The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-11-24
THE NEW CODE AND EDUCATION

be able to obtain the kind of educa
ton which their faith requires, tht
Catholic Church claims the right t.
found Catholic schools. For many
centuries she has exercised this right
The Third Council of the Lateran de
creed as follows: Since the Church
of God, like a good mother, is bound
to provide SO that the poor who car
get no help from the wealth OF
parents should not be deprived of the
opportunity of learning and making
progress in letters, let a competent
| benefice be assigned in every cathe
! dral church to a SchoOlmaSter, who
will teach clerics and poor scholars
for nothing" The Fourth Council OF
the Lateran in A. d. 1916 renewed
and extended this law to all other
principal churches. Those DEGREES
were inserted in the Corpus Juris'
authorized by Gregory TX, and they
were taught in all the schools of
| Canon Law throughout Christendom.
They were quoted as Chapters l and
4 in the title de Magistris 1t is
not without precedent, then, that the
| Catholic Church enacts as follows in
the new Code:
Right to found Schools of All Kinds.
THE Church has the right to found
schools of all kinds and of all grades"
Canon 1859
| 1t is well known that very many of
| the oldest educational foundations in
the country owe their origin to the
provident action of the Catholic
Church.
To prevent the main object of Cath
olic schools being forgotten the new
Code lays down that:
Religious instruction must be given
in all schools of whatever grade suit
ably to the age of the scholars
| Canon 1879.
1t is to be noted that the Catholic
clergy, Bishops and priests, are bound
| by these laws, not less but more than
| the laity. One of the chief burdens
and anxieties of the Catholic clergy is
to provide for the Catholic education
of their people In striving to obtain
{ fteL educational rights they are not
| striving after power or money, they
are simply doing their duty. The new
Code is not silent on this point. Canon
1879 prescribes:
IF Catholic elementary and Sec
ondary schools do not exist, Bishops
must take care that they be built
|
The Catholic position, then, on the
education question is clearly outlined
in the new Code of Canon Law. 1t
may be stated in this way. The edu-
cation of children belongs by natural
and divine law to their parents. This
does not mean that the parents can
give them any sort of education they
| like, or no education if they so please
] They have the right because they have
| the duty to so educate their children
| that they may be fit to take the place
in life which is destined for them
and attain the end for which they
came into the world. Catholic parents
recognize this duty, and they also
recognize their obligation to accept the
| teaching and guidance of the Catholic
/ Church as to the nature, extent, ant
limits of this and of all their other
duties. Moreover, the Catholic Church
has received divine commission tt
/ teach religion and morality to al
men, and more especially to her owI
baptized members. Practically, she
can only exercise her right and fulfil
her duty by requiring that Catholic
children should be educated in Cath
olic schools under Catholic teachers
For centuries she has exercised this
right, as history abundantly testifies
! / can imagine some of my readers
asking: And where does the STATE
come in? Has the State no rights AM
duties with regard to the education o
its citizens?"
The State and Education.
The State has similar rights AM
duties with regard to the education o
it's citizens to those which it has witt
regard to their other natural rights
The State has the duty and the righ
to defend and protect the lives of tn
citizens. 1t cannot deprive them Q
| their lives unless they have forfeite
, them by their crimes. The State ha
the right and the duty to protect tn
, property of its citizens. 1t canno
deprive them of it, although it ma
, levy contributions for the commo
| good. Just in the same way lit is tn
province of the State to protect an
, defend the natural right of parents
leducate their own children. The Stat
: Twas founded to protect the naturs
rights of it's members. 1t betrays il
trust and becomes a tyrant if it take
J. them away. A Socialist State woul
4 be guilty of robbery if it deprived il
: members of their property agains
j their reasonable wish. A State whic
i obliges parents to send their childre
. to schools where they receive an ed
: cation of which the parents reasonabl
t disapprove introduces Socialism int
, education The State has the right
/ compel negligent parents to do the
e duty. If parents are bringing up the
4 children in crime and vice, the Stat
4 in the last resort can remove sue
children from the control of their u
d worthy parents.
n i .a-.15Tt.-.. A.8.e sss