The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-01-30

the minority as we'll as for the ma
| Jority. In Il system such as this the
rights of all are respected, and the
rights of God and the parents ac-
knowledged without any injury to the
| rights of the state. a system such as
this, though founded in simply justice
and equity, would not satisfy the Prot
estant majority in this country. They
prefer the present system because it
is anti-Catholic. With the best inten-
lions possible they allow them> les
| to he persuaded that system j., 4. !,
Catholics demand would contril 20
the extension of Catholic influence, in
this country, and must be resisted.
This is Il hard saying, but it is never
theless true Of both the intidel and
Protestant sections of the majority.
They regard the Catholic Church as
more to be dreaded than pure secular
ism and downright atheism, and they
do not hesitate to say so. There are
honest men, justice loving men among
them without number, who are neither
bigots nor fanatics, who would not
willingly wrong any class of their
fellow-ctizens; but the dominant in
tiuence that misrepresents the purpose
of the Church leads them to believe
that patriotism and devotion to re-
liSious liberty require them to oppose
her. We do not tiatter ourselves that
inlidels and Protcstants will grant us
the justice OF giving us our proportion
of the public schools, or relieve us of
the tax now levied upon us to MAIN
tain schools from which religion is
excluded or in which Il false religion
is taught.
The time is past in this country,
nevertheless, when the non-Catholic
majority can interfere with our right
to establish and maintain our own
schools. colleges and universities, or
oblige us directly to send our children
to their state schools, as has been
done in other countries and in other
times. | say directly. because there
is need of eternal vigilance on our
part lest indirectly they may impose
this obligation upon us. An instance
of this Indirect Way of violating our
right of conscience, you have here in
the city of Chicago in the adoption of
Il normal school by the school board,
Which your sons and daughters, who
aspire to employment as teachers in
the public schools must frequent for
Il time, or be denied admission to the
positions of teachers. Against such
requirement we must protest. If
school board can make attendance at
a normal school condition to en-
ployment in the public schools. why
may not some city charter of the flu
ture. or amendment to the constitu-
tiop of the state make attendance at
the public common schools Il condition
to employment in any branch of the
public service. The liberalism of the
age is not confined to France, but for
tumtely is not as bold elsewhere as it
is in France. Our rights of conscience
must be respected by force of the con-
stitution, but what is the constitution
to men who would sacrifice it to the
hatred of anything Catholic if we
were to stand by and permit the sac
rlicc. For this very reason | see in
the Catholic strength the best defense
of the rights of man as recognized
and guaranteed by our constitution.
Yet wc do not believe that Catholic
schools will be suppressed. the free
dom of education abridged or the
members of religious orders and con-
srcSations bnnishcd or forbidden to
exercise their vocation to teach. as in
France. Satan has Sllccecsel in de-
cciving this unfortunate nation and
is waging Il fierce war against the
Church. but shall not prevail
This new world was discovered by
Catholics and taken possession of in
WV H''iHt vi tllt \lOSN, anu we citlluOL
get it out of our hopes that the Cross
will yet come into the possession of
its own. We cannot believe that
atheism will ever totally claim as it's
own this country of ours. and Danish
God from this faircst of the inner
itanccs promised to His own dear Son.
We are confident that the history of
centuries yet to come will show this
most favored of lands us one of the
chief seats Of the Church of Christ.
God will bring this about in His own
way and in His own good time, and
by means that shall seem wonderful
In the eyes of men. With all their
tolerance of the destructive theories of
this age, THE American people are at
bottom Godfearing people, hating
the anarchy and despotism which ever
go hand in hand with a political order
whence God and His holy law are
banished.
No state can be lasting and safe-
guard liberty that is not based on the
moral order, supported by the con-
science Of the people. BY degrees, by
the logic of events, this truth will be
brought home again to the world-that
the moral order must have divinely
assisted interpreter and guardian, in