The Irish standard., 1894-09-15

A Visit to the Home Of AAustraiia's q
Prinoate and an Interesting
f. Interview.
Says the Anti Catholic Movement
In America Has No Parallel .
In That Country. ...


/ should think that Journalist would
have as much ease in inducing the Pope
to submit to an interview ss your cor
respondent had during the past few
weeks in approaching q distinguished
member OF the Sacred College Cardinal
Moran-who directs the church and
shapes it's policy. in Austria, writes the
Sydney IN. 8. W. correspondent OF the
Westminster Gazette. + should not,
however. take the credit OF overcoming
the preliminary difficulties which have
proved too much for so many smbitious
press men, for that part of the work was
performed for ms with intimate trouble
by the mayor ofSydney. Sir w. r. Monn-
ing.
|Dr. OHGrsn, the cardinals secretary
led me up flight Of stairs and showed
me into large room, the walls of which
were lined with books, and with one or
two pictures, apparently copies from the
works OF old masters. I had not been
sitting long at the table when I heard
the. rustic OF purple aud his eninence
glided quickly into the room. He re.
ceived me- graciously, and commenced
the interview at once by saying that he
was perhaps interested to learn from q
Westminster Gazette article, cabled TO
the Sydney papers, that the primate of
the Anglican church was fairly satisfied
with the educational system OF Austrihs.
II had many, conversations on the sub
ject with his predecessor, Right Rev. DIR.
Barry" said his eminence. "He looked
on religion as an essential element in
education, and he publicly declared in
many oil his addrssaeE that the stand
the Catholics had taken was the proper
one. OF course, we regard the problem
OF education as the real problem Of so
ciety at the present day. We consider
that il the children are allowed to grow,
up without religion, Or in indifference to
religion, the future OF the nation must
be tainted with the same impiety or in
difference, and that--psrticnlarly to-day
nothing can Da more detrimental to
the true interests Of society than the
growth of irreligion. The Weather
classes can. provide means for having
their children trained in religion and
piety, independent of scholastic training,
but for the great mass of the people the
only education is that afforded by the
pub bic schools. Nowadays the mass of
the people cannot be overlooked, mot only
as an element of society, but as govern
ing element. The people are the ruling
power, and if democracy is allowed to be
tainted with socialism, or lrreligion or
impiety-by whatever name ii may be
called--the future of society must be sad
indeed
"Then,' said, ''the educational ques
tion is q matter of great. political impor-
tance to the church,"
eat present." replied the cardinal, sit
is practically not discussed. The Catho-
lie clergy and the Catholic body do not
desire to interfere in any way with; those
who are content with the public school
system. We all feel that, logically speak
ing,considering the principle upon which
the system rests, it should bring indif-
ferentism and ruin into social life
amongst us, but we also know from ex-
perlence that, through the influence of
parents and many other social influences
these evil principles do not always work
out to their logical conclusions. AS you
probably know, our convent schools and
those conducted by the various brother
hoods are not only religious, hut they
compete in every branch Of theEcurricu-
lun with the best Of schools, and at the
public examination very many children
from our religious schools carry away
the prize. AS regards the future, it is
difficult to foretell what may be the edu-
cational system twenty years hence. One
thing is certain, that the permanence Of
our Catholic schools is secure, and in our
Catholic schools trust the educational
as well as the religious training Of our
children will attain that perfection to
which all our endeavors are directed"
"You still hope for state sid?"
"Ihe political future the cardinal re-
piled, "is necessarily uncertain, but am
convinced that the time will come when
the Australian government will recog-
nize our Catholic schools and will do
justice to our excellent Catholic teachers.
II has been more than once proposed by
very distinguished Protestants that the
Catholic schools in the matter Of secular
education should be recognized, and that