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

what is lacking. May it be the be
ginning likewise of an honest, en-
lightened effort to set things
right.
Mr.. Swain goes on to say
"When | say faith and religion,
do not mean theology and dogma
though each individual should
have his own creed and profession
of faith, l mean this, stripped OF
all forms of conventional Ian.
guage, laying aside the imagery
and traditions which cling about
the very word itself, religion pre-
sents itself to the faith Of man as
nothing other than the divine life
in the human soul, a life which
manifests itself by the growth
which it brings forth, the divine
flowers Of the human heart, love,
fearlessness, serenity, patience,
service. "
1t would be very interesting
to witness an attempt to teach
that kind of religion to children.
Ii religion has any definite mean
ing whatsoever, then that definite
meaning is just no more and no
less than dogma, a creed, a
theology, a profession Of faith
precisely the thing that Mr.. Swain
and others are so anxious to keep
outside the school. And if it has
no definite meaning, if it is just
poetry or rhetoric Of the vaguest
kind, meaning anything or moth
ing just as you please, it is not
easy to realize how a serious,
thoughtful man brings himself to
propose it as a desirable thing for
our boys and girls. If you cannot
give them something clear-cut for
their minds to grasp and hold ON
to, then do not by vague ideas
about religion encourage in them
that looseness of language and
slovenliness Of mental process,
which are the besetting faults of
the young, and are so characteris-
tic Of the grown-up babies Of to-
day.
1t would seem, however, that
Mr.. Swain intends this mysterious
new religion of his for the teachers
and not for the pupils. He says
that "the great need Of citizen
ship both in church and in school
is band Of strong men and
women who are willing to give
their lives to young people, who
have a profound faith in human
ity, who believe that the heart of
the universe is sound, and who be-
lieve that we are placed in the
world for purpose, and who
show by their face and feature
and every act that it is a joy to
give a helping hand. Fill our
schools and our churches with
such leaders, and we will not need
the terms secular and religious
education, for the term education
will include them BOTH
There is a fine healthy ring of
optimism about all that; but its
appeal depends wholly upon the
traditions and the imagery which
cling about every word Of it.
Every word Of it affirms a dogma,
a plain definite teaching about the
and the value of human
life and Of human effort. Even
teachers cannot, be taught unless
a definite lesson is set before them.
Mr.. Swain is on the right track
however. Let him and others be
not afraid of the plain human
of words especially when
the dictionaries uphold that mean
ing. The right use Of words is a
great help in all education, includ-
ing ones efforts to teach ones
own self. The man who uses
words correctly is in a fair way
to appreciate the Catholic stand
for the principle that room must
be found for Almighty God in the
schools, and in the minds and
hearts of the little children while
they are there.