The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-19
RELIGIOUS MISCELLANY.
French Statesmen on Secular Edu-
cation.

cation.
For nearly two decades France has been
making an experiment of popular educa-
ton entirely divorced from the religious
factor In place of the traditional religi-
Gus instruction, a system of non-relig1ous
morality has been introduced. As early as
the Paris Exposition, Dean Lichtenoer-
ger, of the Protestant Faculty Of Paris,
published in a memorial volume, prepared
expressly for the Exposition exhibits, the
opinions of leading educators of the coun-
try TO the effect that the new experiment
was a failure. Again and again since then
have French statesmen declared that the
absolute secularization of popular educa-
ton in that land is a mistake. and is the
cause of much of the degeneration of pub
lie morality. Just at present the question
is again in the forefront in france, ana d
collection of opinions from various souces
makes decidedly interesting reading. A
collection of views has been made by tne
well-informed Paris correspondent OF the
influential journal, Evangel.-Luth. hlrcn-
enzeitung, of Leipsic, and published in
the sixth issue of the current year.
NJ Rerenger, Yice-preSident OF the SEN
ate who for years had been connected
with the lamented de Pressense in the
struggle against public immortality, mas
recently written:
1.-The immortality which is increasing in
France at such a terrible rate must be as
cribed chiefly to three sources, namely,
the absence of all religious instruction in
the education of the children; the LACK OF
moral education; and the lack of dlscl-
pline. Religion must again be put INTO
its proper prominence, and a strong mora
discipline must be exercised"
Among the educators who from peda-
gogicaI reasons have recently pronounced
against the present system is the General
School Superintendent, Felix Pecant, him.
self a liberal in religious matters In a
To fha Mir7i= ar Of
says that in general the pupils In France
are learning better in the public schools
than formerly, and then asks. the ques-
ton: But does all this training of the
young make them better?" His answer
is a decided negative. And while ne
thinks from his liberal standpoint, that
a better training in such branches as es-
thetics. literature, poetry and music
would elevate the moral standards and
conduct, he is rather sharply criticised
for such an opinion by the equally liberal
Temps. In characteristic words this
journal says:
1.-THE program has been for more than
ten years, under the Semblance of relig-
ious neutrality, to make the ethical ed
morality of scientific Positivism, j. E., in
the affirmation of the dignity of man, in
the teaching of patriotism, in the Wor-
filled with exalted ideas of the dignity Of
mankind entered life, and the public as
semblies, in the shop and the walks of
bad and wicked being (animaD, that in
this fatherland intrigues and injustice
prevailed, that human society was full
evitabie consequence? What a contrast
between what it learned in school and
what it learns in actual life. This is
ality of Positivism ever produces and will
produce. Man was Aguste Comics God;
but man is a kind OF god who puts an
end to faith as soon as we become ac-
quainted with his real being"
Prof. Ernst Lavisse, the well-known adj
vocate of Idealism, has in recent times
again and again declared the non-relig- |
ious character of Frances system of ed
ucation to be the fundamental reason |
for the failure of the whole system. |
Among other things he says:
What have we made out Of the educa-
ton of the youth? A series of teachings |
these constitute the elements of a good ed |
ucation is one of the lies of optimism cur |
rent at school prize distribution. We have |
forgotten the real theory Our whole ed
vocational machinery is arranged for the |
of diplomas, from the child |
upward to the age Of the doctors and Ii |
centiates; but neither our schools nor ly-
Gees, and still less the faculties, have at |
tanned to moral mediocrity (milieu) / |
know this is a hard word, but the claim |
that neither our higher nor lower schools /
have attained to moral mediocrity is |
true word "
The recently deceased minister, Presi- |
dent Burdeau, who has himself broken |
with the Roman Catholic church, and for |
the matter of that with the cuhrch as
such, writes to Lavisse in these words:
Il am firmly convinced that what you |
say is the truth. BY making the only |
goal of our endeavor the prosperity of |
man, we forget that the true lever is the
world and the safest source of happiness |
is found in self-sacrifice. The individual |
Is a monster in nature and it only attains |
its proper balance and health when 1t
yields up to the whole as its ideal. AS /
much as / admire the Greek philosopher, |
especially Socrates, yet am of the opin-
ion that it was Christ who spoke the
greatest word that ever fell from human |
lips. when he declared that the suprem- J