The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-07-03
Continued romp ID
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOR CATHOLIC YOUTH

radiate from 1t across the whole sphere
of mans thinking and acting. Mem
cries of youth endure: to the adult
whose formative days we're spent in a
secularized school-room, memories
those are of humanity without God,
without Christ. The secularized school
is the expulsion of God and of Christ
from the mind and the heart of the
child, with the resulting expulsion of
Him from the mind and the heart of
the adult
But we must go farther and accept
facts as they really are. There is no
neutrality in the secularized school.
Textbooks abound in misrepresenta-
tions and calumnies with regard to
the Church: teachers, non-Catholics,
on-Christians, do not refrain from Civ
ing expression to their views. Those
views, when not openly spoken,
exude. from the very atmosphere the
teacher creates, consciously or uncon-
sciously. To the pupil the teacher
sits in the chair of knowledge: he is
listened to with respect and obedience:
his opinions and judgments, whether
he will it or not, he cannot conceal.
For the child, untutored and tender
minded, the neutral school does not
exist: it is Catholic or Protestant,
Christian or Hebrew, Theist or Agnos-
tic or BADLY materialistic.
Religion Must Be Taught In the
School-room.
Not taught in the school-room, where
will religion be taught? Let us re-
member that the Catholic faith is a
science in itself-lengthy and complex
in its propositions, precise and dog
matte in its demands. 1t is not learnt
in brief moments, with easy expendi-
lures of attention. 1t is no general
mental assent to which the slight
prompting of the will may give birth:
it is no vague aspiration, to which a
passing word or example lends a
power of uplift. The Catholic faith
is well-coordinated and explicit
system of divinely-received truths: it
is the firm grasp of those truths by
mind and heart: it is the plenary
yielding of the energies of life to the
consequences of those truths. An
attempt to teach Catholic faith, short
of long time and thorough drilling, is
a profitless beating of the air. The
place to teach religion is the school,
room, where time and circumstances
permit and authorize thought and
work, where each theme and study
takes it's proper rank, religion first
and foremost, permeating and inspir
ing all else, while other themes still
are Loyalty treated to their due share
of attention and respect.
The Home and the Sunday School
insufficient for Religious Training.
Need l discuss the home and the
Sunday-school as factors in the re
ligious formation of the child? AS a
matter of fact, religion is not taught
in the home. Few parents are capable
to teach religion: fewer1yet. take the
time, or have the will to teach it. II
and where the opportunity? The days
harrassing labor over, fathers and
mothers covet rest and recreation:
the wearisome drudgery of the school
room sloughed off, children are loatt
to listen. Parents do not trust in
the lessons of the home to teach tC
their children the sciences of earth
Are lessons in religion less valuable
or more easily dealt with than lessons
in music and grammar, in chemistry
or history? The Sunday-school! Fol
multitudes of children the Sunday
school does not exist: they do not
they will not, come to it. To those
who do come, what is the Sunday
school? One hour in the week, hur
ried rehearsal of words, specious
makeshift, harmful inasmuch as il
excuses from the thorough study thai
alone suffices in matters of religion
The Sunday-school taking the place o.
the regular school of five days in the
week, is not to be thought of among
Catholics. Were the Catholic Church
in America to confide in the home anC
the Sunday-school for the religious
education of her children, she were
preparing a death-blow to herself ant
to the sacred message of which SHIT
was made the voice-bearer and the de
fender | quote the examinations IL
religion, over which l preside when
visit parishes for the administration o
the Sacrament of Confirmation. Few
the glances, few the questioning
needed to differentiate the pupils o
the Catholic school from those who's
religious training is presumed to have
come from the home or the Sunday
school AS the pupils of the Catholic
school pass in review, prompt in repl,
and calculation, beaming in counte
nance with the joyous rays of spiritua
grace and piety, | feel that in tn
future years the Church is sure t
have from them it's throng of loya
soldiers, in whose hands her destinie
are safe. But as observe and ques
ton those children who, for their re
ligious training, have relied on othe
agencies, tremble for the faith 0
those children, for the fortunes of tn
Church so far as they may be he
champions. l never arise from Cor
firmation examination without an &C
of praise to God for our Catholi
schools, without an act of deep regre
that still there are Catholic childre