this coercion.
The speaker quoted Bishop Gilmour. Bish-
op Ryan n Others high in the Catholic
Church to support his statement that
priests were authorized to refuse the sacri.
ment to any of their people. who, having
catholic SCHOOLS within reach, refused to
send their children to them. This coercion
is not proper in America, and cannot be
permitted here. The great Roman Catholic
masses. to whom this thing is hateful. who
and grateful supporters of the public
school, and TO which they and their children
owe SO much. are entitled. because they arc
American citizens, as well as members of
the Roman Catholic Church. to be freed
from this coercion. The Roman Catholic
school does have the same place in Ameri-
ca as the Episcopal school or any private