The Irish standard., 1909-03-20

tho program which had been drafted
for his funeral. and in an effort to
adjust It | was brought into confer-
cncc With three prominent gentle-
men. Ono of them, in Il moment Of
excitement, said to me:
"'Ho could not have gone back tn.
your Church without violating solemn
ohieation.'"
why arc public schools not good
enough for your Catholic children?"
"Thcy arc n glorious institution. In
a mixed community it is dificule
natter to adjust, and do not know
that any country in the world has yet
reached the ideal. 1t has had this good
result. at any rate. that it has helped
to anlal9nmnte into ono great homo-
Ecnrous body bloods aud people. nn-
thing. and made of that great con-
glomcrntc Il magnificent Republic.
do not pretend that the schools hays
done it alt but they have tended IN
that direction.
"Wr look for something better. We
maintain that any system of educa-
tion which ncglccts any important
practical matter of knowledge is de-
f,ctivc, and VIC claim that religion is
knowledge. and that it is practical and
useful ana necessary knowlcdgc; AMI
7 Ia, I,;,
will bear me out when | say that IL
It bo left to the home and the churches
to teach religion to children they will
lave little, ana later none. That "
why We aim to do moro for Catholi5
children than the public schools DO.
We have fault to find with them Be-
scntiaI. 1t is our point of view. Wa
magnify the importancn of Christian
i"ith. and we believe that in the cor-
nation OF character and for tho di-
rcction of life Christian dogma is
quite cssential?'
"Iow does the Catholic Church ex-
plain the commandment to rcmemDer
the Sabbath day to keep it holy, see
ing that they have ball games at :hsir
church colleges, play cards, go to
theatres, otc., on Sunday afternoons
and evenings? What do you mean BY
keeping the Sabbath"
"Thc commandment aims to deflna
with sOmc manner of precision the
duty Of man toward God, so that 1t
special service and bodily and mental
rest. Tho ordinary mortal cannot
spend all entire day in prayer and cOn-
temptation. I'm this pilgrimage, with
cur distractions and infrmitics, pray~
crs arc difficult, and / believe the most
profitable are rather short. However,
the character Of A Sabbath or Sunday
ought to be reIigious; it ought to havo
ii.at character because Of the time and
irtcnsity given to Gods worship.
"rhen it is a day Of rcst from scrv-
jlt. worl<--rest for the body and rest
for the mind-and if poor chap thinks
L.: can rest out in tho fresh air, exer-
ising those muscles and sinews that
arc rather cramped from the occupe.-
tons of the week, am so broad mind-
cd and large hearted that l say, Cod
bless you, Johnnie
when was Il boy ] was very much
Interested in tho boys OF our nearest
ncighbor. My father, though an Irish-
man, was largely Il Puritan. ! th!nS
he was too strict. He was gOoi,
Eoly, God-fearing man, and yet whea
look back upon my boyhood l feel
that he was really too strict. There
were so many things that VIC could
not do OH Sunday. But l was comforts
cl by the limitations set to my neisll-
boring boys. who were the sons of y
Methodist minister, good man. I
rG7erenccd him, and now revere his
memory. But, oh, how they chafed
under the restraint, and how or-el
they repeated to me like the prodigal,