The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-09-05
CONVERSATION N-1cnntinuedN }

Father John must not be too hard
upon Catholic parents" said Diefen-
bach; the majority of these parents are
from countries where Catholic colleges
hardly breathe, and are no judges OF
what they should be-"
''All that is very true" replied Fa-
Their John, but colleges can never run
far in advance, in secular knowledge
AND training, Of the intelligence and
habits of the community for which
they educate, II is little 81 college,
however organized, can do with Il mass
! of boys, sons of ignorant, sometimes
vicious parents, who are acquainted
with all the vice and crime Of our
large cities, and have never received
any proper training at home. With
such boys it would not be easy to
form the students of a college into a
miniature republic, and leave them to
govern themselves. The error of f.
Ci.s articles if error they have is in
laying the faults they point out too
! exclusively to the manner in which the
college is organized and conducted.
| With such a Catholic public as we have
| had in this country. l see not clearly
| how we could have had colleges much
| different from or superior to those we
have"
Fl. c." said Winslow. deserves
| eensure, even supposing his views cor
rect, for having published his articles.
! Our schools and colleges are a family
affair, and we should settle our dis
putes respecting them without calling
| in the public to listen
Il think not so" replied Father
John. In what relates to ecclesiastical
schools, or ecclesiastical administra-
ton, whether in great or little matters
public discussion is out of place, and
the publican can take no part in it.
But 1 distinguish between colleges for
seculars and the church, and the au
thority of bishops and pastors in spirit
uals. l have profound reverence for
the general of my order, but l distin-
guish between him and the pope, and l
can we'll believe that, residing as he
does at Rome, with no personal knoWl-
edge of this country, he may know very
little of what sort of education is need
ed here, or of the system of college
government and discipline best fitted to
train our boys to live and take their
part in our society The secular edu-
cation of seculars is a secular function.
whether performed by laymen or by
ecclesiastics. In all secular matters,
in a country like ours, public opinion
has the right to interpose, and it is all
important that it be enlightened and
sound. f. G.. has provoked discussion
on the subject. and in so doing has
done the Catholic public good service.
Discussion will tend to form a sound
public opinion in the body of the laity,
and will enlighten the colleges them
selves as to what is demanded of them,
and both hasten and facilitate the
changes they must see are necessary to
meet the just expectations of the Cath
lii ,,e,I,, tnxy
Winslow recommends, COMFORTS nei
Their with our age nor our country, and
would tend to retard- rather than to
advance the interests of religion
among us. There is with n-Catholics
a very general persuasion that we are
not frank, open, candid, honest-that
we trim and practice concealment. We
must, at almost any risk, labor to re-
move this false persuasion and gain
public confidence in our honesty and
truthfulness. We have to look out for
the interests of religion in our own
country, not in France and Italy, and
to deal with sharp-witted yet bold and
manly Yankees, not with French and
Italian infidels, 'diplomatists, statesmen
and politicians Astuteness, craft and
diplomacy will not serve our turn, even
if we were disposed to use them. Pub |
LEFTY is the order of the day in this !
country, and I confess I can see no
harm in publicly discussing what, after
all, is a public question, and must be !
solved by the public. We live in free |
country, not under a despotism, where |
free speech is a right, not where the !
press is gagged and a mouchard is at |
our elbow to listen to every word we |
say and report it to the prefet de po- /
lice or the minister of the interior. We |
speak openly and aboveboard what we |
think and what we mean, and despise !
Italian astuteness and French dfplom-
acy the fruits of despotism and tyran- |
ny. l wish Catholics to have a sound |
public opinion on secular education for |
and to understand that they |
are under no obligation to yield I'M
submission to college au
thorities, because the college is gov
erned and conducted by spiritual per-
sons. Spiritual persons filling secular
Offices have the authority of seculars
filling the same office, neither more nor I
less. The pope as temporal prince has
nc more authority over me than has the
of Austria. l owe him obedi-
ence only as pope, only when he COM
mands me as the vicar of Jesus Christ
on earth. My pastor, my bishop, or the
rector of a college has no authority by
virtue OF MS SPIRITUAL character " en-
act of me what am not bound to yield
even to the vicegerent of God, and WISH
BILE head of my church. The college for
seculars. 1 maintain, is a secular, not
an ecclesiastical institution, and as a
secular institution I have perfect
right to discuss it's merits and its de-
me rits Yet / hold myself bound to be
Just to it, and to treat our colleges
fairly. and with respect. 1t is true,
their results, thus far. do not satisfy
me, but I believe their faculties are
disposed to improve them, and will i'm
prove them as fast as they are able,
and as fast as a just prudence per
mits. l trust, too, that I may say as
much of our conventual school for
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