The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-16
LETTERS TO EDITOR
More About Middle Ages

To the Editor of The Age Herald;
 Being hors-de-combat q really cannot
 help falling into foreign tongues; it is
 a weakness of mine, wherein I resemble
 the immortal Silas Wegg, who so fre>
 ouently dropped into poetry'D. for some
 days past owing to the stern decree and
 sterner deeds of tyrannioal doctor, could not before this late date give MT
 Schools letter the attention it deserves
 However, better late than never.
 Dear me 1t seems l was a little prema-
 ture in proffering bouquets to MT Scheel and myself for courtesy and friendllness in conducting our little controversy. l regret to see that the last communication of my opponent is little ill tempered and hasten to say that if any thought less word of mine caused pain. deeply regret it. l would not willingly wound the religious susceptibility of the grand Turk or the Dalai Lama, much less the deep-rooted, sincere and positive beieis of my friend if he will permit me to call him so. MT. School. l am sure, then, that when he said that l was grossly unfair that he wrote in the heat of the moment, and that cooler reflection would perompt him to withdraw an expression, that ls' as, another Dicxensonian character, one
 MT. Snagsby would say, not to put too fine point on it. very, very strong
 MT. School is tired trying the impossible, he says, to convince me that the middle ages were dark True indeed, his efforts
 are vain. for. against MT. Schools asser- ton that they were, I have the goodly weight of Froude, Macaulay, Buckle, Goethe Green and Prescott, all Protes- tants. These, as shown by copious quo tations in former letters of mine, reject
 the appellalon dark ages and say that on the contrary they were ages of light. MT. School said also that he had not heard that common schools existed before the reformation yet he does not combat the historical testimony I alleged proving that such schools existed. In his last letter, also, ignoring my plea that he confine himself to questions of history or literature ne rather Quixote-like dashes against theo- logical and religiously debatable wind
 mills. The letter is, I am sorry to see
 more or less an attack on my church as the author of the darkness of the middle ages (already answered. and of the all legcd darkness and backwardness of Cath olc countries at the present time. pre- sume he has authority, though he did not quote the same--the percentage of H. litcrac, in some Catholic countries. ] am sorry that he has descended to that plane. sorry that he has left the middle ages. sorry that he begun comparisons The Swan of Avon says: Comparisons are odorols" They are, at least, two edged With regard to that charge would reply that the church of Christ was established not to advance profane learn ing and literature-Greece and Rome were cultured enough---but that men might seek 1 the Kingdom of God and His justice. "Go preach and teach.'' not secular knowledge, but virtue, holiness and the keeping of | the commandments. True, as shown in a | former letter, the church from the be- l ginning fostered secular schools, but ir 1 these secular schools the education was l not lopsided, the intellect was taught tc acquire knowledge, and the will to love | and practice virtue. The upheaval oi | tho sixteenth century wrenched true edu. cation from the hands of the church, and 1 not alone in non Catholic countries, but ir l co,,t,tries that are Catholic, the state has usurned tEc place of the church, and fear ing or pretending to fear the Influence O1 1 inc church has established this one-sided eJucation. It is then not just q do not accuse MT, School of intentional injustice | to me the church, if in these countries | | neo,,le have not as many lterate as 1T countries where, the mass of the people
 being Protestant. this conflict between tn, l church.. il sisting on her ideal of educa. 1 tion. and the state. all powerful and ir i control of secret societies and anti-cler ical politicians, insisting on its ideal, doei l not obtain.
 | But, as said. the observance of the com. | mandments should, strictly speaking. b. l the test, not mere book learning should b, the fruits by which the church Ia judged l Let me then, since statistics are in order present few. We cannot take up tn entire moral code. We must make SC | lection. Let us take Thou shalt not kill. q am not going to give Jefferson count! statistics. Dr. Edmonds, in one of hi Illuminating Sunday sermons short tim ago furnished these) shall also confin
 myself to that phase known as suicide The rate per 100000 for six Protestan countries,' is: Saxony. 31 |; Denmark, % s Hanover, IA; Prussia, l3.3: Sweden. S1
 Norway, 7.5: and for six Catholic coun
 tries: Bavaria, 9l Belgium, $; Hungary |l 5.2; Italy, s.7 Ireland. IT; Spain. 1.4; o
 to confine our observation to one country according to the Deutsche Criminal Zeit
 tung. 1t appears that the number of sui