Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1909-10-09
DedicationOfSt.
Joseph S School
Rt. Rev. Bishop Richter d. D.
of Grand Rapids Delivers
Eloquent Lecture on
Education.

great jubilation for the members or
St.>Joseph's congregation, the occa-
sion being the dedication OF the new
school. Promptly at 9:30 o'clock, the
procession, consisting OF nearly 800
persons, proceeded to the Sisters
ho1se to escort the RI. Rev. Bishop
TO The school. After the most i'm
pressive ceremony OF the dedication,
the procession moved to the church,
where solemn high mass was sung.
Rev. Fr. Bauer of Traverse City was
'celebrant, Rev. Anastasius Rhode O.
f. M. of Petoskey, deacon, Rev. In
uocent Schlenter o. 4. M. of Harbor
Springs, sub-deacon, Rev. Burchard
Dietrich y. f. NJ. the Jealous pastor
gracefully acting as master OF cere-
monies, while the r.. Rev. Heary j..
Richter, d. d. assisted from his
throne in the sanctuary. AT the con-
cluSion, the Sacrament Of COntirma-
tion was administered to twenty
three young ladies and seventeen
young men. After this, the Bishop
delivered most f0rceful lecture on
education. He said in substances:
AT that hour the disciples came
to Jesus saying: Who, thinkest thou,
is the greater ia the kingdom of
heaven?' And Jesus calling unto
him a little child, set him ia the
midst of them, and said, Amen. 1 say
to you unless You be converted and
be>as little children. you shall not
entSr into the kingdom Of heaven ;
Matt. XVIII Ia.
Not only on this hut on numerous
other occasions, did our Lord show
His special love for Innocent children,
reminding all of the great duty they
have to perform OF ever giving them d
good example; for, He adds, Anyone
who scandalizes one of these little
ones, IL would be better for him if
mill stone were hung about his neck
and he were cast into the depths Of
the sea- Artists delight in picturing
our Lord blessing and caressng the
innocent lambs of His flock. This
Christlike love Of the young has been
we'll demonstrated 10y the faithful of
this parish, who. with many noble
sacrifices, have succeeded ia erecting
the beautiful school to which, in time
to come they may justly point with
pro-. Here their children will re-
seiye true education, which consists
in forming the character, together
with instilling into their minds such
secular knowledge as will enable them
to become useful citizens Of our gIor-
ious country.
The life of man is twofold; the nat
ural or physical life and the super
natural life. Every day we may plain
ly see instances OF the trials men un-
dergo to sustain the physical life,
which at best, Can last only a few
short years; which, when compared TO
the supernatural life, are but as q
drop of water in the vast ocean of
eternity. If so great care is per-
missible in the natural order, how
much greater solicitude would be ex-
pected regarding the life which Is
everlasting. Mans forgetfulness of
his final end; his eagerness in grasp
ing that which is perishable have
be0 the cause of gradual degenera-
tion. Certainly, religion aud morali-
tY are most intimately colnected;
they 60 hand in hand, and without
the former 1t is impossible for the lat
ter to long survive.
The Rt. Rev. Bishop proved his
statement by giving as an example
the history of the Ancient Greeks and
Romans. In science and learning no
nation boasts higher standard Of ex-
cellence than the former. No one dis
.putes the fact that Homer the blind
bard Of Greece far surpasses any poet
of the Modern Ages; they justly look
ed with pride upon their many his
torians, such as Herodtus, Thucydi..
des; and Xenaphon; where is there an
orator of our own time who can sur
pass in eloquence the silvery-toUgued
Dymosthenes even today we gaze
with admiration at the great phllos-
ophers. Socrates, Aristotle and Plato.
TO show that this secular education
good though IL was, was not sufficient
TO enable a nation, consider that
willie art and science was 1ourishi1g
amongst them Ia the highest degree,
religion declined. With this decad-
ence OF religion, false though it was,
they were swept on by the torrent OF
immortality, and gradually becoming
weaker, the Romans, a more yirile