The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-06-27

Il however, opinion is Just as strong, and
n there is danger that where minds are
\ so set there may be an impasse pro-
2Sduced that will wreck the bill.
Some Of the English members are
trying to force the issue by demanding
two years residence in Dublin as a
necessary condition for receiving de-
gree in arts. To adopt that condition
would compel the Bishops either to
keep Maynooth out of the university
altogether or erect a new college in
Dublin for the clerical students in arts.
The party that wishes to keep May
nooth as it is would be vastly strength
ened in such case by the fact that
it would take a great sum Of money to
erect and maintain such college, es-
pecially If it should be found that the
endowment fund for free places could
not be held in Dublin. In the debates
the Irish members. while expressing
their desire that the clerical students
should read for arts in Dublin. are for
conciliating the opinion of those who
arts. students. They want the May
nooth faculty to be allowed to pre-
sent for degrees, and they trust to
time to bring about such relations with
Dublin as will secure the ideals they
have before them; first, that the youth
of the nation be all educated in the
same Alma Mater. and. secondly. that
specialization be not begun until after
the first degree is obtained in arts.
It is evident that 1t is most inn
portant question, and on it's solution
much depends. If the old university
system of training the clergy, with of
course, modern notifications. proves
successful in ireland, there is no doubt
it will profoundly affect the methods
of clerical education in America. At
present in this country. with the ex-
ception of the Catholic University, we
are not developing on intellectual lines:
and how far the college system which
is springing up at washington is true
evolution after the manner of Oxford
or Cambridge, or only an affair of
brick and mortar, it is impossible now
to decide. The building Of the big
seminary and It's endowment are not
the hardest elements of that hard
work. The main thing is the organiza-
ton of instruction and the character
Of the discipline. Each age calls for
its own type of clergy-even each gen.
Grafton. If the seminary cannot meet
the demand the Church suffers. How
much of the troubles in France may
be laid to the seminaries we do not
know, but there are some bold enough
to say that the seminaries were the
cause of all the trouble. But. any
how, it stands to reason that the use
depend very much on his power to
adapt himself to his environment when
he comes on the mission. If he has
been trained in a system that was de-
signed for conditions two hundred
years ago, it will be a much greater
wrench for him to get in touch with
his age than IL he We're trained in a
system designed for conditions today.
1t is true that the essential training Of
the priest is always one and the same
He is to be another Christ. and Christ
&C. Al> koIo 90
ever But Christ manifests Himself
to the world in many ways. and His
Apostle was "all things to all men,"
Like people. like priest" is an old
saying, and while the priest is like
Melchisedech. without genealogy or
length of days, he is also constrained
by the bands Of Adam. He is bone Of
his peoples bone and flesh OF their
flesh. In the great development Of
education that characterizes this CEN
tury shall he sail with the stream. his
flag as high and his helm as steady
as the youth OF his age, or shall he
drift into some backwater while the
great river of humanity sweeps on
with its burden of souls? 1t is a hard
but an all-important question, and we
must remember in trying to solve 1t
that, while there were ages in which
1T seemed to be the best policy for the
Church to enter the world and take
possession of 1t, there were ages when
it was her salvation to leave the world
to itself. In the making Of Chrsten-
!, dom Antony the Monk has as large a
share as Gregory the Pope.
(, A. FORGOTTEN BANK ACCOUNT.