The Irish standard., 1908-10-24
PENAL CODE WAS
IN FULL FORCE
When Founder of the Irish
Branch of the Christian
Brothers
Was Born, and to Whom Ire.
land Owes Debt of
Gratitude.

The centenary Of the foundation Of
the Irish Christian Brothers is an
event of religious, educational and ma
tional interest, says the New York
Freeman's Journal of Oct. 10.
When the founder of the Irish brarch
Of this great teaching Order. which
has conferred. and continues to corfsr
such lasting benefits upon the coun-
try. was born, the Penal Code was In
full force. Catholic education was un-
der ban. The Act of the eighth year
Of Queen Anne had forbidden "Catho-
lies to teach publicly or privately in
any capacity, even as und,r ma s.crs
or assistants to Protestant echoolmas-
ters." under penalty Of being deerced
a Popish clergyman" and subject to
such penalties as any Fopsh regu-
lar convict; and "any Protestant en-.
ploying Catholic tutor was liable to
a fine of $780,
Tho Day Of the Hedge Schools.
a similar fine was offered as a re-
ward for such information rs would
lead to the apprehension and convic-
tlon Of "any Popish schoolma r,r or
any Papist teaching in private houses.
as tutor, usher or assistant to any
Protestant schoolmaster." In the sew
enth year Of Willi1m ILL.,, very
stringent Act was passed by the Iiisa
Parliament ITO restrain foreign educa-
tion," so that Catholics were not only
debarred from receiving education
from Catholic teachers in Ireland but
even from seeking 1t on the Continent.
The Charter schools, established by
the Protestant Primate, Boulter, in
1893. wero established for the purpose
of proselytism. 1t was the epocl O.
hedge schools and poor scholars. when
Catholics got their education as best
they could by stealth, when, "str ,tcl,e..
on mountain fern, the pupil and his
teacher met feloniousiy to learn"
Edmund Ignatius Rice. the Irish
apostle Of popular education, tho
founder Of an Order which has largely
helped to repair the evil effects o. the
iniouitous Penal Laws. and to which
Ireland largely owes 1t that masses Of
the people are not stepped i'll igpor.
snce. was born in June, 1862, at West
court, near Callan, County Kilkenny.
and afterwards became a prosperou.
merchant in Waterford. An earnest,
practical Catholic, I'D very cha.ita-
BILE. the intimate <nowlcdge he &C
quired of the distress and misery of
the people in visiting the homes Of the
poor as an active member of the So
ciety Of st. Vincent de Paul, appealed
strongly to his hum"ne and patriotic
heart. A deeply re igious mind. he
thought Of quitting the world and re-
firing to a monastery; and as his
youngest brother, John, had become
an Augustinian and was then sta
toned at Callan. where a thatched
=>ttage had served as church. hs was
revolving the idea Of following his ex-
ample Of leaving Ireland and en- .ering
some religious institute abroad, when
Miss Power, sister of Rev. John Pow
er, afterwards Bishop Of Wateri ,ei,
by her wise counsel. fixed his vocat; n.
She told him that 1t woul be 4 strange
and inconsistent thing to travel lcag-
ues of land and sea in order to shut
himself up in a monastery. whilc the
sons Of his poorer countrymen at home
We're running wild thr"la ah the town,
with no Catholic schools in which Trey
could be taught the melest rudiments.
The Commencement of the Catholic
School System.
Each time, it is related, that he
lassed through the streets on busi-
ness, or on his mission of charity to
poor roomkeepers. the sight Of groups
OF neglected boys brought the words
OF Miss Power forcibly to his mind.
Resolving to devote himself and his
means to the work of popular educa-
tion, and encouraged thereto by DR..
Lanigan, Bishop OF Ossory. and DR..
Hussey. Bishop Of Waterford, he be-
gan in 1902 a work for Catholic boys
oil lines similar to Miss Nano Nagle's
work for the education OF Catholic
girls. Pending the e:cetion o: the
first school. he improvised one in a
rented house, engaging tho services Of
two young men to help him. Very
soon it was filled with boys until then
ignorant alike Of the truths of religion
and the merest elements Of secular ed
ucation. His assistants having aban-
doned the irksome work. two young
Callan men. Thomas Gravenor and
Patrick Finn. whose names as pio-
neers merit being recorded. stepped