The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-11-27
AN OLD OBJECTION

AN OLD
The most common objection heard among Catholics with regard
not necessary; it suhaces that children like their elders attend services
ssr s > csty;, for to ;h sn ss;!!, : 4s|. s sai.s !s fsi1. g, h ss s: sn that as r i: ssss51i id
the past, although not infrequently is it heard today:
In Catholic countries there is the immense weight Of tradition in
ss.s . Of GsHs's BEING oA1 Il aesasgs. si sb ;an 1vs sss sad 'n ss,a tns very It gs1 as:s st
their thoughts and gives color and glow to their vision Of earth. Their
gives Five Of life and its purposes The very atmosphere breathes a spirit
Of devotion and an aspiring after things of the soul
tation Of religious subjects. The grandest achievements of the painter,
t sss: sf' Il ssa t4s . Rsss aszs r s1'q ssxs ssi% t ssss sssg 1si sgs Hv 5ss!'f fss: :as
the sublime poesy Of those countries all speak with the language Of
heaven; the people listen and understand: God is over and above ALL
Those old Catholic lands are everywhere empurpled with the
and the splendor Of sanity lives lived within its confines. wsayside
shrines, Stations Of the Gross, in public, innumerable "Madonnas, .
of the spirit of heaven. Is it any wonder that children reared in such
their faith?
And yet even in those favored regions, when heresy or atheism
faith, then doubt, and finally yiela to to IN sr Ihi: happened
the tide: 1t is going on today in some of those countries, and the
Church is endeavoring to keep her children in the fold.
Now in contrast with the above picture, what have we in Amer
in the minority. Coming here to avoid persecution at home, they
lou new new enemies sades, among the s early colonis u.s.. The St. sturdy tg.t faith It'll . that
fathers fathers "a and 4a. yet we s,i find large rye number 4iDsno ~ whose nose names 7 c point un mi
taE' nSw to The ,g1 piis1s P Of so%e r dsneSi 1saay Ha s eSnse 35n me@ 1ish9i st : %as.
onry' or enrolled in the ranks OF unoelievers.
The Catholic tradition in this country has never been of large
volume; it stands as a slender STRIPPING compared to the giants around
it. True, our membership is about ne-ffth of the population, but it
is a heterogeneous mixture of native Americans and gradual impor-
'tations. Our numbers have grown chiefly by external acquisition,
while a solid national strength has not yet been possible. The for
egners who have hocked to our shores have been, as a rule, a boon to
the Church. They have brought with them frequently a virile faith;
but it has taken several generations to thoroughly identify themselves
with their new home. In the meantime the forces of bigotry, of ma
ter1alism and indifference have produced their lethal effect, and a
certain leakage exists today in spite of all attempts to deny it. This
also has been in part due to the want of priests to minister to the
new arrivals in their own tongue. The result has been that as a body
we still lack the solidarity and forcefulness to make our numbers felt
in public life.
If with our Catholic schools, and the devoted, untiring work of
priests and nuns, many persons drift far from the safe moorngs Of
Holy Church, what would not the result have been had these scholas-
tic refugees been missing.
With atheism and unbelief, with the hundred headed organiza-
tin Of the sects on every hand, with all the alurements that appeal
to eye and ear and flesh, facing our Catholic youth in every direc-
ton, how can one hope to keep them pure in soul and body, stead
unless their very souls be permeated and strengthened by a daily
exercise OF mind and will in the atmosphere of a Catholic school?
y u y
But cannot the parents, you will say, teach their children sufL
is an emphatic, NO. In the circumstances that face every child in
this country it is not possible to keep the majority within the bounds
Of Christian morality and religious belief except through the medium
OF the parochial school. AS for the teaching by parents, many have
are not fitted for the task. Ask the average Catholic ten questions
on subjects of religion, and then Judge from his answers whether he
is properly qualified to give a whole course Of instruction to a child
who must be enlightened on all points of his faith.
The sooner our Catholic people as a whole initiate the generosity
and wisdom OF those who support the parochial school, the larger and
stronger and better equipped Catholic body shall we have. Destroy
the parochlal school, and you may auction off the churches to the
sorrow. a