The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-03-20

u'o pIoSldIIl WHICH mad Deen QraIte0
for his funeral. and in an effort to
adjust 1t I was brought into confer.
encc with three prominent gentle.
men. Ono of them, in a moment az
excitement, said to me:
He could not have gone back tn.
your Church without violating a solemn
Obligation"
why are public schools not good
enough for your Catholic children?n
"Thcy are a glorious institution. In
a mixed community it is dimcule
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 1t has helped
to amalgamate into ono great homes
Ecncous body bloods and peoples ans
tagonistic and adverse in nearly every>
thing, and made Of that great con-
glomerate a magnificent Republic. 4
do not pretend that tho schools .bays
done 1t ali, but they have tended Ia
that direction. ...
I'VE look for something better We
maintain that any system Of educa-
ton which neglects any important
practical matter OF knowledge is de-
fcctive, and we claim that religion Is
knowledge. and that it is practical and
useful and necessary knowledge; AMI
1 think the history of our own country
will bear me out when l say that IL
it be left to the home and the churches
to teach religion to children they will
Eave little, and later none. That IL
why we aim to do moro for Catholic
children than the public schools 10.
We have fault to find with them i,e-
cause OF IL defect which we count es-
sental. 1t is our point Of view. Wa
magnify the Importance OF Christian
faith, and we believe that in tho cor4
nation of character and for tho dis
rection OF life Christian dogma is
quito essential?"
How does the Catholic Church ex-
plain the commandment to rcmember
the Sabbath day to keep it holy, see-
ing that they have ball games at :lleir
church colleges, play cards, go to
theatres, etc, on Sunday afternoons
and evenings? What do you mean BY
keeping the Sabbath?"
Tho commandment aims to define
with somo manner OF precision the
y nT ri cd hat
sets aside ono day in the week fer
special service and bodily and mental
rest. The ordinary mortal cannot
spend an entire day in prayer and cOn|
temptation. In this pilgrimage, with
cur distractions and inhrmities, pray~
ers are difficult, and I believe the most
profitable are rather short. However,
the character of A Sabbath or Sunday
ought to be religious; it ought to have
that character because Of the time and
| Intensity given to Gods worship.
'"rllen it is day of rest from serv-
lie work-rest for the body and rest
for the nind-and If poor chap thinks
lie can rest out in the fresh air, exer-
cising those muscles and sinews that
are rather cramped from the occups,-
tons of the week, am so broad mind
cd and large hearted that say, Cod
bless you, Johnnie
when was q boy l was very much
interested in the boys Of our nearest
ncighbor. My father, though all Irish.
man, was largely a Puritan. I thln:s
he was too strict. He was a gooi,
l:oly, God-fearing man. and yet whea
look back upon my boyhood I feel
that he was really too strict. There
were SO many things that VIC could
not do OH Sunday. But was comforts
cd by the limitations set to my neigh
boring boys, who were the sons OF =
Methodist minister, a good man. I
rGVerenced him, and I now revere his
memory. But, oh, how they chafed
under the restraint, and how oI1en
they repeated to me like the prodigAl,