The Irish standard., 1914-11-07
Continued from Page L.


fury, the radicals and the revolution
lists retained some remembrance of
the religious education received in
their childhood. At least they be-
lieved in God and recognized the ne
cessity of religion for the people. The
present generation of revolutionists
are thoroughly imbued with anti
christian and anti-spiritual princi-
pies. They are therefore enemies of
all religion and especially of the
Catholis religion. They promise at
any cost to uproot the Catholic re-
ligion from the hearts of the people.
But since they cannot accomplish
this by legitimate means they resort
to calumny in order to prosecute the
Church in the person of her minist-
ers, and by the destruction of the
clergy they hope to effect the destruc-
ton of all religion.
"To say that the clergy allied it.
self with the dictatorship of General
Diaz or that of General Huerta and
that it supported them, or to say
those different governments were
clerical" is untrue. In the public
schools the Diaz government pro-
posed to uproot the ideas and love of
God and of the soul in the minds and
hearts of the children and adults,
and to substitute for them these of
force and matter. This was the So
called lay-teaching. The whole edu-
cational program was arranged for
this express purpose. The natural
sciences and even mathematics were
made to serve the purpose in the pri-
mary and secondhand grades. In the
higher grades civics and history were
used to teach hatred of the Church
and the clergy. And in ethics, evo-
lutionary morality was taught.
''In view of the evils which this
destructive system of education was
causing, certain Bishops pointed out
to General Diaz that the harshness
with which the laws putting special
restrictions on private schools, and
particularly on the schools conducted
by priests, were applied, was neither
necessary for the purpose of his po-
litical policy, nor just to the parents
of the children. These just protests
of the Bishops were ignored. Gen
eral Diaz added the threat that he
was resolved to maintain with all his
energy the principles of the Reforma
This word does not mean in Mexico
religious liberty. But it stands for
all those radical and sectarian prin-
ciples on which, for seventy years,
a certain faction has prosecuted the
Catholic Church and it's members.
'The so-called laws of reform not
only established the separation of
church and state, but also took away
religious liberty and robbed the
clergy of all political rights and even
of some of their civil rights. Accord
ing to some of these laws, no act of
religious worship is permitted out
side the churches. Under the Diaz
government this law was interpreted
so strictly that anyone was fined who,
during religious celebration, hung
religious picture or banner on the
front of his house. For the petty
reason that the grave of an eminent
professor, who was also practical
Catholic, was blessed before a gov
eminent official had pronounced the
funeral discourses, law was passed
forbidding the blessing of graves.
This law is especially odious to Cath
olics.
Notwithstanding, that the law
permits the inmates of asylums. hos
pitfalls, prisons, barracks and other
government institutions to practice
their religion. subject. of course. to
the regulations of the institution, as
a matter Of fact they are given no
chance to do SO. and moreover.
priests are forbidden to enter these
places for this purpose, except in the
case Of prisoners sentenced to death