Luxemburger gazette. [volume] (Dubuque, Iowa) 1871-1918, 1893-11-21

~ FAhS a W SAH w A'~hNt ps1 NAN>
proper places for it are the home and
the church. This is a miserable subter-
fuge, an imaginary e~xpedient to get rid
of a difficulty by d~isregarding a duty.
Religious education is not given at
home, nor will it be, for the excellent
reason that parents as a rule (there is
question here for a general provision)
have neither time nor inclination nor
ability to give it. The bulk of the peo-
Pile are neither rich or learned. Fancy
a poor man, laborer or mechanic, with
little if any learning, tired after a hard
days work, taking up the cate
chism in the evening late when the
chores are over to give instruction to
his boy of - or IA, who is about to pass
from the ward to the high school.
Where is the boy at that hour? Who
will find him, bring him home and hold
him during this imaginary farce? Go
call the man Of leisure and some pre-
tensions to letters who has not been to
confession for years, neglects Mass on
Sundays, eats meat on Friday and fast
lays, from his cups and cards and other
amusements to teach religion to his
children. What mockery! When you
consider the necessity, and the diff
SuitS Nv LllC LhaGAltuuC VI tlC WOIh VI
preparing a youth for the duties OF man.
home by the fathers and the mothers of
the masses is an insult to reason; it is
cruel trifling.
Well, surely, the church is the proper
place for religious instruction, and the
priest Is the proper person to give it.
This seems plausible, but is it q pro-
xicion chat uri1l ,rnrra nln,,. 49, ,o4
isfactory? Let us see. When is the
instruction to be given? Not on a week
day, for the children are at school or at
work. Sunday is the only day on which
IT can be given, and between the end OF
High Mass and Vespers the only time.
THE SUNDAY SERMON Is NOT ADAPTED
TO THE CAPACITY OF SCHOOL
CHILDREN.
They do not profit by it, for it is be-
yond their comprehension, and when
there is mention of children attending
schools from which religion is excluded
if they happen to hear it, it is not too
much to say that as a rule they care lit
tie about it. What of the c~atachetical
instruction in the afternoon before YES
pers? Very many priests, pastors Of
congregations, have nc assistance. In
deed, it may be said that the average
pastor has no one to assist him. In the
Diocese OF Dubuque there are nearly 200
priests doing missionary work, and OF
these not more than six outside ofthe city
are assistants. 1t is quite likely that the
same Is true to some extent of many, il
not most other dioceses. The bulk OF
the congregation Of one of these pastors
lies in the country within a radius Of
six or more miles OF the town or village
In which he resides. On Saturday eve
nings the priest hears confessions, he
does the same on Sunday morning be-
fore and after first Mass, he says two
Masses, sings one, breaches q sermon,
baptizes whatever children are pre-
sented, and when all his work is over,
about O'Clock or later, if he have not a
headache or a fever, or both, after the
long fast and labor Of the morning, you
can readily realize that he is not in a
favorable mood to take up catachetical
instructions. Be that as II may, he can
not have the children. The country
children 60 home after Mass with their
parents to escape a long fast and a long
walk in the afternoon, only a few chill
dren from the town and its immediate
vicinity can be had for catechism. The
fact is, as a rule, and it is facts, not
theories, We must consider, that chill
dren who depend IN the priest for relig-
ious instruction so without it, and many
OF them otherwise intelligent and tai
ented will not know enough catechism
to memory at the ages of IA, Is and 10
to secure them a ticket for Confirmation.
The priest who is Liked well enough by
his congregation says he cannot have
the children for instruction on week
days nor on Sunday, except a small
fraction as already stated. Be this as il
may, the fact stands and is indisputable
that the children of the people as a body
are not instructed in their religion by
their pastors.
AS to the Sunday school conducted
by young ladies and gentlemen. it is not
worth speaking Of. A moments rehec-
ton will suffice to realize of how little
value it is. AS a provision for a great
work it is simply ridiculous. The best
If not the only good thing done there is
to hear a memory lesson, but the mem
DRY is not the intellect, MOI the intellect
the soul, and
1T is THE SOUL WITH ALL ITS FACUL-
TIES THAT Is TO BE EDUCATED.
II children of school age, say from 7
to ii, or from 8 to 16 years, are to re-
ceive a religious education to which they
have a Divine right on many heads, the
school is the place in which to give it.
To prepare Chaistian youth for all the
duties OF Christian manhood, to case
them in a Christian mould and fashion
them after the model furnished by re-
ligion, to make another Christ out of
human nature in its present state, is a
work so great, so noble and withal so
difficult that to essay it with a fair pros
pect of success, time, talent and favor
able opportunity are needed. All these
the teacher has or is supposed to have.
He has ability, else why should the par
ents and the church present to him the
child and delegate to him their God
given authority. After some study of
his pupil he is supposed to know him,
his talents, his temper, disposition,
habits, the strong and weak points of
his nature. He is supposed to con-
slider we'll his supernatural life and des-
tiny, the faculties of the soul, the germs
Of the virtues, especially the theological,
and the dangers that beset them, ali the
treasures of the church, how to prepare
Tor them and communicate them so as
to prove productive. His is not the task
to carve the image of a man out of the
marble or put his likeness on canvas as
sculptors and painters do, but to build
up out OF poor human nature a living
breathing, speaking, active image of
Gods Son made man. For this work,
more difficult far than that of Eden, the
riches OF heaven and the forces OF omni.
potence are at his service. and, under
God, the chief agent in this greatest
work, in the accomplishment of this
prodigious feat is the Christian teacher