The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-25
ELOQUENT PRIEST SCORES LIBEL
 AT SI. AUGUSTINE EXERCISES
Dr. OfRepeated Charge That Church Does Essser Education-Sho1vs Influence of Monks and onasteries Learning Its Present Stage-Counsels Children Q Aid Their Schools.


 Two Thousand persons crowded the Hpac1os is and beautiful St. Augustine's church,, "Wednesday night to witness the A%npressfve graduation exercises that marked the closing of the school
 me Rev pr. BSerne c. S. SD, preach ed discourse on "Education, that held the large audience spell-bound for nearly an hour The eloquent d1- vine dweft upon the necessity az re- ligion in education for the tnoxVtusaads the we'll being of society and the se- curity of the state With ournAns words he hurled a mass Of histozacal fac4s agaanst the oft-repeated lfbel upon the Church, that she is the enc 111H of eduratio4a Seventy-two un1- yersities in Europe were founded ana fostered by the Church before the dawn Of the eleventh century, ne said. After the -.Reformation the f;es in Europe alone. The vast strides e,f the Church along true educational linas in these United States, and at inc very greatest sacrifices, is ev1- f1eY1ce enough, he asserted, that she IS stfII fu1hIfng the commission given 70 her 500 years ago by her DeV1ne F-ouuder @Go, teach all nations
 The following is in part Dr. Byrnes discourse.
 .-It ig q source of great pleasure to ] rs,eL inv dear children, to be here pres ent with you tonight to share in the ioy that fills your hearts on the nap nv issue Of your school work, and to thank God with you on your success We shall together ask God to continue in the future HIS benefits and ex- hort won with all my heart to be ever faithful h corresponding to those gracas and fayors of God Goo $ Tnercies are all designed for a great
  of. the glory of Himself in mans SUI ner-na.trral bliss Consider my dear frsendss for few moments man, his dignity. his destiny; and from this consideration learn what a good edu- cation requires
 What are we2 A human De1n1ss man. woman or child is a creatIzI>e a(f rz,d that is capable Of knowing, un- I derstand1ng truth, and Of loving what is noble4 what is divine; mineral su D- stances however, precio1s, exist fot1 don't live Flowers live but don I feeIs birds, fishes, animals, ezasrs i've and feel. but don't understand Man exists, lives feels and. like the angels, even understands, knows ana loves His is an a1nrnurta1, spiritual soul
 ssFrDr11 t7azs consideration of mans nature and operations we easily re- a1ize his dignity we understand how far he is above all earthly creatures.
 
 he was made little less than the angels who g1D11fy God and guard and guide us, the children of God, s ea r-t1lly Kingdom Nothing on eaTtn can approach man. He is so lar above all, spiritual He is guided by no blind unreasonfHg instinct He is his OWE master, knows and under stands his aim. his duty, and chooses bv his own free-w1n the means to ac- coTnpIiSh 1t
 sNothing helps us to understand more fully OUT greatness, our dignity, than the thought of our destiny God created US and gave us our intel1f- gence and VIII to know His works, to know himself, to know creation, and to ascend from knowledge Of creation to the know1edge of the Creator; to know truth and to love what is good, to know and love the things Of God the creatures of God; and above all God Himself, the source Of all beauty, of all 1ovabIeness, of all good We are destined to- know, to love God and His creation here, and sE in Heaven to know Him perfectly, see I Him face to face and love Him with Ian indescr1bable love, love Gods friends as our friends and be happy ineHably happy forever
 fsWeaIth does not satisfy the heart I Honor and human praise cannot sat- lisfy the heart. The pleasures and arnusern ents of earth leave a great void in the heart The millionaire, Fers of the world. are not happy. St. Augustine. patron of this parish, says with absolute truth that o12x heart cannot rest till it rest in God, in the full knowledge and love of God With #eartf1's satisfactfons there's the un- f certainty of their duration, the feel ling of their vanity, fatigue from their I abundance. Mans aim is Knowledge of truth of God. of creation love o1 the sublime, Gods works God Him kself Of this joy we never grew tired
 we have just seen what we are our dignity, cur destiny Let us now consider more closely our nature. We are not spirits. we are matter, we are made of the elements of the earth. bound by the laws of matter as other material things, We are not however mere matter, 1ifeless matter as clay or stones we are living beings. As plants and flowers seek nouFishnent grow and develop, so do we. They absorb their food through their roots and leaves. we eat our food and grow We not only live like the flowers, we also see and hear. We feel like tfls bird, fish or anin1als just as they heaI see, smell, feel, taste, so do we. More than all this and far above all this we have the power of Knowledge, we touch on the life of the spirit world Just as, like the animals we feel, SC like the angels, we understand. Mar is as a little world in himself. He shares the gifts of all Gods creatures He is one of Gods grandest works most complicated, most delicate. The Blessed Virgin, Mother of God is one of us and she is above even the angels Iby reason Of her grace the noblesi Of all pure creatures. The Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity be- caYhe man, took to Himself a body and soul, and isSone Of us.
 There is admirable order in man. makeup. He has his body and sou to live, te grow. and to develop. He lives, grows and develops in order tt see, hear, feel. His senses are giver him that he may by them find the fnines he is to know and love Every.