The San Francisco call., 1895-12-28

Di' DofuIu Says Win truth tHdI udtuId d
system of morality is inadequate. woult
not follow him as far as he goes in his descrlp
ton OF It's lnadequacy. There is In his denun
Glatlon OF 1t At tinge of the doctrine OF OF tota
| depravlty. We Catholics believe in the ma
tural goodness of human nature God.'
mercy and Gods grace are boundless. He il
not respecter OF persons and In every nauoi
acceptable unto him.
However, admitting that the natural system
is inadequate, the choice lies between re
veaied system OF morality and Bible system
By revealed system of morality is meant 8
system which is based on certain truths which
society declares to be revealed by God. By q
Bible system is meant the mere enunciatlOn o
the Bible words, leaving to the hearers the
task OF drawing from them moral lessons.
Now, think what have already said about
the inconsistency of the Protestant theory
with the Protestant practice shows that there
is no real difference between these two sys-
TENS. am fully convinced that non-sectarian
Blole-feadlng Is either useless or trand. Ny
reasons are that the Bible was never intended
to be textbook of morals. The moral truths
In 1t have to be selected, and all selection is
interpretation, and all Interpretation is Sec
tartan. 1t does not matter whether society
declares in its own words that such doctrine
is revealed by God or teacher declares in the
words OF the Bible that such end such law is
established by God; both are equally sectar1an.
Just as in practice Protestants use the Catho-
nc rule OF faith so in practice non-sectarian
B16le-readlng must necessarily become sec
tartan.
Another point. There is no such thing as
Bible morality. Morality, like religion,
evolves. The morality of the eutateuch is
not the morality of the Gospel; DR.. Bovard
complains that Plato sanctioned lying. / am
afraid that TO the ordinary schoolboy he would
have much difficulty in eXculpating Abraham
and Jacob from the same charge. There are
many things in Holy Writ which the un-
stable wrest to their own destruction, and am
greatly afraid that if non-sectarian Bible
reading were possible the lessons inculcated
would at times be more startling than useful.
matter Blblp.
reading is humbug. In the first place we
must procure non-sectarian Bible; King
James version is corrupt. In no less than 500
places the translators tampered with 1t to
make point against Catholics.
The revised version, which is the admission
by falr-minded Protestants of the Catholic
charge against the authorized version, is an
improvement. but 1t has errors of its own. We
cannot ask Protestants to read any of sixteen
Catholic translations Then there is the ques-
ton OF the Jews. They pay their taxes just as
well as Christians. Shall we compel them to
read the New Testament? Then there are the
children OF atheists and noth1ngarians, how are
reading will reconcile all these contending in
terests? Perhaps the genealogies in Genesis
might be accepted as a compromise.
In teaching morality as in teaching religion
there are but two ways. Either teach full
definite code or leave it altogether to each in
dividual. In our public schools we cannot
teach satisfactory code of morality without
teaching religion, and as long as our schools
are open to all children, Jew and Gentle. we
cannot teach religion. Denominational schools
are possible, purely secular schools are posi-
BILE, but that moral monstrosity known as the
non-sectarian religious school is humbug be-
fore God and man.
3. DIR. Bovard SAYS that ''it is unfortunate for
the clai.n of the Catholic church that it can
not show by its history that it is friendly to
the system of free education" Again DR.. Bo-
ward is misled by his authorities. From the
very beginning OF her history the Catholic
church favored free education. Let me quote
from Protestant who has often manifested
his anti-popish tendencies, Canon Farrar:
Consider what the church did for educa-
ton. Her 10000 monasteries kept alive and
transmitted that torch of learning which 9TH
erwise would have been extinguished long be-
fore. religious education, incomp mparably SUI
perior to the mere athleticism of the noble's
hall, was extended to the meanest serf who
wished for it. This fact alone, by proclaiming
the dignity of the individual, elevated the en-
tire hopes and destinies OF the race. The hu-
maniZing machinery of schools and UNIVERSE
ties, the civilized propaganda of missionary
zeal, were they not due to her? And, more
than this, her very existence was living edu-
cation; 1t showed that the successive ages
were not sporadic and accidental scenes, but
were continuous and inherent acts in the one
great drama
"In Christendom the yearnings of the past
were fulfilled; the direction of the future de-
termined. In dim but magnificent procession
the giant forms of empires on their way to
ruin had each ceded to her their scepters,
bequeathed to her their gifts. Life be-
comes one broad, rejoicing river, whose tribu-
taries, once severed were not now united, and
whose majestic stream, without one break in
its continuity, flowed on, under the common
sunlight, from its source beneath the throne
OF God" u b., p. 1s6, Lect. V, christianity
and the Race.')
To this / might add that the City of Rome
had free school system as early as 1897. In
1179 the third Council OF Lateran commanded
that every cathedral should have free school,
In Rome not only the schools but the uni
versities and all other higher institutions of
learning are free.
The first free school syetem among English
speaking peoples was founded in Cork by
Catholic lady, Nano Nagle. Her successors
are the Presentation Sisters, who have two
houses in this City. All the Catholic teaching
orders, and their name is legion, are attempts
made by the church to promote out of her own
resources free education. The Catholic church
can challenge comparison with any church in
her zeal for learning. ought to be permitted
to ask DR.. Bovard what h is ch urch has done for
education? 1t is common trick to claim our
State school system Protestant institution.
1t is just as much Catholic as it is Protestant,
as much Jewish as Christian. Our State sys-
TEN was not established by any church. The
credit for 1t belongs to all the citizens. But
what, repeat, has Methodism done for free
education? The poor whites of the Carolinas
belong to some demon ination of your church,
DR.. Bovard, and you know they are the most
Ignorant, the most deg raded people in Christen-
dom. You have not sent them missionaries,
you have not given them schools. In the hole
United States you have not single parish
school giving free education to a single child,
while the Catholics give free education to
nearly 100000 children. 1t is not fair to
compare the work of the State with its limitless
wealth to the work of single church; but it is
fair to compare church with church, and in
that comparison we have nothing to fear
Over half century ago Scotch Presbyterian
Lalng, put his sentiments on record, and these
sentiments quote for the edi fication OF those
who accuse the Catholic church of being op-
posed to free education.
'1n Catholic Germany. in France, Italy and
even Spain, the education of the common people
in reading, writing, arithmetic, music, manners
and morals (Which last two elements of true
education should be printed in capitals) is at
least as generally diffused and as faithfully
promoted by the clerical body as in Scotland.
1t is by their own advance and not by keeping
back of the people that the Popish priesthood
of the present day seek to keep ahead of the
Intellectual progress of the community in
Catholic lands, and they might, perhaps, retort
on our Presbyterian clergy, and ask if they,
too, are in their countries at the head of the
intellectual movement of the age?
Education is, in reality, not only not re-
church, and is a mighty instrument in its
hands and ably used.
"In every street In Rome, for instance, there
are at short distances public primary schools
Tor the education OF the children of the lower
and middle classes in the neighborhood
Rome, with population of 15S,67S souls,
has 3IZ pubic primary schools, with 4S2
teachers and Ia ,O99 children attending them
Has Edinburgh so many public schools for the
instruction OF those classes? doubt it. Ber-
In ION aIN II 49, A.