The Irish standard., 1902-07-26

To be Of any literary service the new
method Of. teaching the Bible would
have to be pursued so thoroughly that
a radical transformation in the whole
curriculum would be made necessary.
Moreover, our public school teachers,
we'll fitted rs they may be to conduct
the ordinary routine of elementary
studN are conspicuously incompetent
for this purely literary instruction.
Their weakest point is on the literary
side. Nor would the impression pro-
duced on children by the Bible be
deep and permanent. as it has been
on our race, if the singular sacred su-
premacy of the book was not also
taught by the teacher. AS "a litera-
ture" merely, as mans book and not
Gods Book. it would be only dry
and tiresome study for the pupils. Its
appeal to their Imagination, to their
sense of wonder, to their awe, would
be gone if it was not presented to them
as Il supernatural production"
The Bible may be used in denom-
national schools, but if introduced
into the public schools there would be
no end OF trouble. DR.. Butler referred
to the English Bible" which is the
Protestant version. Against this
Catholics would loudly protest. If the
''Douay Bible" We're used non-Catll-
olcs would protest against it most We
hemently. 1t will thus be seen that
either version of the Bible would Gre
ate dissension if used in schools at
tended by Protestants and Catholics.
And Jews and Agnostics, who are
taxpayers. would protest against the
reading of both versions and be justi-
fed in doing so. To avoid bitter
strife among Catholics, Protestants,
Jews and Nothing;mians, the Bible
must be kept out of the public schools
either as a text book in English liter
allure or as the Word of God.
Catholics. however, are not opposed
to the reading of their own Bible in
Catholic schools. 1t was only recent
ly that Bishop McQuaid, of Roches-
ter, N. Y. was present at the COM
mencement exercises of Il Catholic in
stitution at which prizes for the study
of the Bible We're distributed to pupils,
and he remarked that Protestants who
had been taught that the Catholic
church kept the Bible from the peo-
pie, if present, could see for them
selves that such was not the case.
But while Catholics revere the Bible
and believe it is the inspired word of
God, they do not accept it as the sole
rule of faith and interpret it for them
selves. They take their doctrine
from the Catholic church which is
older than the New Testament. In
the words of Father Danehy:
''The Catholic church does not be-
lievc that the Bible was given to
teach us doctrine; Christ sent out the
commissioned teachers to preach his
doctrine. and this they did for several
centuries before the books of the Bible
were collected. The Bible was used
by them as an account of Christ's life
on earth and to illustrate to the peo-
pie that they We're accurate in their
teaching. The Christians in the ear
lieSt centuries had no chance to read
the Bible. but they were taught the
doctrines of Christ by living teachers
The Bible should he read in every
family by the head. of it: when the
children are grown up and are wise
enough to understand it's proper use
the Bible is to be put into their
hands,
So long as the present system of
public school education is in vogue in
the United states the Bible cannot be
used. \ secular. nOn-scctarian system
of education excludes it from the pub
lie schools. and Il knowledge of tho
sacred book must be obtained by the
children elsewhere. The literature OF
the Bible should be known. but the
proper place for children to learn it is
in the parental home or the Sunday
school.