The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-07-11

tion held it's eleventh annual conven-
tion at Atlantic City, N. J., June 29th
to July End. Although Atlantic City
is known as a place of rest and amuse-
ment it was frequented by many who
came for the serious work of the con-
Yention.
We subjoin an abstract of some of
the more important papers read at
the convention.
CORRELATION AND THE TEACH
ING OF RELIGION.
BY Very Rev. James A. Burns, C. S. c.,
President of Holy Cross College.
The Catholic ideal, in respect to the
teaching of religion in the school, is
in perfect harmony with the elemen-
tary law of association, as enunciated
by psychologists, and expanded and
given pedagogical application by Her
bart. TO illustrate by few examples.
In nature-study, if the idea of God as
the Creator is kept before the child
in the study of nature and her laws
tendency will be set up in the mind
of the child to recall the idea of God
in connection with the phenomena of
nature. If in the study of history,
Christ is properly represented as the
central figure of all history, and Chris
tianity as the most important and
comprehensive fact in modern history,
the mind of the youth will be inclined
to regard the events of the past, as
well as those of the present, from the
standpoint of their relation to Christ
and Christianity. In vocal music, if
the exercises selected breathe the
spirit of religion, they will foster in
the pupils the love of music as a
means of expressing religious. feeling.
Such is the Catholic view, and these
conclusions are simple consequences
of the laws of association. The mod
ern pedagogist declares that, in the
lesson in history on the discovery of
America by Columbus, taking this as
an illustration to be applied, ceteris
paribus, to all the studies-the teacher
is to make use of arithmetic, geom-
etry, geography, natural history, liter
ature and drawing" as means of
developing interest in the class and
giving a comprehensive notion of the
event: 'and of religion also," the
Catholic would add-as a matter of
historic truth, and for the purpose of
impressing upon the minds of the
pupils the greatness of the role of
Christianity in the world.
Just as in teaching catechism, if the
work is to be effective, symbols, illus
trations, and analogies Of spiritual
truths are to be drawn from nature,
from art, from history and personal
experience, from literature, and all
other sources possible; so also, in
the teaching of the other branches of
the curriculum, it is the Catholic view
that religion is to be introduced when
ever possible and convenient, as in
the illustrations given. Only thus can
the expanding ideas of the plastic
mind grow into anything like a con-
sistent whole, and become "compacted
and ftly joined together" following
the fundamental laws of organic
growth. Religion is the most com
prehensive subject in the curriculum
1t has a wider range Of correlating
power than any other. 1t can be
brought into the reading lesson, as
into the writing; into language les
sons and literature, and even, it may
be, into the study of arithmetic, tc
some extent. Religious principles, ac
cording to the Christian ideal, car
never be excluded from any occupa
ton, activity or interest of a Christian
man: how vain this ideal, except
through the establishment of the most
intimate correlation possible between
religion and the secular occupations
activities, and interests of the child
and the youth!
TWO ESSENTIAL NOTIONS OF
SCHOLASTICISM.
Bv Rev r. H. Tiernev 6 j.