The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-06-21
,eady over-burdened back of the

There is nothing more danger
GUS to the welfare of children
than the revelation Of vice in its
various forms which such a
course contemplates. 1t is very
doubtful if it could be taught
without detriment to educated
persons capable Of understanding
its aim and purpose. 1t is GER
tain that it cannot be taught to
children Unfortunately without
danger to their moral welfare 1t
opens to their youthful minds a
realm of knowledge to which they
are, as general rule, strangers.
It's primary result is to arouse
the dormant passions by infaming
the imagination which cannot
help dwelling upon the unholy
images conjured up by even the
most guarded treatment that can
possibly be given to such topic.
In the case of the child the danger
is accentuated by the fact that he
does not reflect, but takes things
as they are presented to him,
without making the mental effort
necessary to guard against the
wrong suggestion given or con-
jured up by his mind.
The practical way to educate a
child in purity of thought, word
and deed is to keep far from
him the suggestive knowledge
which this course proposes. This
knowledge comes soon enough
without being made part of a
school course. The limited contact
with the child has with the world
gives him, oftentimes, too in
innate acquaintance with evil in
it's various forms. There are
many agencies at work, especially
in the cities and towns, to
familiarize him with certain forms
of immortality without making the
public school vehicle for such
knowledge. The advocates of this
latest fad in the educational
world say that since the child
cannot be kept in ignorance of
these matters but becomes
acquainted with them from his
surroundings he should be given
scientific course in school. AS
well argue that, because there is
danger Of a child contracting
smallpox or diphtheria, he should,
therefore, be infected with the
virus Of these diseases as early in
life as possible!
IL such a course were intro
duced into the public school the
child would be given, at a very
early period, knowledge of GER
tain things that come to him
naturally in later life when he is
in a position to adjust himself to
this knowledge. His conscience is
then formed and his sense of per-
sonal responsibility developed. He
knows that he cannot touch pitch
without being defled and he will
be in a better position to guard
himself against danger than he
would be if this knowledge came
to him before his intellectual
powers had been sufficiently de-
veloped to understand it's purpose.
Catholics, especially, should be
on their guard against sending
their children to any school where
teachers dare to give such instruc-
lions. There are evils enough
connected with the public schools
of this country without the
positive suggestions towards evil
which this insane fad would
give under the specious pretext of
guarding the innocence of the
pupils.
The way to safeguard the in
nocence Of children is to give
them proper teaching in the home,
and Catholic parents should do all
in their power to inculcate, by
word and example, sense of
responsibility to God and the
necessity of honoring Him in
thought, word and deed. Catho-
lies have at their disposal certain
means for the incubation of
proper ideas of morality which
n-Catholics do not possess. They
have the sacrament of penance
which, coupled with proper
parental guardianship and con-
troll, teaches their children to
avoid what is wrong and to oppose
the barrier of religion to the evil
tendencies which seek for recog-
milton and qualification as the
passions gradually develop.
The sooner parents awake to
their responsibility in this regard
the better. The sooner they give
decided answer in the negative
to all such insane proposals as the
teaching Of Eugenics in the school
the better it will be for the morals
Of the rising generation and for
the material and spiritual develop
ment Of the children entrusted to
their care.