The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-04-05
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE.
TEMPERANCE TEACHING IN THE
PARISH SCHOOL.

The Church rightly insists on the
establishment of parish schools wher-
ever possible, to secure for Catholic
children that religious instruction
which those in control of the State will
not provide nor permit in our public
schools, and also insists that the par
ish school shall be, grade for grade,
up to the standard of the public school
in the secular branches, though it may
not place the same importance ON
some of them
There is one subject to which the
parish school might well give more
attention than it does; that of the
physical and mental effects of alcohol,
both in beverages and in medicine, and
also of it's social and economic effects
The moral aspect of the subject is not
neglected, it could not be, in the par
ish school; for self-denial is of the very
essence of Christianity. There can be
no Christianity without it. eff any
man will come after Me, let him deny
| himself" says Christ. Not only is
drunkenness a sin excluding from
heaven, but the Incorporate use of
drink is sinful. AS form of self-in-
diligence contrary to that self-denial
so vigorously required by Christ in
his followers, and as a self-indulgence
which opens the way to more and
greater temptations than does any
other, pupils of the parish school are
warned of the danger attending the
use of drink. But it is a danger, a
vice, to which boys and even girls,
but not to the same extent, are so ex-
posed that too much care cannot be
given to safeguarding them against it.
The reformation of any one addicted
to drink is so very rare that no
chances should be taken in the edu-
cation of children in the parish school.
Not only Is the reformation of the in
temperate next to impossible, but the
fall of those who begin to drink is al
most certain. Wine is a mocker, go
ing in pleasantly, but in the end
spreading abroad poison like a basil
lisk. He that contemneth small things
shall fail by little and little, and he
that loveth danger shall perish in it,
If, then, the Ethiopian can change his
skin or the leopard his spots, he who
has learned to drink may reform
The reason for the public school is
primarily to prepare it's pupils for the
life that now is, being entirely indiffer-
ent as to the existence of any other.
AS nothing offers a greater bar than
does drink to the action of the Holy
Ghost on the hearts of men, to use
the words of the great Cardinal Man
ming, SO nothing offers a greater bar
to young mans success in this
world. The authorities controlling
each of these schools recognize these
grave truths and act accordingly. But
the affirmation of Christ, that the chill
dren of this world are wiser in their
generation than the children of light,
may be appropriately quoted. For they
neglect no means to attain their pur-
pose. The parish school strives to
prepare it's pupils for success in this
life as well as in the life to come; but
it does not use all the means at it's
disposal. The public school, to pre-
pare its pupils for success in this life,
teaches them the baneful effects of
alcohols The parish school should
also use the same means of safe
guarding it's pupils. This is the case
where to learn from an enemy is not
wrong.
The two States having the largest
population and also the largest num-
Der of Catholics, New York and Penn
sylvania, have laws requiring their
schools to teach the physical, mental
economic and social effects of alcohol
What these laws require of the State
schools might be added with profit
to what is already taught on the sub
ject of temperance in the parish
: schools.