The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-25
F0RCEFUL ADDRESS BY DR. MOORE
 TO SACRED HEART SCHOOL CLASS
"The Educational Theory System O he ParochaI School" Subject of Most Eloquent Discourse Grad uating Glass


 1 The Educational Theory and Sys- 1 tenn of the ParochisI School
 The eloquent address bore a, mes sage alike for parents and pupils. Dr. Moore spoke as follows:
 My Dear Friends:
 ''The day of graduation is always
 an occasion of joy and satisfaction l ter long years of patient study and severe discipline. A similar measure of success will be likewise theirs, in 1 their future fields of endeavor, if they wisely continue the practice of l those fundaIne ental virtues of industry and honor; courage and honesty 1 which have been grafted into their | characters by the strong arm of re- i Iigion.2
 tThe proper education of our youth l should be a, matter of the greatest
 moment alike to the church and state; for the children of today. will 1 be the men and women of tomorrow. l The church needs loyal and staunch useful citizens. Therefore their fu- 1 ture stability and strength must rest ] upon an education that is solid 1 rather than bri1liant-an education l that aims to develop all the faculties and powers synan1etricaHy of our 1 growing youth. A distinguis shed 1 writer has we'll said: The true test of civilization is not in acres but in the l kind of men that come out of our schools The divine teacher em-
 phasizes the same truth when He | says: AS the tWig is bent so shall it grow "A young man according to his ways when he is old he will not depart from them .' It is a truisTn l that our highest and holiest and best interests are involved in that one l It is indeed al preparation for life. But what is hfe? Here begins that | confusion which ends in the destruc- ton of the very primary principles of education.
 False Ideals.
 The ancient and modern pagan have similar views of life and of man. 1 They agree that mans life is the pass ing chance of material happiness and sensual enjoyment and upon that de- graded foundation they will frame their base views of education; and their schools will turn out material ists and sensualists whose aim in life is passion
 If the conception of life be utiIitar- ian, their schools will turn out money machines. If the scope of life be considered intellectual acumen, their schools will develop clever criminals. The worst criminals are among the educated. All these views of life are radically or essentially false and thereto every system of education built upon them as foundation is radically and essentially false. The l truest philosophy the world has ever known, after it's investigations it's ex- peri1nenbs, its reasoni1rgs and deduc- tions, has always finally kneIt at the l feet of religion for it's final answer to the all absorbing question-what is life? All religions the world over. under whatever name, in whatever gllise, though tfley may differ in their definiteness of response, they all this fhaf Ox n "a way, man is not meant for this world alone and this life, in it's fullest sense is more than mere thought; and that indefinable something which men call t'souP' and which is more than mind, is at the very basis of each in dividual being.
 Free Education
 .'In all the world there is only one who has taught humanity what life really is; what is man and whither 1 does he go. Jesus Christ, who says of Himself, T am the Way, the Truth and the L1fe-revealed to a world, i which had wandered into every realm of false philosophy and false belief, the only true conception of life | and destiny. Speaking through the book of Genesis and His church, He tells us, that man is composed of a, body and soul and made to the image and likeness of God; that this like l ness is chiefly in the soul, because the soul, like God, has intelligence, free will and has a life that will never die" Speaking more explicitly upon l life itself, He says: This is life eternal to know God and His son, Jesus Christ whom He has sent
 Therefore, to know. love and serve God is the distinctive end of a | true education, as it is the sure prep ara.tion for a life of eternal happi- ness. To know God with all the faculties of the mind is mental cu1- ture; to love God with the whole 1 heart is religion supreme; and to serve God with a resoIute will, wher- 1 ever we are and whatever we do even l in the midst of temptations-herein lies virtue or morality
 l Intelligence and morality and re- 1 ligiOn; all three are necessary and are 1 within the scope of true education l but the greatest of them is religion l that trains us to fulfill all our duties 1 of life. All three are inseparably 1 connected There should be no di- vorce between the study of science and that of faith; because, both are rays that emanate from the same in i finite intelligence of God. In every science, whether it be geography or 1 botany, oh eraistry rnath ernatics, we ! may trace the finger of God, who, in 1 the last analysis is the sum total of all the knowledge, all the goodness I and all the beauty wherever they may l be reflected in this world. Likewise, I there can be no divorce between morality and religion, as some mod 1 ern educationists have vainIy at 1 tempted to effect. It is not enough l to teach a child to do the right and avoid the wrong. Knowledge alone will not make one good or keep one good and virtuous. Knowledge is but i half the action. It is necessary, be- 1 sides, to train the will to be reso1ute l and firm. And this strength of will
 must come not from any such weak or shifty motives as those of pleasure l or profit: beauty or expediency or 1 other self-regardtng motives but from 1 the fear and love of God who will re- | ward the good and perish the wicked Catholic System.